National Air Traffic Controllers Association
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) is a labor union in the United States. It is affiliated with the AFL–CIO, and is the exclusive bargaining representative for air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It also represents a range of workers related to the air traffic control (ATC) industry, and the FAA itself.
NATCA rally against the 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown
Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (1968)
The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) was a United States trade union that operated from 1968 until its decertification in 1981 following an illegal strike broken by the Reagan administration; in striking, the union violated 5 U.S.C. (Supp. III 1956) 118p (now 5 U.S.C. § 7311), which prohibits strikes by federal government employees.
On August 3, 1981, during a press conference regarding the PATCO strike, President Reagan stated: "They are in violation of the law and if they do not report for work within 48 hours they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated."
Union president Poli speaking to reporters during the strike
