By all accounts the NAATS National Meeting was a big success. The turnout was excellent and everyone seemed to enjoy the agenda which included AT-1 Bill Peacock discussing the new ATO, budget and FSS staffing. Thanks to Administrator Ward Simpson for making the hotel and meeting arrangements and to SW Regional Coordinator Dana Colquitt for scheduling the hospitality room. Thanks also to Scott Malon and Ward for conducting the training, which was very well received.

We held the BOD meeting on Monday and Tuesday prior to the membership meeting. It was also a very productive meeting with all the organizational business being addressed. In accordance with BOD policy, the meeting minutes will be sent to our Webmaster John Dibble Friday for posting on our website. A heads up, the BOD has decided that next year's National Meeting will be held in San Antonio the week of April 21. Later this year ('02) we'll conduct a national training meeting in the DFW area the week of October 7.

Nothing new on pay. The pay rules negotiating team is still scheduled to meet the week of May 6 and my expectation is that they should wrap up the remaining pay rules. As I've mentioned previously the preliminary meeting with the FMCS Directors will be May 16. If the pay rules are completed then we could schedule the hearing date while we're conducting the preliminary meeting.

From April 25th to May 1st, I visited with the members in Alaska and explaining the pay impasse status. All of the meetings have been very productive and I want to thank AK Regional Director Alan Baker, AK Regional Coordinator Marc Lackman, Hub-Rep Steve Larson, FacReps Dwight Kramer, Phil Brown and Guylan Roberts for all their help in scheduling the events. I also want to thank all the AK members for their participation and hospitality.

I was also in Anchorage attending functions at the Professional Women Controllers (PWC) National Conference. During the second week of May I'll participate in the National Labor Relations Council (NLRC) meeting in DC. This is the old national partnership group that includes the Deputy Administrator, various Associate/Assistant Administrators and the FAA unions.

In a previous update I mentioned being interviewed by representatives of the General Accounting Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress. The GAO would now like to interview bargaining unit members at some select locations around the country. The idea is to get your feelings on FAA Personnel Reform, Model Work Environment, etc. I encourage you to participate in these interviews if you get the chance. FAA management is not involved; this is strictly for congressional purposes.

The preliminary meeting with the FMCS Director will be held May 16. The purpose of this meeting is not to conduct the hearing on pay resolution but to verify the ground rules. My expectation is that we will finish the remainder of the pay rules in May and conduct the actual hearing shortly thereafter.

I'm scheduling my next meeting with Chairman Young for sometime after the May 16 meeting above. I'll keep him, as well as other key congressional representatives, advised of our progress.

I have a meeting on May 22 with ATS-1 Steve Brown to discuss a national staffing agreement. At our National Meeting a few weeks ago, the membership did a great job of communicating our concerns on this subject to AT-1 Bill Peacock. I'm scheduling a meeting with him as soon as our calendars allow.

NAATS ARU Liaison Kerryaine Mazziotti has rotated back to the field after doing a great job for us the past year. Jim Perkins is onboard to ensure we don't miss anything. Pedro Munoz-Morillo will also be returning to the field after a very productive year as our ARS Liaison. He will be replaced by Art Finnegan (BDR AFSS). My thanks to all for all their work on behalf of the membership.

Jeff Barnes - OASIS Tech-Representative

04/29/02 - At the national meeting in Las Vegas I found out that rumors are rife regarding what is going to happen as a result of the anticipated 5 million dollar budget cut in FY 2003. I need to dispel rumors that have cropped up from various sources...

First and foremost...at this point there has been no adjustment to the OASIS waterfall. That can only be done by the OASIS Human Factors Team, and the subject has not yet been raised in the team. What this means is that NO changes have been made to the waterfall at this point. None, nada, zip. It remains as was originally decided upon by the team.

