Reagan youth

[gordonzola]

And since I'm in a mood, can I say one ting about the plane crash in Kentucky? Do you think that if the air traffic controllers had a strong union that they could have prevented the FAA from ordering staffing levels in violation of their own safety codes?

Thanks Ronnie. Everytime I think we can total the death count, another 50 or so have to get added to the list.

Comments

[strix-an-stones.livejournal.com]

Dumb question, but would small airports with only two runways have had air traffic controllers that would have been in the union? Our local airport in the Reagan years had a controller who was non-union because the budget couldn't afford one. When he unionized they dropped having a controller. It's now 2006 and they still don't have one and it has two runways comparable to the Kentucky field.

You can blame a lot of stuff on a lot of folks but unless you can say for sure and certain that the airport would have had unionized ATCs you really can't make that statement. They could have chosen to employ non-union workers or simply dumped having one period. In that case there would be a system by which pilots are given information on runway size and location - they radio a general announcement of intent to land and handle things fine without ATCs.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

oh, absolutely they could have violated their own safety rules without Reagan. But a strong union (of the pre-1981 PATCO type) would be a counterbalance against the greed that allows these things to happen. In the case on non-union airports, you bet they would make it their business to see that they were working to the letter of the law if for no other reason than to cost them money they were trying to save.

Reagan was all about unencumbering greed. There are consequences to that.