When that popped up on my podcast feed I initially thought it was a typo. But when you think about it, the Trap Draw is a perfect platform for Pete - very entertaining episode.
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He was gay, Pete Buttigieg?
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He is right of you are at a busy ATC center or terminal facility you will be well paid. He doesn’t mention you’re going to be working 6 10 hour days, getting your ass kicked every day and our pay is not keeping pace with other jobs in the industry such as pilots. We are only guaranteed a 1.6 percent raise each year and get a presidential raise which right now is not good because the president thinks all federal workers are human scum. He fails to mention people are quitting low level facilities because they are making it harder and harder to move up, these guys can be stuck at low paying facilities away from family and the agency and union is just telling them suck it up. More people have quit in the past 2 years than the first 12 years of my career combined because it’s not worth it anymore. It’s also awesome to have an already stressful job and have people openly want to gut your retirement, benefits and tell you that you make enough and be sure to keep showing up for overtime because the agency didn’t hire enough controllers. Oh and make sure you have some money tucked away because about twice a year your going to be used as a pawn during government shutdown threats.
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Why is the union not in a better position to bargain for better terms? Seems like The Controllers Union would have a lot of bargaining power right now given the current climate.
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Public sector unions and private sector unions are pretty different, with regards to bargaining power. ATC’s can’t go on strike, so ultimately, what’s the threat they can hold over the government?
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The union is terrified of this administration. Especially with this administration doing everything they can to crush all federal unions. They have already ruled multiple contracts void due to “national security”
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This happened to us at a bank regulator.
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I feel awful for you guys in ATC, I’m in aircraft certification and it’s been a rough 8 months but you guys have had it way worse for years now.
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Look on the bright side, Trump keeps pissing off allies to the point where a USA passport won’t be accepted anywhere while simultaneously trashing our economy so air travel demand is going to fall off a cliff soon.
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I was pleasantly surprised by this interview, seems like a pleasant chap as do most politicians, but it was apparent he had no business in the role of TranspoSec. It was like listening to a kid who heard a someone else’s book report and him trying to repeat it. And be honest, anyone who thinks O’Hare and LaGuardia are good airports needs to never speak about transportation again.
@BigDorf when’s the last time you flew through/into LGA?
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This seems like a crazy take for new LGA. I can’t speak to the logistics behind the scenes but as a traveler it is a wonderful experience now.
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Last time through there was pre-COVID, so I may be behind the times on it. My problems weren’t the facilities, it was the air flight operations. Sat on the tarmac for 2+ hours half a dozen times, one was due to a storm so fair play, but the rest they either forgot us or we weren’t a priority flight.