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MadHoundWhy is nobody stating the obvious when it comes to sleeping air traffic controllers? Namely that this sudden "crisis" is a direct outgrowth of Reagan's union busting measures thirty years ago. The main issues surrounding the PATCO strike of '81 concerned hours worked, staffing and safety. Pay wasn't a priority issue. Yet despite all of this, Reagan played the cowboy at high noon, and shot PATCO down. Since then, air traffic controllers have been less experienced, been forced to work longer hours, with fewer staff on board any given shift, and yes, do so with less pay. These issues have now come to the fore, with staff falling asleep on duty and other such issues. Frankly, I find it a bit of a miracle that that is all we've suffered, some snoozing air traffic controllers and not a larger, deadlier tragedy. Three decades later, we now have air traffic controllers who are paid less, in terms of real wages, who work longer hours, and work harder since there are fewer staff on duty, handling a dramatically increased traffic load. Yet according to the media, this is somehow some new, unforeseen phenomenon, one that is the fault of the the air traffic controllers. Nobody seems to want to point out that this is the logical consequence of St. Ronnie's union busting efforts thirty years ago. When you pay people poorly, and force them to work more, you are not only going to get shoddy work from those employees, but the best and brightest simply won't enter the field. As with teaching, or any other such profession, if you want the best, you have to pay for them.http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=933632&mesg_id=933632
moondust (1000+ posts) Thu Apr-21-11 09:09 AMResponse to Original message 14. It is getting some coverage. IMO covered very well Wednesday night on Elliot Spitzer. But that's all I've seen.
TalkingDog (1000+ posts) Thu Apr-21-11 03:06 PMResponse to Original message 21. I did say it last night at dinner. In a small town red state diner. With the everpresent boob tube turned to the news... When the air traffic story came on I said in voice loud enough to hear... "They don't give those guys any time off to get real sleep. I wonder why they don't unionize." Then the mister and I busted out laughing at the top of our lungs.He said: "Yeah, they could call their union PETCO or something." and we laughed again.
October 75. They've been falling asleep for 3 decades, too -- as the cuts have increased Personally, I can't believe it took this long for this to come to light.
What cuts have happened in any form of government except in the military?