The Human Factors Team will be addressing the waterfall at our meeting next week in St. Louis. One thing we will be asked to sign off on is the installation of only 12 stations in FY2003. That will likely be agreed to since there will be literally no money to do any more than that. Beyond that we will be talking about the situation with the 12th station, CXO. Rumors and speculation have run rampant regarding what's up with their installation. Again, at this point no decision has been considered or made by the team. Ideally we would like to leave the installations exactly as they are in the current waterfall (with FY2003 installations slowed). Some ideas on how to do that have been floated and will be investigated in depth by the team when we take up the subject next week. I feel that if the team has to move CXO that it will be done with the least amount of disruption to the schedule that we can accommodate. The Human Factors Team worked hard to create the waterfall as it stands now and would be very reluctant to make changes to it. However, if a change is needed it will be thoroughly worked out to minimize impact.

While we were in Las Vegas a hardware Technical Exchange Meeting (TEM) took place at Harris. Hardware issues were discussed and Harris showed some of the things they were investigating as possible improvements. Unfortunately no one from NAATS could be there, but I got reports of what was shown and a couple items were pretty interesting. The first is possibly using 19 inch flat panel displays in place of the 21 inch CRT monitors. This would be a tremendous benefit to AF because the flat panels are light and easily movable by a single person. The 21 inch monitors require 2 people to lift and move them due to weight and bulk. Plans are underway for the Human Factors Lab at the Tech Center to do an analysis of the usability of the flat panels. This is needed because the viewable part of the screen is .8 inch smaller than that of the 21 inch monitor. .8 inch does not seem significant, but we want to do it right and evaluate formally in the proper human factors way. Tentative plans are to do the evaluation at the end of May at the Tech Center so that the results will be known soon enough to enable the flat panels to be part of the STL installation if they're determined to be appropriate.

The other thing was a thumbprint reader. This would eliminate the need for remembering passwords and such in OASIS. All you would do is sit at a position, put your thumb on the scanner. It would identify you and log on the workstation without asking for username or password. Apparently the unit Harris is looking at looks at more than just the prints, because it can be supposedly be used even if you have cuts or scratches on your thumb. I am eager to hear more about this as it is something I've advocated for OASIS for well over a year now.

I got more good news today. The OAWS (I'm drawing a blank right now on what the acronym stands for) is the method by which we will be able to recover missing service A data if an OASIS goes down. The concept is that there will be one at SEA and one at AND. They will store 13 hours of data (since weather data is updated at least every 12 hours if not more often) that can be accessed by OASIS at any facility in case they have an outage. There will be a utility available to the supervisor to do a download with settable parameters. So if your OASIS was down for 90 minutes you could request a download of the last two hours of service A traffic. If it was down for a day you could request the last thirteen hours (this would be enough to ensure you have a complete weather database). This is done through the FSDPS today on M1FC, and a full reload can take upwards of a couple hours. When the OAWS was initially designed it was estimated that a full download would take approximately 40 minutes, a nice improvement on 2 hours. Harris is doing some testing on the OAWS which is operational there right now and what they are finding is that in actuality a full download is taking about 10 minutes to complete. This is much better than we anticipated, and I'm told that Harris is looking into ways to even further reduce that.

THE FAA'S "VISION" CALLED MODEL WORK ENVIRONMENT!

Kate Breen, MWE Representative

Let me start by saying that Model Work Environment is a Management vision, not a program or policy and it CANNOT be used against any bargaining unit member in accordance with the NAATS/FAA MOU dated 7/00, Section 4: "MWE volumes I and II are management guidance. They do not serve as a basis for taking disciplinary action. However, disciplinary action may be taken based on the types of misconduct described in the Agency's table of penalties." Let me just add that if management is charging anyone with misconduct using the table of penalties in the conduct and discipline order, they had better be using the old order, as the new one is still being negotiated!

If you would like to take a look at MWE volumes I and II they can be found on line at www.faa.gov/ats/mwe.htm. The only training on MWE I've found to date is a CBI course put out by civil rights, it's Course #01002 on CD Series 18, Volume 2. I just finished the course, it's a little long, but you might find some of the information slightly useful. I'll try and cover the high points below!
What I've found out after talking to several people about this vision and doing a little research is that if a complaint is filed against management you need to ensure several things:

1. Make sure the incident(s) are documented to include the dates, facts, and witnesses.

2. When writing the complaint, keep it as concise as possible. Try not to ramble on, to quote Joe Friday "just the facts"!

