en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/594631 Comments by AS_SCT http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1437#IDComment31972704 I'm voting yes. Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:43:14 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1437#IDComment31972704 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1432#IDComment31094662 "But the bigger point is this: The FAA's actions, and the political ideology that lie behind those actions, have been exposed as a fraud and a failure. What they did was flat-out WRONG and to call the White Book any kind of "contract" or "agreement" is plainly a lie." Exposed, but not a fraud (or a failure) Paul to those that hold and practice these views. And "lying", Blakey's forte, was one of the reasons she got the FAA job. Ask any FAA manager, or Blakey herself if they think what they did was wrong....you know what the answer will be. The last few posters got it right. NATCA needs legislation to preclude the next POTUS who holds the ideology you described from doing what Bush did to this union and this profession. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:57:36 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1432#IDComment31094662 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1432#IDComment31025622 I know what controllers would have gotten with McCain....more of the Bush Blakey same. No thank you ! Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:13:45 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1432#IDComment31025622 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1432#IDComment31016803 Lavey was the poster boy, chief drum beater and antagonist for Blakey and this imposed debacle of the last three years. You'll recall as late as February of this year, Lavey admonishing Ray Lahood at an FAA townhall, not to "give away the store" and that we (FAA management) had "bought labor peace in the 90s". After he reminded us he was a lifelong Democrat, from a union family, 70 years old and a 40 year FAA employee (yawn). Lavey is also representative of the arrogance of FAA management and the excess that we saw in beating the work force and the unions down at FAA. Many of them were gleeful as they imposed the Bush Blakey "vision" on NATCA and the other BUs. And they were certainly rewarded for it, full pay raises, bonuses, TDY, per diem and travel. In Lavey's case, his lofty title and the ability to take time off from "work" to caterwaul at Ray Lahood. Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:05:54 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1432#IDComment31016803 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1430#IDComment30639038 FAA, more specifically the ATO, has been using the money Snakey siphoned out of controller's pockets to feather their own nests and build their empires. I'm not sure how many "managers" it takes to run my facility, but apparently were not there yet. Career progression for it's own sake is justification enough to create one superfluous management position after another.____In fact, I've been told FAA is so flush with ops cash, they actually tried to transfer ops monies to the F and E side of the house the last few years, to buy Nextgen gear (i.e. send money to AIA companies that Snakey now whores for) . But the culprits weren't smart enough to come up with the necessary accounting slight of hand to fool Congress.____Snakey gamed the FAA for her own personal aims and in her quest to bust every FAA union, gave management the keys to the kingdom and a green light to tee of on controllers and NATCA.____The arrogance of the "higher skill set" knows no bounds. A ratified CBA and a fair pay deal are the next step to restoring some balance. But the question is, where does Babbitt take us after that ? Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:36:48 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1430#IDComment30639038 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1426#IDComment30554286 Poole is primarily concerned with directing billion plus dollar projects at the military industrial complex (IOW the companies Blakey whores for at AIA) Companies that also happen to provide ATC equipment, software and services. He's never met a federal union he didn't want to bust or a federal employee he didn't want to contract out and steal his or her pension. He does fancy himself a controller and usually tries to talk over people's heads. Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:13:26 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1426#IDComment30554286 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1417#IDComment29566204 They may go to Chi town, they may not. Once the arbitrators drop their pay decision on them, FAA is going to have to find the money to pay controllers. You're probably right, they'll pull the money out of their a**, just like they always do. Screw it, (we'll) ratify the contract, fix the pay, and eventually achieve enough staffing so controllers can run the traffic safely, and get adequate breaks and AL. Beyond that, I really couldn't care less what the "higher skill set" does......which is mostly mastubatory career ladder climbing, their circle jerks where they check each other for ticks and "network", and other self aggrandizing activities. Wed, 5 Aug 2009 18:14:25 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1417#IDComment29566204 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1417#IDComment29552213 Hopefully Trish (and Ruth) can work to make NATCA's contract negotiations, less of a political football in the future. Regardless of which party controls the WH. The Labor and worker haters, over at the WSJ op ed page, we're all a tizzy three years ago when Snakey was in the process of imposing her work and pay rules and Steve Latourette (R OH 14) was trying to fight her (God bless him) along with almost every House Democrat and about 60 House Republicans. What would Ronald Reagan have done, they thundered. NATCA and PATCO were the same union to hear one of them tell it. I suspect there will be very little in the way of partisan drum beating from the fringe right this time around....too busy slamming the cash for clunkers, Sotomayor and Obama-care to notice. And certainly no multi million dollar expenditure by FAA to fly all of their managers out to St Louis over a three week period to brief them on the white book "contract". Anybody seen Bruce Johnson ? LOL Wed, 5 Aug 2009 15:48:35 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1417#IDComment29552213 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1413#IDComment29339640 Blakey was and is a political and money whore, and a far right wing ideologue. The fact that she will spin any tale, tell any lie, speak any half truth or distortion, to advance her personal/professional agenda, is nothing to be respected or