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No. 31,
January 27, 2000
The second General Aviation Summit meeting was held the week of January 17.
We clarified the previous recommendations from November and ensured that we
still had consensus from all involved (user groups, NAATS, selected FAA
managers). We then briefed the package to ATP-1 Jeff Griffith and asked for
FAA commitment. He agreed to the extent that of his authority. The next step
is for our group to meet again in May and formalize an action/implementation
plan that will include costing and timelines. After that we will form a
smaller monitoring group comprised of representatives from the various group
to ensure implementation. All involved remain very enthusiastic about this
process and its implications for the future of Flight Service.
This past week I was at the Helicopter Association International convention
in Las Vegas with PRT Chairman Larry Burdick, WP Regional Coordinator Henry
Oltman, SW Regional Coordinator Fred Manthey and CXO FacRep Dana Colquitt. It
was a good opportunity to interact with our customers. I was interviewed by
Avionics magazine regarding the GA Summit and we also networked with Aviation
Week and Space Technology.
Every quarter WP Regional Director Ward Simpson and Henry Oltman meet with
their FacReps to discuss pending issues. This quarter they were meeting in Las
Vegas so I was invited to. I really enjoyed the discussion; I wish there were
more chances to meet directly with our members and FacReps. Kudos to Ward and
Henry for holding these meetings.
On Tuesday, January 18 EA Regional Coordinator Ron Maisel and I accompanied
FAA Attorney Tony Herman on a tour of DCA AFSS. We felt it would be good for
Mr. Herman to see what we do firsthand since he's been retained by the FAA to
help negotiate compensation agreements with the unions. All agreed that the
controllers at DCA did an outstanding job in conducting the tour and
describing our job. Hopefully this will better help when we next sit down at
the bargaining table in March.
Wally Pike
No. 32, February 11,
2000
We're using NM Regional Director Don McLennan's Compensation Bulletins as our
primary communication to you on these negotiations. Please read Bulletin #14 for
the latest details. We're providing all the information we can to keep you up to
date and knowledgeable; we hope to make significant progress at our meeting the
week of March 13.
Nothing new at this time on OASIS. The DOT budget indicates $23.1M for FY01.
Administrator Garvey did tell Congress that it's one of five programs about
which she's concerned.
As you will recall the General Aviation Summit made several recommendations that
are significant for our option in the future. FAA headquarters middle management
is now doing its best to avoid implementation of the staffing and equipments
needs identified. I've discussed this with industry and I'm scheduling meetings
with both ATP-1 Jeff Griffith and ATS-1 Steve Brown to move the process along.
The next GA Summit meeting is the first week of May.
One of the areas I'm concerned about is training. I feel we're missing an
opportunity with Personnel Reform issues because we haven't trained our people
on their impact. Another area of opportunity is the CPP MOU. I think most are
aware of the move aspects in that MOU but we've never taken full advantage of
the bargaining because we haven't adequately trained everyone on what the MOU
actually says. I want to schedule training on these subjects as soon as
feasible, perhaps at our national meeting in November. We do have a
basic/negotiations/grievance training class scheduled for April 29-May 1 which
will be conducted by LR Director Mike Doring; more details on this will be in
the NAATS News.
A reminder that SO Regional Director Craig Campbell is our representative on the
national Model Work Environment workgroup. This workgroup is determining the
implementation of MWE for our bargaining unit; this shouldn't be confused with
the Human Resources Policy negotiations that Mike Doring is conducting. Any MWE
impact to our unit will be determined by the MWE workgroup, not by the HR
negotiations.
EA Region Director Ron Maisel is meeting with his FacReps the week of February
21 in ACY. Ron has asked me to address his group on February 23. I plan to be
there and I look forward to the opportunity to exchange ideas. My compliments to
Ron for scheduling the meeting.
Lastly, we sent pictures of our Office Manager Gretna Stefano and our temporary
office help Terry Petlowany to John Dibble for posting on our website. I
encourage you to check these pictures out and the website in general; John's
doing a great job as our Webmaster.