3. If you're filing under the MWE umbrella, the allegations or incidents have to be based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or disability. If they added just an "other" category to this they would not be able to process all the complaints!

4. If you're filing under Hostile Work environment, the claim has to show that "the workplace is permeated with discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, and insult that are sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of the victim's employment." I've underlined the key phrases there. Show that the incidents are severe or pervasive and explain how they altered the conditions of the victim's employment. (This quote is taken from a letter written by Ms. Rivera giving the legal opinion regarding hostile work environment and transforming the FAA into a MWE.)

5. If you have problems that don't fall under one of the above categories, there is always the Administrator's Hot Line 800-255-1111.

The Order you need to familiarize yourself with if you're filing a complaint is FAAO 1110.125A (Accountability Board). This order is to provide oversight when complaints are filed to ensure they are not just swept under the rug. If you file a complaint with Management, they have to report the allegation to the accountability board coordinator within 2 workdays of the date the allegation is first made (par. 15b. 1). If they don't do that file a grievance under article 67 quoting the order. You should be contacted right away for an initial interview and the respondent should also be notified there is a claim against them. If a formal investigation is not needed, the accountable official has 15 workdays from the date of the allegation was first reported to address the allegation. Make sure they (management) responds to you, if they don't file that grievance get it on paper!!!

This is really just the tip of the iceberg surround MWE/Hostile Work Environments, but I hope it will give some guidance. As I learn more about this "vision" I will pass it along in the newsletter or through your Regional Directors. The Directors also have a list of the regional/national MWE contacts on the management side if you need them. I know this is just a brief article and it might have generated questions, so please feel free to contact me with any questions/comments. My e-mail is [email protected], just make sure you add something to the subject line that indicates its NAATS/MWE so I don't delete it if I don't recognize your address!!!

FMCS UPDATE

Kurt Comisky, New England RegDir

Our Pay negotiations has become a long saga that has taken on a much greater importance that just money, our quest will define who we are. Our struggle is coming to an end. For over four years we have been negotiating with the agency to achieve just recognition for the services we provide to the aviation community. When actual pay negotiations began it was clear that there was a disagreement in the belief of our role as Air Traffic Controllers. The agency has broken the historical relationship in the ATC duties and responsibilities between the Flight Service controllers and the tower/enroute controllers. The agency has not provided a logical or compelling argument for this dramatic change in belief and yet the agency still wants to sever the historical ties. This is the heart of the pay dispute.

Throughout these difficult years, in each facility controllers has been discussing the pay issues to great detail. I suspect each and every facility could develop and present a compelling argument for pay comparability. Now is the time that these arguments will be presented to a neutral third party. The issue is clearly defined and the facts are uncontested. The Union will present the case that has been discussed, argued and debated in every facility. A third person will determine the weight, strength and merits of our arguments as compared to the agency's arguments. A decision will be rendered.

It is my personal belief that as soon as we walk into the FMCS hearing, we have won, regardless of outcome. The agency and its employees in the Flight Service option are in a fundamental disagreement of our worth to the Air Traffic community. We have refused to be belittled or devalued. We have fought back and worked the political game in Washington. We have successfully brought our issue into a new forum. And it is in the new forum that we must make our case. It is also this new forum that will render a decision, a decision that we must live with.

As the ordeal comes to an end, all of us should take a moment and look back at what we accomplished. The employees, through their Union, disagreed with the agency's assessment of their value to the organization. The employees, through their Union, successfully used both internal and external processes to bring the issue to a just conclusion. An interesting observation is that the Union did exactly what the employees, that is the dues paying union members wanted. In talking to hundreds of members, I have yet to hear one suggest that we should have taken the 5.5%. The success we will achieve is found in the strength and convection of each one of us that wanted to keep fighting and not accept the agency's assertions. All of us should be very proud.

