FYI Shortage of Air Traffic Controllers goes back to 1981

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   Kathleen Cochranposted 5 weeks ago

   The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries: "August 1981, over 12,000 members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) walked off the job after contract negotiations with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) broke down. President Ronald Reagan ordered them to return to work, and after 48 hours fired those who did not "
   Its main goals were a 32-hour work week, a $10,000 raise for all its members, ( members were making between $20,000 and $50,000 a year. ) and a better retirement package. PATCO was also concerned about on-the-job stress for its members, as it reported that 89% of those who left air traffic controller jobs in 1981 were either retiring early and seeking medical benefits or leaving the profession entirely.
   Reagan replaced them a combination of about 3,000 supervisors, 2,000 non-striking air traffic controllers, and 900 military controllers.
   The strike also caused an enduring shortage of air traffic controllers that extended into the George H. W. Bush administration, while a majority of the strikers had to settle for jobs that paid less. President Bill Clinton ended Reagan's prohibition on rehiring PATCO strikers as air traffic controllers, and by 2006, roughly 850 of them had been rehired by the FAA.
   New York (CNN) — The US air traffic control system has been stretched nearly to its breaking point by a decades-long staffing shortage. It’s causing problems not just for the air traffic controllers that remain but the flying public at large.
   And it won’t get better any time soon.
   The Federal Aviation Administration, which runs the air traffic system, stepped up the pace of hiring in 2024 under President Joe Biden. But even though 2,000 qualified applicants were hired last year, they might only just barely replace the 1,100 who left the job either through retirement or due to the heavy toll the stressful job takes on those who enter the field.
   That’s because nearly half of those hired in any given year will wash out of the program before they get to actually control aircraft after about three years from their initial start date.

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      Sharlee01posted 5 weeks agoin reply to this

      Just my view----
      The situation with PATCO in 1981 and the ongoing air traffic controller shortages today highlight some key issues in labor relations, the cost of work-related stress, and how staffing shortages can affect essential services. I agree that PATCO's demand for a 32-hour work week and higher pay made sense in the context of their job's intensity. Air traffic control is one of the most stressful jobs, and the high turnover rates suggest that the system was, and still is, pushing workers to their limits. Reagan’s firing of the strikers, while a tough decision, was based on maintaining public safety and ensuring the continuity of a critical service. However, the long-term consequences—like the staffing shortages that continued well into Bush’s administration—reflect a need for more sustainable labor practices. The fact that many PATCO members struggled to find comparable work after being blacklisted further complicates the issue, showing the broader societal impacts of such labor disputes.
      
      The current shortage of air traffic controllers, compounded by the high attrition rate among new hires, highlights that the challenges remain unresolved. While hiring has increased, the system is still feeling the effects of those earlier decisions, and the job’s stress continues to drive many away. Addressing this issue requires not just increasing the number of controllers, but also creating a working environment that supports their mental and physical well-being. It seems that the tension between maintaining safety and ensuring workers’ rights and health is an ongoing struggle, one that’s been shaped by events like PATCO and is still unfolding today.

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