Wally Pike
No. 33, March
10, 2000
The compensation negotiations scheduled for next week have
been postponed. The reason for the postponement is as follows:
The NAATS negotiating team was prepared to submit our
proposal (Union 2) to the management team next week. This proposal does not
significantly differ from our Union 1 since we've not been persuaded to change
it by management's arguments. After discussions this week with the management
team leader it became apparent that they did not yet have a firm proposal
regarding part timing and/or consolidation. This, in effect, precluded our
reaching any agreement during next week. Neither party wants to waste an entire
week just looking at each other across the table, so the only real alternative
is to wait until they have a firm position on these matters and then enter
meaningful discussions.
The NAATS team is fully prepared and eager to enter into
meaningful discussions at the earliest possible date. Nobody wants these
negotiations completed more than we do and we're doing everything we can to move
them along. We've been negotiating since August 1998 and the drain in time and
resources is a major concern to me. We have to be prepared to stay the course,
however. In the meantime please remember that we have ensured no bargaining unit
member will lose any compensation during these negotiations and that any
agreement will be retroactive to October 1999.
I will be meeting with both AT-1 Ron Morgan and Deputy
Administrator Monte Belger later this month and, among other matters, I'll
re-emphasize to them our strong desire to reach a quick, fair agreement on pay.
I will also be testifying at the congressional hearings
later this month. Compensation, equipment (OASIS) and staffing will be our main
topics.
One of the items discussed at the Board meeting the week of
February 28 was the newsletter. It was decided that printing hard copies and
mailing them first class to the facilities is no longer cost effective. Instead
we will put the newsletter on our web page where it can be downloaded and
printed by the facilities for their distribution. Regional Coordinators will
also receive the newsletter via email to ensure distribution. If all else fails
and a facility cannot receive it any other way we will mail a hard copy.
With the money we save using electronic distribution we
will explore a professional quarterly bulletin, possibly to be mailed to each
member. The goal is to improve communication at all levels. My thanks to
Newsletter Editor Eli Morrissy and Web-Master John Dibble for their help in
putting this proposal into effect.
A summary of the Board meeting will be included in the next
NAATS News.
Wally Pike
No. 34, March
15, 2000
We have agreed to meet with the management team for the two-week period
beginning June 19. The only other option was a one-week meeting the middle of
May. We opted to push for the June two-week meeting in order to allow time
enough to wrap up the negotiations. The reason for the delay was in
coordinating the management team schedules and in a cancellation fee issue at
the hotel where they're staying.
I've informed their team that we are approaching this meeting with the goal
and expectation of finalizing the pay agreement. If, however, there are still
areas of disagreement at the conclusion of this meeting then we will be able
to address them in a much more efficient and timely manner. We agreed that
Mike Doring and I should meet with their two lead negotiators to resolve any
remaining issues.
There is no single issue more important than these negotiations. The delay
is a major concern that makes me all the more determined to drive for
agreement in June. As I said in my update to you last week, I'll stress our
desire for a prompt and fair agreement when I meet with AT-1 Ron Morgan and
Deputy Administrator Monte Belger next week. I also have a message to talk
with ATS-1 Steve Brown and I'll make the same point with him.
NM Director Don McLennan will be posting Pay Bulletin #16 after our Board
meeting in May; this will contain the details of our latest proposal for the
June negotiation meeting.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me.
Wally Pike
No. 35, March
23, 1999
As you will recall I sent Administrator Garvey a letter (posted on our web
page) expressing our concern about being overlooked in the Spring 2000
Initiative. This is the collaborative effort between the FAA, airlines and
others to reduce air travel delays due to severe weather. I've since been
invited to participate and our first meeting was last Monday. The membership
includes the Presidents of NATCA and PASS, the Administrator, Deputy
Administrator, ATS-1, and ARA-1. During the meeting I proposed that we be
given the necessary modernization equipment to utilize our expertise in
adverse/severe weather in accordance with the industry recommendations. The
group plan for achieving broader reform of the air traffic control system is
due back to the President in 45 days. We next meet on Monday, March 27.