NAATS April BOD Meeting

April 15-16, 2002
Monte Carlo Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada

Agenda

Day 1, April 15, 2002
8am: President�s Report
Action Items

The meeting began with the absence of Mr. Baker, Mr. Comisky and Mr. Stafford. Mr. Pike went through all of the action items to ensure compliance. Mr. McLennan discussed the FSDPS Transition Plan and will send an update to all BOD members. All BOD members now present. The WEB page was discussed and whether or not we are ready to begin using a password for access. There is no doubt that access to grievance information would be tremendously useful but how we go about securing it for our members is still under discussion? Mr. McLennan shared with the BOD that there might be an issue that one of our motions was procedurally flawed.

MOTION: Mr. Jaffe. To amend the policy of where to conduct business meetings the BOD will conduct board meetings in Washington DC unless the BOD decides otherwise. Second, Mr. Baker. This issue was tabled.

Mr. Pike will check with the other unions to see how they maintain electronic databases. He will coordinate with Messrs Dibble and Glowacki who will report back to the BOD at the July meeting.

Pay Impasse Status

Mr. Pike will brief the membership on the latest information in this area.

Congressional Relations

We are trying very hard to keep Congressman Young informed of the above situation. We are also meeting and attending fundraisers with select congressional members to further explain our issues.

Senior FAA Relations

Mr. Pike shared that we are now in enjoying better relationships than we ever have before. Much better access to AOA-1 with ADA-1 and ATS-1 access remaining good.

Inter-Union Relations

NAATS will be trying to reach out to other Unions (both within and without the FAA) to develop ties that might further both of our agendas. Question about a seat on the MAC. Mr. Pike said this is the seat that both PASS and NATCA want and we have are staying neutral.

ARS Liaison Recommendation

Mr. Pike�s recommendation is Art Finnegan (BDR AFSS). This will become effective in early June. The BOD unanimously accepted this recommendation. The BOD discussed the value in extending some Liaison positions when that is warranted. Mr. Hoover explained that he feels there is a current continuity issue and that our ATP Liaison is working on many issues, including some that are no normally ATP. Mr. Pike agreed and recommended that Scott Malon be extended for one year. BOD unanimously agreed. This is not a change in our policies or intent to establish a new pattern of appointments but is, in fact, an exception to that policy.

Liaison recommendations to include individual package, resumes from all acceptable considerees to be forwarded to the BOD. Action Mr. Pike.

Mr. Pike has determined that the original motion by Mr. Stafford concerning BOD meeting location is valid and we need not revisit the motion tabled earlier made by Mr. Jaffe.

10 am: Administrator�s Report

GA Summit

Mr. Simpson briefed the BOD that money is an issue everywhere in DC these days. The FAA is saying there is no availability of funds for this meeting, this year. The Order 7110.10 rewrite was not quite finished in the timeframes we had hoped for because of conflicting meetings. One issue has to do with not treating the military filings any different than any other flight plan. VNR is recommended to become VOID (VFR Only Is Doubtful). The Remote Airport Information Service (RAIS) is another major developing issue. This is in draft form and should be included in the new .10. The Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS) has been tested in PNM AFSS but, unfortunately, the WEB site was not developed with any participation from NAATS members. The ATP recommendation, therefore, was against going with ADDS. Now everyone is upset because there will not be any interactive briefings. NAATS scheduled a meting to press the Agency with what they now intend to do.

The BOD discussed "Karrass Training" to determine weather or not we need to pursue this type of training for the organization. Item tabled for later determination.

Office

Hotel cancellation fees are pretty well binding according to our attorney. We still have one hotel�s non-cancellation hanging over our head. The Office Administrator is looking into possibly resolving this issue, either through getting us released from our obligation if the hotel can book someone else or fulfilling the contract by going there for our next meeting. This topic rolled into the question of when do we want to conduct national training? The BOD felt strongly that the membership should decide this issue. Mr. Hoover noted that the ASO membership would really like to host a meeting in their region. However, it was determined that we should try and hold an "October" meeting in order to explain to the membership our new Agreement (assuming it is ratified) and then sponsor a National meeting next April.

