All Air Traffic Controllers Resign at the San Carlos airport (back to work)

Thanks Reagan (look up the PATCO strike)

 

I suspect that although the San Carlos Airport may be the first, it will not be the last. Another example of Donald Trump running the federal government the way he managed his private sector enterprises six of which ended up in bankruptcy.

 

Mentioned it in the other thread. My buddy retired from being an ATC to be a stay at home dad at age 36. They keep trying to get him to come back but he has no interest. It's a terrible job that pays really well

 

My buddy just texted me this. In case you wanted further proof they have no idea what they're doing.

"Well, I would agree but being as smart as they are, they have removed all job postings and paused all hiring after the brilliant executive order to pause all spending.
My buddy who is still in management said they aren’t allowed to call me right now and people are losing their minds. "

"But people are leaving because they offered to pay them for 8 months.
It’s comical. I just wish I had been hired back just before all this and I would have immediately left and collected 8 months of pay."

 

I'm not pro-AI, but seems like AI would easily be able to do this job, probably better than humans.

 

I just looked up San Carlos airport they have a maximum aircraft weight of about 12,500 lbs on their runway. That I believe is about the size of a King Air or a small Learjet. A lot of airports that size operate without a control tower. I'm not saying they should but from the looks of their tower I bet their whole staff didn't include too many air traffic controlers.

 

Thats one of the scariest things I've ever heard.

 

Privatization of the federal govt will increase the bill for the tax payer. Cronyism at its finest.

 

Reagan was no prince about it, but that strike was the dumbest, worst calculated, worst timed strike in the history of US labor. This is an entirely different scenario.

 

No doubt it was a strategic error, but it the reaction here is nearly the same as Reagan's, and was illustrative of how management handles things in the wake. They know they can lowball and eventually bring in cheaper replacements without much fear. They dont even fear not having ATCs on the job it seems. There isnt even one ATC union now, so their power is diminished.

 

Why? It's all simple vector headings... speed, acceleration, location and time; you know--things that computers are really good at. I bet you were afraid of computers and the internet when it came out too.

 

My main point was that Reagan bet that whatever disruption occurred would be a smaller price to pay than giving in to worker power and demands. Management understands this now, and that's how things are dealt with. The federal work force has declined year after year (except when its census time). The OP framed his post as a canary in the coal mine, my perspective is that the canary was strangled back in the early 80s. People talk about DEI as degrading the federal workforce, but they dont seem to mind letting highly qualified people walk if they can replace them with a privatized version that will work for less money. I suppose there isnt a cute buzzword for that, its just capitalist logic.

 

It cant even generate pictures of people with the right number of fingers so I agree with your assessment.

 

Just saw this...

How AI can improve ATC

• Predictive analytics: AI can analyze data to predict traffic patterns, weather conditions, and potential conflicts. This helps controllers make better decisions and manage traffic flow.
• Pattern recognition: AI can identify patterns in air traffic data to spot anomalies and predict problems.
• Flight scheduling and routing: AI can analyze data to optimize flight scheduling and routing.
• Predictive maintenance: AI can analyze aircraft data to predict maintenance needs before issues arise.
• Voice recognition: AI can transcribe and interpret communications between pilots and controllers.
• Automation: AI can automate routine tasks, such as sequencing arrivals and departures

Seems like AI would be a great adjunct to human ATCs.

 

Reagan offered roughly 12 percent raises on average, more OT pay, shift differential pay, better working conditions etc, and they turned it down and demanded going from a 40 hour work week to 32, a nearly 30 percent pay raise (when they were already making more than double the average tax payer in many cases), more retirement benefits among other things….all in the middle of a recession when the people paying their salaries were hurting. The public actually supported Reagan 2-1.

These guys are happy doing heir jobs, they are just asking to not take a pay cut. One tower won’t create a wave, but there will be more public sympathy this time around if it spreads, no one wants to essentially be outsourced. And if the union power isn’t there and they do eventually lose, they can thank PATCO and Robert Poli far more than Reagan.

 

Its not really that which is scary. I think we understand its highly automated as it stands, just like flying the plane itself. Its more about the improvisation, spatial awareness, and unpredictable problem solving that isn't something a computer is going to be good at, possibly ever.

 

This happens in contracting all the time, especially in highly skilled fields. I've been through it plenty of times now.

A company underbids and cuts salaries, then the contractors all pick up and move to a company that pays them. The government ultimately declares no confidence in the new company and often hires the company they moved to for the job. Or maybe they dump more money into the existing contract and the inept company hires the former employees back as subcontractors.

ATC's are in high demand, so they won't have issues landing another position. I wouldn't be surprised if they all got picked up at SFO and performed basically the same duties as before.

 

San Carlos is a small, regional airport. But it's positioned right in the middle of the three, Bay Area major airports, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. It's busy airspace along the bay, and San Carlos, from what I understand, helps direct traffic for the three big airports.