I've talked a number of times with ATS-1 Steve Brown and we concur that
agreement should be reached with the management negotiating team during our
June meetings. We also agree that, if we don't reach total resolution on all
issues, we should be so close that we can wrap up those few matters remaining
in a short time frame with smaller teams. I have meetings with AT-1 Ron Morgan
and Deputy Administrator Monte Belger tomorrow and I'll make the points to
them. There's no reason for any further delays, we've been negotiating since
August 1998. NAATS' goal is to have the contract proposals for your
consideration and ratification this summer. We'll continue using NM Director
Don McLennan's Pay Bulletins to keep you updated.
NAATS Congressional Liaison Hal Gross has recommended, and I have agreed, that
it is better to meet with the House and Senate members individually to discuss
compensation matters as opposed to submitting testimony to the labor
committees. We're also working on the staffing and equipment testimony for the
appropriations sub committee later this month.
A word about the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century
(Air-21). The $40 billion dollar bill is earmarked specifically for airport
improvements and ATC modernization programs. It does not provide any
additional funding for operations, which include ATC salaries. That battle is
still to be fought.
If you haven't heard, our Office Manager Gretna Stefano lost her brother this
past week. Legal Counsel/Acting Executive Director Arthur Fox has lost his
mother. On behalf of our organization I've expressed our condolences to both
Gretna and Arthur.
Wally Pike
No. 36, April
3, 1999
We will be posting all of our Memoranda of
Agreement (MOUs) on the NAATS web page shortly. This will ensure that you can
view or print a copy of any MOU anytime you need it.
My thanks to ATX Liaison Kate Breen and WP
Regional Director Ward Simpson for their help in preparing our response to the
White House on partnership. The response chronicles the suspension of our
participation in NFP. You can view the document on our web page.
I've received a request to identify the various
offices and routing symbols at FAA Headquarters. The highest authority in the
FAA is Administrator Jane Garvey (AOA-1). Next is Deputy Administrator Monte
Belger (ADA-1). In our line of business (LOB) the next authority is Associate
Administrator for Air Traffic Services Steve Brown (ATS-1). Then comes the
Director of Air Traffic Ron Morgan (AT-1). Hope this helps.
I've now talked with Monte Belger, Steve Brown
and Ron Morgan about our pay negotiations in June and our desire to come to
agreement. I'm working particularly closely with Steve Brown to ensure we set
the stage properly to accomplish our goal. I think it's fair to say that we're
both optimistic at this point.
I'm now participating on the Air 21
Administrator's Work Group and we're on schedule to have a report for the
President by the middle of this month. I'm also staying involved with the
Spring 2000 Initiative and the possible opportunities for our bargaining unit.
I'll give you more details on these as they develop.
I talked last week with both NATCA President
Mike McNally and PASS President Mike Fanfalone. We all agreed to stay in
closer touch and work together on areas of mutual concern.
NAATS Congressional Representative Hal Gross and
I have finalized my testimony for the hearings this month and it's posted it
on the web page. We'll concentrate on the staffing and equipment issues and
lobby the individual congressional representatives on our pay negotiations.
Following received from our web master John
Dibble:
The NAATS Newsletter is available on the
web page for viewing, downloading and/or printing. To get the best printed
results, you can print directly from your browser by selecting <File>
then <Print> on the menu bar.
To download the newsletter to view later
in another browser, select <File> then <Save As> and direct it to
be saved on a floppy disk that you can view on any computer with a browser,
whether or not you have internet access, by clicking on the .HTM file.
Wally Pike
No. 37, April 28, 1999
I'm happy to announce the addition of Christopher Klemm as our full time
Labor Relations Specialist. Chris is very qualified, coming to us from SEIU
Local 500, AFL-CIO in Gaithersburg, Maryland where he served as Grievance
Representative. Prior to that his experience is as follows:
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Litigation Paralegal, Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos
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Labor Relations Specialist, AFSCME, Washington, D.C.
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Labor Relations Specialist, AFSCME, Duncansville, PA
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Graduate Assistant, Department of Industrial and Labor Relations,
Indiana, PA
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Senior Resident Assistant, Office of Residence Life, Marymount
University
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Personnel Intern, The White House.