The Administrator asked, and received from the BOD, the support to allow Gretna De Stefano to begin a part-time work schedule, whenever she felt it necessary, with no diminution in her health benefits. We discussed, in executive session, our office situation and we will continue to staff the HQ office at the present level.

Mr. Pike asked about Ms. Colquitt and her position with the LDR. She is concerned about funding for travel. Mr. Dolan is checking on travel monies. Ms. Colquitt is doing the meetings by telecon and was wondering if she should continue doing this. Mr. Pike feels it is better to participate this way than not to participate at all. Discussion around the table about if Ms. Colquitt gets the agenda in advance and her comfort level with doing the meetings by telecon. Talk about possibly filing a grievance since the charter said everybody is allowed to attend. Mr. Pike to send a letter to FAA expressing dissatisfaction with lack of travel for participation.

Chief Negotiator�s Report

Pay/Work Rules Negotiations Status

Mr. Dolan briefed the BOD on the latest information surrounding pay.

Mid-Term Bargaining

Security issues seem to be falling into place. Mr. Dolan provided a briefing on the latest issues. He also led us through a brief discussion on the Flight Service Operational Support Center (FSOSC). Two liaison positions have been created and need to be staffed.

Chief Negotiator Position Discussion. Mr. Dolan to write a brief outline of his duties for the NAATS News when the requirements for this position have been identified and a vacancy exists.

1:30pm: Liaison Reports

ARW

Mr. Perkins shared with us some of the problems with ACE/IDS and CCFP.

ATX

The Agency has a $130 Million shortfall. The Agency has frozen all hiring except bargaining unit employees. The way they are managing staffing numbers at HQ is new. There are very few new hires coming off of new lists. We are still selecting individuals that have been waiting on hiring lists for years.

ATP

Mr. Malon briefed us on SUA/ISE, ADDS, NOTAM2001, PIREP Solicitation and the JSIT, NSTS and FTS 2000 MOU. BOD should determine how many lines we have at each facility that are operational provide this data to Mr. Dolan. He will then take the necessary action.

ARS

Mr. Munoz gave a briefing on the NOTAM Short Term Solution (NSTS). It was well received and may be the solution to our problem. The key sites are GNV AFSS and CDC AFSS

2:30pm: Public Relations Team

Mr. Dibble will work through the appropriate Directors when trying to get assistance to fulfill the PRT mission. He presented his budget and no changes were noted. Mr. Dibble wants to buy a software package at $540 a year that has over 1900 newspapers 1800 radio stations outlets. Discussion. BOD approval.


3:15pm: Technical Representative Reviews

OASIS
Voice Switch
FTI

The BOD reviewed those persons, their roles, performance and weather or not to extend them in their present positions.


Day 2, April 16, 2002

8am: OASIS

Jeff Barnes brought us up to speed on the latest developments on OASIS. We have gone live at AND AFSS.

8:30am: Voice Switch

Steve Glowacki briefed us on the most current information on this topic. We asked him to send out to the BOD a short synopsis, to present to our members, of what we are looking for in staffing an "AFSSVS Human Factors Team". Mr. Hoover notes that we need to get on the front end of this process.

9am: COU AFSS Address to BOD

A facility issue from ACE was discussed in executive session in respect to all involved and the President and Chief Negotiator will address the issue on behalf of the BOD.

9:45am: Treasurer�s Report

Mr. Wesselhoft provided a status report of our current budget picture. He requested Quick Books training and this will be coordinated with NAATS HQ. Mr. Simpson to transfer funds as discussed in two weeks.

10:15am Open Topics

Old equipment

Mr. Stafford raised the issue of how do Regional Directors correctly obsolete our old equipment on a region-by-region basis. Mr. Pike will contact our attorney and then share with the BOD the necessary information of how to legally and responsibly accomplish this.

