TheDashRocks

PATCO is the union that represented FAA controllers during the strike of '81. The government decertified them for conducting an illegal strike. PATCO now represents controllers in certain contract control towers, known as "Federal Contract Towers". These are mainly towers that used to be staffed by FAA controllers that the government chose to contract out to private firms for cost savings. The savings usually comes from having one controller on duty when the FAA would have used three. Most of these towers are at GA airports or the airport serving smaller cities with commuter airline service.

I sat at SDM (Brown Field - San Diego) for thirty minutes once waiting for an IFR clearance because the one controller working tower and ground control was totally saturated. At that same airport, two pilots were visiting the tower. The lone controller had a busy pattern and an emergency aircraft. Approach control was calling to coordinate something. The controller asked one of the visitors to grab the phone, tell approach he's buried with an emergency, and he'll call them back.