Chris' education includes an M.A. Industrial and Labor Relations and a B.A.
in Business Law. Chris will start working at NAATS Headquarters on May 15 and
will immediately begin working on the grievance and arbitration backlog.
Additionally he will establish and maintain national databases on grievances
and ULPs that will be available on our webpage. We will also have the option
of contracting with Mike Doring for his services on a case-by-case basis,
which is Mike's preference.
May is another busy month beginning with the General Aviation Summit meeting
the first week. We'll continue to work with industry representatives to
improve our training and equipment and to keep these concerns at the highest
agency priority.
The National Partnership Council meeting is the second week of May and we're
continuing to address the PPRS and Model Work Environment issues.
The Board of Directors' business meeting will be the week of May 15. If you
have any items you want discussed please contact your Regional Director. NM
Regional Director Don McLennan will be updating you with his compensation
bulletin after this meeting.
On April 18 I attended a SW Region Facrep Meeting. Later that evening I met
with the members from FTW AFSS. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussions and the
exchange of ideas. My thanks to SW Regional Director Ron Dawson for inviting
me and to all those who attended.
The national meeting location for November has been changed to San Diego.
We'll be meeting at the Handlery Hotel & Resort at 950 Hotel Circle North.
Please note -- there has been no change in the meeting date -- it remains
November 15-16. I want to thank ATP Liaison Donna Holmes and WP Regional
Director Ward Simpson for their work on this. More details will be provided as
the date approaches.
Wally Pike
No. 38, May 5, 1999
The General Aviation Weather Summit meeting was held this week with
representatives of NAATS, AOPA, NBAA, SAMA, EAA and the various levels of FAA
management present. Of major concern is the FAA funding commitment to accomplish
the recommendations identified by the workgroup. I'll be talking with ATS-1
Steve Brown about this next week and also working with the industry
representatives in identifying the necessary resources. In no way is this meant
to detract from the support we've received from ATP-1 Jeff Griffith throughout
the process so far, it's just that additional funding must be forthcoming.
One of the action items we identified is the necessary revision to FAA Handbook
7110.10. As you may recall there was an effort to rewrite this handbook a few
years ago and it fell well short of our goals. This time we have the opportunity
to make the necessary changes to enhance our service to the users. Some examples
of some of the changes are:
� Eliminating the disclaimer statement on international
flights
� Modifying or eliminating the VNR statement
� Bargaining unit access to Internet weather.
There are obviously many more necessary revisions. No one knows the problems
with our handbook better than you. This is your chance to make the changes that
determine how we do our work.
NAATS is one of the responsible parties for the handbook effort. Please forward
any suggestions you have for enhancing our service to the aviation public to
NAATS Headquarters, preferable as an email attachment. We've created a special
email address for this purpose,
[email protected].
Or, if you prefer you can send your ideas to your Regional Director, as they are
all participants in the process.
Wally Pike
No.
39, May 16, 1999
The National Partnership Council (NPC) is made up of the FAA Deputy
Administrator, FAA Associate and Assistant Administrators, and the presidents of
the various FAA unions. It's a unique forum to address issues that affect the
bargaining units within the FAA.
We held our quarterly meeting last week and discussed future agenda items. It
was agreed that we would work the "Air 21" budgetary process. This
means that the NPC will have input on the $40 billion, five-year appropriation
and will be involved in determining funding levels for the facilities and
equipment (F&E) programs. Of course, the most significant of these to our
bargaining unit is OASIS.
This is a significant development. In the past unions have never been involved
in this stage of the budgetary process; we've always been limited to traditional
impact and implementation bargaining after those decisions have been made.
We congratulate senior FAA management for involving the FAA unions in true
collaboration on this portion of the FAA budget. NAATS feels this foresight will
make for a better final product.
Wally Pike
No.
40, July 14, 1999
By now you've received Don McLennan's Compensation Bulletin 19
detailing the status of pay negotiations. We intend to continue to use these
bulletins to keep you promptly informed about developments. Our hope is that we
can expedite the issues by using the sub groups; the idea is that the Agency
Chief Negotiator and I will continue to work the pay percentages in the interim.