MWE

Ms. Breen briefed the BOD on her meeting with Ms. Rivera and provided answers to questions on this topic from the Board members.

NATCA Dental

Mr. Mounts presented, for their information, to the BOD, a plan that we should share with the membership to see if there is any interest. All questions and comments on this will now go to the Administrator. BOD will determine later whether the insurance salesperson will address BOD in July.

2002 Arbitration Training

MOTION: Dave Hoover; I move that the BOD identify not less than three individuals to participate as the national arbitration core team and that this be conducted in executive session since we are discussing NAATS personnel. Second: Mr. Jaffe. Discussion. Motion passes. Following are identified: Richard Anderson, Jerry Van Vacter, Dan Hart, Nancy Batye, Kate Breen, Scott Malon, Chuck Kuennen.


2003 Meeting Location

The BOD decided this meeting will be in San Antonio next year (Mr. Hoover prefers a SO Region location). Mr. Jaffe has booked us into the St. Anthony Hotel, a historic hotel, the week of the 20th of April and it is located one block off the main though-fare. He will provide the membership with a contact number. A FacRep training conference will be held in conjunction with the BOD meeting the week of October 7 in DFW area; action item Mark Jaffe.

Mr. Hoover advises a change in the status of Church Street Station that may affect our deposit liability. Action item Mr. Simpson to follow-up and close out issue.

Mr. Pike has scheduled the preliminary FMCS meeting for May 16. Attendees are Mr. Fox, Pike, Thoman, Herman. NAATS Hearing Team will be brought in to town a number of days in advance of actual hearing date for final preparation.

Vouchers

Mr. O�Connell notes that expenses should be categorized individually so that BOD can determine what meeting they are for. Action item Messer's. Simpson/Wesselhoft.

Karrass Training

Mr. Simpson to schedule meeting to include all Directors, except for those who opt out, and up to ten additional future attendees. Both Mr. Hoover and Mr. Pike note that these attendees should be members who will actually be doing negotiations.

ATPAC Rep Review

Length of tenure was discussed and it was determined to maximize participation. Question raised regarding tenure of current Treasurer. Action items Mr. Pike

Representation of FSS staff specialists. Mr. Dolan to contact staff at GRB. Directors to forward staff names to Mr. Dolan who will follow-up with contacts and research.

CISD

Ms. Holmes noted that there are vacancies and changes in this program that require the training of replacements. Mr. Dolan to contact ATX and follow-up.

EFAS CIC

Mr. McLennan explained the problems with non-EFAS rated CIC's. BOD discussion.

Mr. Pike recommended Tim DeGrazio (MIA AFSS) for one of the FSOSC vacancies. BOD approval. Both Kevin Carl and Gary Gustafson have declined consideration. Mr. Pike will forward the remaining recommendation to the BOD for its consideration once the necessary coordination can be affected.

Motion made and passed to adjourn.

NAATS Group on Yahoo

Dan Hart, KTN AFSS

I have been a member of NAATS for many years. Over and over, I heard from the members that they wanted more communication about the activities of the Union. To get our members a way to pass information among us, and to do it "inexpensively," I set up a message group that is now hosted by Yahoo.

Use of the group is not difficult. It can be either web based where a member goes to the site to access the group, or it can be email based for sending and receiving messages. A chat room is available at the web site. Members can post files and poll the group on opinions.

One of the best features, I believe, is the ability to receive email messages containing the previous day's postings. This can be done in two ways, either by individual messages, or by daily "collectives" of up to 25 messages. Most members receive information in this manner.

This group is for NAATS members. When I get a request to join the group, all I see is that person's email account. I then contact each to verify their NAATS status.

Members ask questions of each other, and post items of interest. Sometimes there are differences of opinions, but hey, we are air traffic controllers! I do ask that members not engage in any personal attacks. People generally sign their posts, and the email address of the person posting is visible to the group.

Okay, here is how NAATS members can get signed up. Go to the NAATS group page at Yahoo. The address is: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NAATS/

If you are already registered with Yahoo, click on the "Join This Group" on the right side, just down from the top. If you have not already registered with Yahoo, you will need to register, click on "Register" and follow the instructions. You can use either the email address from Yahoo, or any other email address you have as your default email address.

