NATCA's Ruth Marlin On The FAA's Imposition Of An ATC Contract

It's a scenario that played out almost exactly the same way 25 years ago, when air traffic controllers belonging to PATCO walked off the job... and were promtly fired by President Ronald Reagan.

Now, as the deadline passes for talks between the FAA and its controllers, Administrator Marion Blakey has done what she said she'd do all along: unilaterally decided that controllers will have to abide by the FAA's best, last offer. But it's one that controllers say they're simply unable to live with... and one they promise to continue fighting.

But will this stand with members of Congress who are lining up for a vote on this issue Wednesday? And what about controllers, especially those who promised to retire if this contract were imposed upon them? ANN Senior Editor Pete Combs put these questions to NATCA Executive Vice President Ruth Marlin, a controller at Miami Center, who spoke with ANN from Washington

This feature is in addition to our daily news briefing -- available in either a quick "Touch And Go" format or an expanded Aero-Briefing.

ANN Daily Touch N Go: 06.06.06 (ANN's Short-Form Daily News Program)

ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 06.06.06 (ANN's Long-Form Daily News Program)

ANN Special Feature -- NATCA's Ruth Marlin: 06.06.06 (ANN Special Feature, with NATCA Executive Vice President Ruth Marlin on the FAA's imposition of a new ATC contract.)

Our DAILY programs consist of (at least) three separate products... the first is a short synopsis of the previous 24 hours of Aero-News, in brief, spanning only a few minutes (max) and in a size/format that will allow it to be mailed as part of a Daily Aero-Cast subscription; a more comprehensive DAILY news product that will cover the previous 24 hours of news in a somewhat more detailed fashion, and a feature Aero-Cast that will center on one of the more important subject or topics of the day in considerable depth and detail. This is how these products break down...

• ANN's Daily 'Touch & Go' Aero-Cast: A quick look at the most recent news of the day... short, succinct and to the point. The usual 'Touch & Go' takes but a few minutes and is a summary, only, of the day's events... and it only takes a few minutes of your time.
• ANN's Daily Briefing Aero-Cast: The Daily ANN Report (ANNRep for short), is a more comprehensive look at the day's news. We give you the whole buzz... the news and features that occupy the forefront of aviation news as well as solid background on the subjects that aviators and other aviation professionals need to stay informed on.
• ANN's Daily 'ASR' Feature Aero-Cast: ANN will be offering a Daily 'Aero-News Special Report.' This involves a more in-depth view of a story or two that dominated (or will be dominating) the day's news. Far more detailed than any single story in our standard ANN Daily Reports, this is a solid chance to get a close look at the stories and topics that matter. ASR features may include exclusive interviews with Aviation's Newsmakers, ANN's Special Investigative reports and solid analysis of the stories that will have undeniable impact on the world of aviation and aerospace. We're tremendously excited about this particular product in that it truly adds nuance and background to important breaking news stories and personalities.

Check them out, let us know what you think and be sure to keep those news-tips and program suggestions coming... ANN is ALL about what YOU want to know about in the world of aviation and aerospace.

FMI: www.aero-news.net/podcasts