The Parties are currently far apart in their proposals but the NAATS team is
determined to get a fair and equitable pay plan for the bargaining unit
regardless of how long it takes.
On a related issue, yesterday the President signed a $75M FAA supplemental
operations funding bill for this fiscal year. They have also given a number of
their managers an 8% pay increase. Need I say more?
I've instructed our Congressional Representative Hal Gross to step up his
lobbying with our friends on the Hill. We expect to see positive results from
this effort, especially since this is an election year. Depending on how the pay
negotiations go, we may ask that you become involved in a grass roots effort.
Hal and I will keep you advised.
We are still planning to post all of our memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on
our web page but we've had some file conversion problems. As soon as we resolve
these problems we'll complete the posting. In the interim, if you need copies of
these please feel free to contact NAATS Headquarters or your regional
representatives.
NAATS Labor Relations Specialist Chris Klemm has three arbitration hearings
scheduled in the next few months. One concerns the FAA's refusal to adhere to
the CPP MOU, specifically the distribution of bargaining unit members to the
regions/facilities. The second arbitration addresses the FAA's refusal to
provide official time for our OEX Representative Dave Hoover. The third hearing
concerns a bargaining unit member's removal in the Central Region. This is
exactly the kind of activity we wanted and expected when we hired Chris. Our
contract is only as good as our commitment to enforce it.
Wally Pike
No. 41, July
28, 2000
Why Reclassification?
The NAATS negotiating team is proposing reclassification as the basis for our
new pay system. There are sound reasons behind this preference as opposed to a
generic, across the board increase that leaves little opportunity for future
salary gains.
The FAA is moving toward becoming a "pay for performance" agency.
Basically this means that employees are to be compensated for the work they
perform as opposed to the old "flat rate" GS system. This forms the
foundation for the NATCA pay plan and the other core plans that have been
implemented.
It must be emphasized that the NAATS proposal ensures all of our members at
facilities, small and large, will receive more compensation than they would
have under the old GS system. This comparison includes government-wide
increases and step increases. Differentials are to be retained, as is locality
pay.
I think all would agree that our facilities do not have identical work
requirements. We all brief pilots, provide SAR, NOTAMS and flight planning but
there are differences. Some facilities deal with Customs, others have
significantly more ICAO workload and one, Miami, has Cuban airspace
considerations. Operations per specialist, while a major consideration, is not
the only determining factor. While it can be endlessly argued exactly what job
functions should receive exactly what weight, the NAATS Classification Index
(CI) is a reasonable attempt to quantify several of these differences between
our facilities.
The differentiation between facilities is essential for reclassification. Also
necessary is a mechanism that will ensure members can move from the lower
level facilities to the higher ones. We've addressed this by requiring that
all new hires be placed at the lower level facilities; members would then have
the option of remaining at these facilities or moving to one at the higher
level.
Another critical issue that has to be addressed is the overall staffing figure
for our bargaining unit. As you're aware we're lumped into the 3,000 number
that contains all flight service personnel. It's vital that we have a number
that contains only those bargaining unit members who actually provide the
service to the aviation public. Specifically we do not want to include anyone
who is on detail, medically disqualified or on temporary promotion. The best
way we've concluded to determine this number is by using the facility watch
schedules to reflect the personnel actually working the operational positions.
Once agreement is reached the FAA will have to maintain this staffing
requirement.
The NAATS team feels that reclassification is the better choice for both our
option in Air Traffic and our membership as Air Traffic Controllers. We feel
it sets a bad precedent to allow the FAA to treat us differently than NATCA.
We also feel the previous membership vote supported this choice. Regardless of
the course we pursue on pay we realize that not everyone will be happy. The
final decision will be yours when you vote on ratification.
The NAATS negotiating team is well qualified for its task. All members have
completed a minimum of two courses, FLRA and Karrass, as a bargaining
foundation. We have additional number crunching and reclassification resources
in Arthur Fox and Randy Barber who have been involved in the Postal
negotiations.
