NATCA Guides You Home

Most of you will never have any idea how much a video like this means to someone like me. You see, over 25 years ago it was just me and a half dozen other guys sitting in somebody’s living room trying to figure out how to make things like this happen. Then we found out about some guys in Florida that were doing the same thing. And a couple of dozen in New York. And Boston. And Chicago. And Seattle. And L.A.

Next thing you know, we had a union. And people started paying dues. And ever so slowly (it seemed like at the time) we started getting things done. A few of us stuck our necks out, we spent some money we didn’t have to spend and lo-and-behold, other controllers started supporting what we were doing.

You have no idea what it was like to build a union as others watched theirs decline: To try and improve our corner of the government while others were trying to destroy it: To build a lasting career while others were saying careers -- good ones with security and benefits -- were a thing of the past.

And I hope you never do know.

(I give up. I can’t get the video to embed. Click on the link and click on the “play” arrow. Geez, why can’t people leave well enough alone?)


Don Brown
November 19, 2011