Battle Now Fought In Court Of Public Opinion... And Congress

If you've watched much television lately, you might have already seen it -- a commercial sponsored by the National Air Traffic Controllers' Association talking about their bitter contract dispute, saying the FAA is trying to penalize senior controllers for staying on the job.

At the same time, the FAA is also taking its message to the public --  issuing news releases in places like Birmingham, AL saying local controllers make almost three times as much as police and firefighters there.

That's only fair, NATCA retorts, as few professions pack the stress of knowing "one mistake can have catastrophic results," said NATCA regional president Scott Pressley to The Birmingham News.

And there you have it... now that talks between the two sides have broken off, both NATCA and the FAA are now taking their battle to court... the court of public opinion, that is, with both sides hoping constituents will contact their congresspeople and senators to influence their decisions.

The FAA has asked Congress to step in and set the terms of the contract. Members of the House and Senate have 60-days to decide. Under law, if they don't... then the FAA's last offer will be imposed on controllers.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.natca.org