It is possible that reclassification won't happen and we'll continue to
compensate all of our facilities the same. The playing field isn't level in
these negotiations and there are factors beyond our control. And, of course,
there's always the management team's opinion of what's best for us.
In any case we'll do the best we can legally, congressionally and
administratively. NM Regional Director Don McLennan will continue to keep you
updated on our negotiation progress via the Compensation Bulletins. Your
continued support, patience and comments are appreciated.
Wally Pike
No. 42, August 25, 2000
The first of September is rapidly approaching and no agreements
have yet been reached on pay. Don McLennan is meeting with management reps on
pay rules, Craig Campbell will meet next week management on facility levels and
Kurt Comisky will meet next week with management counterparts on possible
part-timing and the FSDPS issues. Hopefully some tentative agreements will be
reached but if not then we'll technically be at impasse. It's important that
everyone know the process if we actually reach impasse with management on pay.
The congressional language requires that once impasse is reached
we must use the services of a mediator. The mediator will try to get the parties
to an agreement but they have no authority to force the issue. The next step
after the mediator is for the FAA Administrator to take the management position
to congress. The language does not specify who in congress receives this
information. If congress doesn't act within 60 days then the matter is settled
according to the management position. Obviously, this isn't a level playing
field for us but it's the only game we have. Despite our efforts neither
Congress nor the FAA has any desire to change the rules.
Impasse is also the time for a grassroots congressional effort.
In deciding the proper time for this effort, the NAATS negotiating team as well
as NAATS Congressional Representative Hal Gross and I must considered factors
such as;
-
The congressional mood around FAA pay negotiations,
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This is an election year,
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Our message must be clear, reasonable and consistent.
When the time is right we may have to call on you for your help.
Of course, if you feel you can individually obtain congressional support for our
efforts please feel free to do so and Hal Gross and I will lend you our support.
Any suggestions are always welcome. Other avenues we'll use are informational
picketing and press releases through our Public Relations Team.
We'll keep you advised of our progress. We know that everyone,
including the negotiating team, is anxious to conclude this bargaining but the
quick deal is not always the best. One problem in communicating strategy is that
our webpage has no security. Anyone can access any part if it at any time. The
management negotiating team has readily admitted that they review all of our
updates. All of the NAATS Regional Directors are on our team; I encourage you to
contact them or me for further discussions.
The NAATS Board of Directors meeting was held last week in D.C.
More details will be in the next NAATS News but one of the issues decided was to
have a professional quarterly newsletter sent to all NAATS members at their home
addresses. This newsletter will also be the one we will distribute to our
supporters on Capitol Hill. It will be in addition to the monthly newsletter
that Eli composes and John Dibble posts on our webpage. I'm finalizing the
contract with the printer and we'll have the first edition to you as soon as
possible.
NAATS Labor Relations Specialist Chris Klemm conducted his first
NAATS arbitration last week. The matter concerned the FAA's refusal to provide
official time for our FAA Academy representative Dave Hoover. We'll have the
ruling in about a month but all members should know that Chris did a great job.
His next hearing is in September and concerns the CPP MOU and the FAA's refusal
to negotiate the national placement of students with NAATS. Chris will also be
providing the training at our national meeting in November.
Wally Pike
No. 43,
August 29, 2000
Pay Negotiations:
|
Subgroup |
Status |
|
Facility levels |
Meeting this week |
|
Part-timing and FSDPS |
Meeting this week |
|
Pay rules |
Scheduling next meeting |
|
Remainder of work rules |
Met last week, no progress |
While we continue to hope that the subgroups will accomplish
something meaningful, the preliminary theme from management isn't good. The
position they seem to feel most comfortable with is the quick and effortless
across the board increase. Basically this involves a ceiling of 5.5% over 5
years with the entire increase funded through bargaining unit attrition. Add to
that the fact that they want to "backload" the payout with almost all
of it occurring in years 4 and 5. Obviously the NAATS negotiating team has no
interest in this proposal.
The deadline is Friday, September 8. Expect a comprehensive
update at that time, outlining the status of the negotiations and our future
plans. It's past time for FAA management to assign the necessary priorities and
resources to come to a reasonable agreement with us on pay.
