PATCO History Lesson -- August 3

Today is the 27th anniversary of the PATCO strike. It is also the 700th day that the current air traffic controllers have been working under imposed work rules. Trainee’s pay has been cut by 30 percent, most senior controller’s pay is frozen and those that can are retiring as soon as possible. It is a disaster that grows deeper every day.

Whether through fear or patience, today’s controllers have shown remarkable restraint. To the best of my knowledge, there have been no slow-downs, no sick-outs, no organized job actions. The controllers have fought their fight within the law and in the court of public opinion. Both have been unresponsive. Mind you, neither entity argues that they don’t have an honest grievance. The Bush Administration’s manipulation of the legal system has been well documented. The controllers are simply another victim on a long list of victims. They don’t even rate in the court of public opinion in legal matters. How can they compete with the suspension of habeas corpus and the legalization of torture ?

As controllers have always known, they don’t get any attention until there’s a disaster. Their job is to prevent those disasters and they are very, very good at their jobs. Should they refuse to work, they lose in the court of public opinion. Air traffic control disasters are very rare -- they’re faded memories. They’re a bad dream in the distance and no one wants to look too hard. Not being able to get to Grandma’s house because controllers are on strike is in the here-and-now. It’s real.

Today’s controllers are hanging their hope on an Obama presidency. It’s the only hope they have left. I support Senator Obama but I’ve warned my controller friends that betting on a President doesn’t have a great track record in history. Roosevelt left the textile workers twisting in the wind in 1934. Reagan fired the PATCO controllers -- even though they had endorsed him for President.

If you fly -- pilot or passenger -- you need to know that this situation can’t go on like this forever. We either fix it or something is going to break.

We can push the controllers into another strike. Or we can wait for another disaster. Or we can fix it. The choice is ours. Not deciding is to decide. Do nothing and you will have made your choice. You and I both know that most will choose to do nothing

I mentioned patience and fear. Neither is limitless. Controllers are not a patient group. Neither are they fearful. They face fears everyday that most people can’t imagine. They won’t remain fearful of their government’s power forever. When you refuse to take action on their behalf, rest assured that they will take matters into their own hands. And in an odd way, you had better hope they don’t wait too long. You had better hope they aren’t sitting around doing nothing -- just waiting on a disaster.

Don Brown
August 3, 2008