After I receive your request to "join the group," I'll send you an email and ask who you are. Once I hear back, I approve NAATS members right away. Then they have full access to the features.

The group is simple to use, and it fulfills a need of quick communications for its members. If you have any difficulties or questions, email me at: [email protected]

Remember, it is not endorsed or approved by NAATS headquarters; it is simply members helping members. Isn't that what unions are about anyway? Thanks to all who have helped to make this forum a success.
 

Convention Closeout

The following is the text of Wally's closing remarks from the 2001-2002 NAATS Convention in Las Vegas.

The Chinese have a saying, "may you find yourself living in interesting times." That certainly is our case at present.

We're challenged on a number of fronts; compensation, staffing, OASIS all present areas of concern. The new Air Traffic Organization and its structure are undetermined at this time. Consolidation and contracting-out are persistent topics of discussion.

I submit, however, that these concerns also represent opportunities. We've discussed compensation and its implications. We're working on a staffing agreement with Air Traffic that could encompass future evolvement for our bargaining unit. OASIS is in excellent hands with our Human Factors Team, one of our great success stories.

While the ATO is conceptually still up in the air, we do have an agreement to work it at the highest levels in the FAA. The ramifications of some of the joint structural decisions won't be fully understood for years but they do allow us to better determine our own destiny. That destiny has to include a basic premise that we will embrace technology and make it work for us. SUAISE and IDS will allow us to provide services like Flight Monitoring that ensure our viability as an air traffic option.

At some point and time consolidation will have to be addressed. We can either have the end result dictated to us or we can proactively help determine the course to be taken. We've indicated our willingness to discuss consolidation but with the stipulation that it must result in additional compensation to the bargaining unit.

The talk of contracting out will not disappear and we must take it on. At this time the Agency feels that flight service, especially in-flight services, are inherently a governmental operation. This attitude can, of course, change tomorrow. The more we make ourselves essential to the operation of the NAS, the more arguments we create against contracting-out or privatization.

Our own people can hurt us. I've had members tell me that they don't feel we can do the kind of work I've mentioned above and that somehow we're limited in our abilities. If that attitude ever becomes prevalent then we've sealed our own doom.

Negativity to our customers can be another problem. Your efforts since 9/11 have been well documented as have our compensation and staffing problems. Throughout this time there have been relatively few legitimate pilot complaints but it only takes a few to destroy all the good will we can create with the user groups.

My consistent message to the Administrator is that flight service represents a vastly underutilized resource. We're capable of performing many more essential duties than we've been allowed in the past. All we need is an opportunity to demonstrate our potential.

Thank you for coming and making our meeting such a success. I'll see you during my facility visitations or next year in San Antonio.

Postmaster Update

Steve Glowacki, TechRep, Postmaster & Webadmin

Please forward any email changes to [email protected] - both HQ and naats.org will be notified.

Hello,

Here's a reminder of what's available on IMAIL. You may want to review the ALIAS list, since there have been a few additions.

There have been some growing pains with the system. But, it appears they're fixed. The problem was in the SPAMCOP filters being used by the companies hosting each person's home email account. If this happens again, a 'reject' message will be sent back to the sender. PLEASE SEND A COPY ALL REJECT MESSAGES TO: [email protected] This shouldn't be happening anymore, but if it does, I can fix the problem quickly with the information in the reject message.

I've started sending out each person's logon and password information. Currently, this is only for elected officials, program representatives, committee members, etc. Once the system smoothes out more, we'll expand to the dues-paying membership.

With the logon information, you can configure and update your account as needed. The most important being updating your NAATS account with your home email address. This is especially important, because if your NAATS account doesn't have your forwarding configured with your correct home address, the mail will sit on the server and you won't know about. Forwarding you mail isn't required, but it does alleviate having to logon to get your mail.