Hopefully the Update of Friday, September 8 will contain good
news.
Wally Pike
No. 44,
September 8, 2000
Pay Negotiations: IMPASSE
Although the part timing and FSDPS subgroup made some progress last week,
the remainder of the subgroups did not reach any agreements and made very
little, if any, progress. It seems that the FAA doesn't value us as Air
Traffic Controllers and has no intention of entertaining any meaningful
discussions on reclassification. Quite the contrary, they only know one tune
and that one is 5.5% over 5 years, all accomplished through workforce
attrition and basically all of it paid in the last two years. This is
obviously totally unacceptable to the NAATS negotiating team.
I've informed the management team leader that we're at a bargaining impasse
and that I've contacted the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and
scheduled a mediator. Pending management agreement, I've scheduled the week of
October 16, which is the earliest date the mediator had available.
In the meantime we'll be busy. I've asked our Public Relations Team (PRT)
Chairman Larry Burdick to use PRT to help publicize our issues. If you have
any ideas or contacts with the various publications please feel free to use
them or you can coordinate through Larry. His email address is [email protected].
NAATS Congressional Reprehensive Hal Gross and I will be contacting
Congress and the White House to attempt to break the stalemate. I'll also talk
with Administrator Garvey next week and a meeting with Deputy Administrator
Belger is being scheduled.
We're asking for your support in a grassroots letter-writing effort aimed
at Congress. Hal Gross will be publishing some
guidelines
and advice in a separate letter for correspondence to your representatives
and he'll be available to help on any matters relating to Congress. Hal may be
contacted at 703-256-2784 or he's at NAATS Headquarters every Friday.
The NAATS team recognizes and shares our memberships' impatience with the
lack of responsiveness or fairness by the management team. We're doing
everything we can to move the process along as quickly as possible but this
may take some time. The only alternative is to accept the management offer.
Let us you�re your feelings. We'll keep you advised of any developments
though NM Director Don McLennan's Pay Bulletins.
Other Matters:
Constitutional Amendments
All passed. Results:
|
Article Number |
Yes |
No |
|
6 |
317 |
32 |
|
7 |
275 |
73 |
|
8 |
299 |
47 |
|
10 & 13 |
205 |
128 |
|
No Name Ballots |
Yes |
No |
|
6 |
4 |
0 |
|
7 |
1 |
1 |
|
8 |
3 |
0 |
|
10 & 13 |
3 |
0 |
We'll begin implementing these changes. Details will be forthcoming on the
scheduling of the delegate meeting and, if you need it, on delegate selection
after the next BOD meeting in November.
Information:
The first edition of the new NAATS periodical will be published within the
next few weeks. This is the professionally produced quarterly that will be
mailed to each member's home address. It will also be circulated to FAA
Headquarters, Capitol Hill and the various user groups. This will be in
addition to the NAATS News that Eli Morrissy publishes as well as our email
updates.
Lobbying:
With this being an election year, Hal Gross and I are lobbying both sides
of the aisle and, of course, only NAATS PAC funds are used. While we may not
agree personally with lobbying, it is the way business is done in this town.
It, therefore, behooves us to be good at it and to hedge our bets.
AOPA:
We've contacted AOPA regarding their AFSS survey and offered to assist
them. They've advised that there's nothing we can do at this time but that
they will keep us in mind.
Flying Magazine:
Several of you have noted the recent articles in Flying Magazine that don't
portray FSS briefers in a particularly good light. I've written a response
(posted on our web page) and talked with the editor, Mac McClellan. It appears
that portions of my response will be included in a future columns edition.
I've also had a good discussion with Jay Hopkins, who authored the two
articles. We've agreed to work together on a future article that will tell our
side of the story. Please feel free to send me your thoughts, suggestions and
other ideas for this article. An example we're considering would be the top
ten things briefers want pilots to know when they contact Flight Service.
STL AFSS:
Last week I attended the opening ceremony for the new STL AFSS building. As
I said at the time, congratulations go to the professional men and women FSS
controllers for their perseverance and for their beautiful new building.
