Business Notes LABOR

Ronald Reagan probably thought he had seen the last of unions in the control tower six years ago, after he fired 11,400 striking members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization. Now the nonunion replacements for the old PATCO members are 12,800 strong and have just formed -- you guessed it -- a union. This one is called NATCA (for National Air Traffic Controllers Association), and last week it won certification by a 2- to-1 vote.

Some grievances have not changed: autocratic management, antiquated equipment, too few controllers, too many planes. But the new union's leaders say they do not intend to repeat PATCO's mistakes. In particular, they will not demand the right to strike.