admired in my view. Having had more than one opportunity to catch her "act" up close and personal at a few NATCA events she attended EARLY in her tenure at FAA, I can tell you, she's a cold hearted humorless bitch and a truly ugly woman. That the likes of that craven ass smoocher Jerry Lavey, tweeted her praises from his perch at FAA, should be proof enough. Mon, 3 Aug 2009 19:55:54 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1413#IDComment29339640 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1409#IDComment28595816 I agree, Lochmart will get their money and the first five years of the contract. It's the second five years I'm curious about. Snakey got what she wanted, her job at AIA and a high six figure job plus several hundred federal employees screwed out of everything they worked for, to include pension. Not as bad for controllers, but by my calculations between the base pay ripoff, lower differentials to include CIP, lower TSP contributions/missed earnings and a lower pension annuity, I figure the hatchet face stole 250K out of my pocket in salary and future retirement income. Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:11:31 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1409#IDComment28595816 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1409#IDComment28503381 FAA takes back some of the services Lochmart is supposed to be performing (and dumps it on FAA employees) and Lochmart can then reduce their labor costs even further (fire the poor FSS employee who lost it all) and finally make the proft they expected. Never mind Lochmart has a five year deal with a five year extension clause. Lochmart will get their money and former FSS workers who get laid off, will take yet another slap in the face. Blakey told so many lies at FAA, it's hard to tell if she ever told the truth. But the whoppers she told about the Lochmart FSS deal, especially the alleged cost savings to tax payers, were some of her more egregious. Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:48:45 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1409#IDComment28503381 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1406#IDComment28436949 We will need hard working activists like you Paul to hold FAA managers accountable, to the letter of the new CBA. My belief is that whatever agenda Babbitt chooses to pursue at FAA, it will probably take as long as it did Garvey to implement her agenda. The current crop of FAA ATO managers is so arrogant, so drunk with the power of the Bush Blakey ripoff and beat down of the controller workforce the last several years, it's going to take a good 15-18 months to knock some of the sass out of them. Clinched fist, or gloved hand Paul, we got a heap o work to do. Sun, 26 Jul 2009 19:18:46 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1406#IDComment28436949 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1404#IDComment27901708 The all management, all the time agenda.....all part of Snakey's game plan. And FAA screwing controllers on pay, ten different ways from Sunday the last three years, to include CIC, also part of Snakey's crush NATCA, demean and belittle the controller profession agenda. Yea, well, there's a new sheriff at 1600 Penn (we already know CIC is going to be restored). And the mediators/arbitators that his WH picked, from the list that NATCA gave them, are deciding the pay issues as we speak. Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:43:12 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1404#IDComment27901708 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1369#IDComment27011858 LOL, broke the FAA ? Tell that to Jimmy Oberstar. Our manager came back from DC in 2005, spouting this same jive. FAA was going out of business according to Snakey because of NATCA. What followed: Imposed work rules, B scale, pay freezes and other cuts for the A scale,but mgmt kept right on partying on the NATCA reclass pay scales...still are in fact. 70 employees at MSS 2 or higher pay at my facility, to "supervise" 235 CPCs, trainees, TMCs and staff. And not a single dime of pay cuts for the "higher skill set", at an agency that was allegedly going out of business. It was jive then, it's jive now. Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:42:05 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1369#IDComment27011858 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1369#IDComment26887323 Shall we start the cannonization process now for Bluecat ? It always cracks me up when someone in management (or their sympathizers) plays the "you should just be glad you have a job" card. Did you ever stop and think that maybe I should be "glad" because I picked a job and a career largely immune to economic cycles ? And you're dead wrong on the pay raises Cat. The B scale is going to be fixed and the days of the Bush Blakey 2 step, all management all the time, are waning. Oh, I like ketchup on my t shirt and fries, not mustard Mr Brummel. Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:36:35 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1369#IDComment26887323 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1365#IDComment26478142 Lavey was a Blakey boot licker, beholden to her, just like too many of the "higher skill set", who whooped it up at the St Louis koolaid meetings three years ago. A mind set Babbitt is going to have a hard time combating in my view. And my guess is Lahood probably thought the same thing Zab, when Lavey was gushing about his age and his 40 years of FAA service......why aren't you at home, enjoying retirement, your grand kids and lighting the charcoal on the BBQ. Mon, 6 Jul 2009 17:28:17 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1365#IDComment26478142 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1365#IDComment26370199 Lavey is right, he doesn't have to worry about losing his federal employment. The question is, doing exactly what though ? Blakey made him a star, probably let him make up that grandiose title, and is probably why he's still at FAA at age 70 with 40 years of service. A fact he just had to tell Ray Lahood about at that Q and A at FAA HQ back in February before admonishing him not to "give away the store" to NATCA.(sorry Gel, it's too late. a new contract is on the way). What role does a rank propagandist who so clearly hates the rank and file and relished his role as chief rhetorical anatagonist, play with an Obama appointee now at FAA ? Sun, 5 Jul 2009 04:59:53 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1365#IDComment26370199 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1362#IDComment26031771 Brown doesn't know where her lies stop and the truth starts. A hapless PR flack, and Blakey leftover who will hopefully play much less of a role under Babbitt. Wed, 1 Jul 2009 15:08:28 +0000 http://www.faafollies.com/?p=1362#IDComment26031771