I particularly enjoyed meeting with the CE Region
FacReps on Tuesday
evening. The dialogue was very insightful and many good ideas and suggestions
were discussed. My thanks to NAATS CE Regional Director Mike Terry for
inviting me.
BOD MEETING:
The next Board of Directors meeting is November 13-14 in San Diego. If you
can't attend the meeting please contact your Regional Director with any
comments or suggestions.
Wally Pike
Hints
and Tips on Writing to Members of Congress
No. 45,
September 15, 2000
We just learned this
morning that NAATS Congressional Representative Hal Gross is undergoing
immediate cardiac surgery. We do not have any more details at this time but
we'll keep you informed.
NAATS Public
Relations Team Chairman Larry Burdick will now serve as the focal for all
congressional matters. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions
please contact Larry at his email address:
[email protected].
All of your efforts are very much appreciated.
I talked with the
management Chief Negotiator regarding our impasses on pay. We discussed some
options for breaking the stalemate but agreed that a mediator was necessary.
We both agree that we want to meet at the earliest date available but
management is still considering which mediator to use and, of course, the
mediator's schedule will determine when we meet. In any case we agreed that
the meeting should take place no later than the last part of October or, at
the latest, early November. Don McLennan will keep you updated on future pay
issues with his Pay Bulletins.
Yesterday I met with
the AFSCME Chief Negotiator Steve Kreisberg. We compared our negotiations
experiences with the FAA and agreed to work together in the future for mutual
benefit.
Correction:
Last week I indicated that all constitutional amendments had passed and
were being implemented. I was incorrect. Article 13 of our Constitution
requires 2/3 of the votes cast for adoption of any amendment. The Article 10
and 13 amendment received 205 favorable votes of the 333 total votes cast or
61.6%; therefore it fails. All other amendments, Article 6 317/32 (91%),
Article 7 275/73 (79%), Article 8 299/47 (86%), did pass and are being
implemented. My thanks to Bob Johnson (BTV AFSS) for catching this. I
apologize for any confusion.
Thanks
to Paul Fiduccia, President of the Small Aircraft and Manufacturers
Association (SAMA), I'm now a member of the FAA Research, Engineering, and
Development Advisory Committee (REDAC)
Subcommittee
on Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS).
The Subcommittee on
SATS will investigate and report its findings to the REDAC/ASTAC on the
following issues:
1.
The value of SATS to the nation, by improving transportation system
safety, capacity and efficiency, and considering the political, operational,
economic, environmental, technical, and social impacts of SATS.
2.
The SATS operational concept and how it interacts with RTCA Free Flight
and National Airspace System Architecture 4.0 operational concepts, including
an assessment of the common elements between the SATS and air carrier con ops
and requirements.
3.
The expected requirements for aircraft, airspace, and ground and
space-based infrastructure compared to the planned improvements in NAS 4.0 and
expected aircraft and avionics enhancements.
4.
The actions of FAA, NASA, the National Research Council, States, and
other entities in furtherance of the SATS concept, including their results to
date, their planned future actions, and the adequacy of these to support SATS.
5.
The specific research issues to be addressed in the SATS program, the
specific FAA R&D actions needed to support SATS, and how these relate to
the FAA�s current R, E & D mission and activities.
6.
The constraints of the FAA and current aviation system users on SATS
development, including the timing of technology improvements.
This would be communicated to NASA in order to help shape the required
transition of the technology, and generally to assist in close NASA/FAA
cooperation.
7.
Regulatory issues, including aircraft certification, flight standards
and environment, to be addressed, and specific FAA actions needed to support
SATS.
8.
Review progress and provide advice on the NRC study of public sector
requirements for SATS.
Again, thanks to Paul for his influence
in getting me on this subcommittee.
The first edition of the quarterly NAATS
Bulletin has gone to the printer and should be mailed next week. All members
will receive this at their home addresses. Your comments are appreciated.
Wally Pike
NAATS
HEADQUARTERS EMAIL UPDATE #45
Supplemental
September
20, 2000
Hal Gross is doing well. He did not
have a heart attack, however they did a triple by-pass. He should return home
on Thursday or Friday of this week.
Donna Holmes
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