Current ALIAS list: [alias]@naats.org (i.e. [email protected])
* new
** (to be determined by the team)

As a reminder, we can have an unlimited amount of ALIAS names, so ALL REQUESTS CAN BE HONORED. If you would like to have a particular ALIAS setup, please forward the information to me and I can set it up. Remember ALIAS's can be used just like an email address. So go ahead and get creative.
Reminder of how it works...
EMAIL Address:
The format is: [firstinitial] [lastname]@naats.org i.e. Wally Pike = [email protected]

Anybody who has an account can be reached by using this format.

ALIAS name:
These are like placeholders. Messages sent to an ALIAS are immediately forwarded to the email address(es) configured for it. I.e. I have a USER-name/Email-address of "[email protected]", I also have an ALIAS-name of "[email protected]" & "[email protected]" Since LOGON names are limited to 8-characters and ALIAS names are not, I'm able to receive mail sent to the standard format described above.

ALIASs can forward to either individuals or groups, allowing for better configuration and distribution of messages for groups, committees, etc.

Happy Surfing!
[email protected]

GAO Views on Civil Service Reform

FedWeek.com, Wednesday, April 17, 2002

The General Accounting Office put the term "human capital crisis" in the federal workplace vocabulary in early 2001 by deeming the government's management of its own employees one of the "high-risk" areas of government management shortcomings. Since then, GAO has continued to be a leading voice for reform of personnel-related policies.

GAO recently testified before the Senate federal service subcommittee, which is considering several reform plans proposed by members of Congress and by the Bush administration, including one dubbed the Federal Human Capital Act. Excerpts of GAO's statement, presented by Comptroller General David M. Walker, the head of the agency, follow.

Early-Out Authority
"The legislation addresses key strategic human capital planning issues. It underscores the need for agencies to clearly and directly link their human capital planning efforts with their strategic and program plans developed under the Government Performance and Results Act. Moreover, I believe that the early retirement and buy-out authorities are important provisions. The changes make appropriate recognition of the need to consider employee skills and abilities - in addition to longevity - when making such decisions as a part of overall workforce planning. As our own experience in GAO has shown, such authorities can and should be used to help 'get agencies in shape' to respond to current and emerging needs rather than as a blunt instrument for downsizing.

"Over time, Congress may wish to consider adding employee performance as a factor that can be considered in making rightsizing decisions, consistent with the authorities that were provided to GAO. However, before performance could be included as a factor, agencies would need to ensure that they have modern effective and validated performance management systems in place that are able to support such decisions."

Attracting, Developing, and Retaining Talent
"Several provisions strengthen agencies' abilities to attract, develop, and retain talent. The increased flexibility in the amount and timing of the payments for recruiting, relocation, and retention bonuses is particularly noteworthy. Agency human resource directors told us that these flexibilities were among the most effective. The provisions that authorize agencies to pay for academic training for employees should have a positive influence in addressing recruitment and retention challenges as well as helping to build the knowledge and skills of the organizations' people.

"I have often noted that much of what needs to be done in regard to federal human capital management can be done now under agencies' existing authorities. Thus, while we should continue to seek appropriate regulatory and statutory changes that would help streamline the federal hiring process, the agencies need not and should not wait. For example, they need to make sure that they have the recruitment programs in place to compete effectively for needed talent. This includes having well defined and creative recruiting strategies and appropriate processes in place to communicate with applicants and prospective employees in a timely manner.

"I agree with the legislation's efforts to instill a more strategic approach to federal employee training efforts. Agencies' training and development programs should be based on the skills and competencies agencies need and be directly linked to program goals and desired results. Agreeing on expected results and associated performance measures at the outset for training and development efforts can also help ensure that credible evaluation results will be available to provide feedback on performance. A systematic evaluation of training and development efforts can help show how such efforts contribute to individual and organizational performance and suggest opportunities for further improvement."

Pay Issues
"I believe that a much greater emphasis should be placed on skills, knowledge, and performance in connection with federal employment and compensation decisions at all levels, rather than the passage of time and rate of inflation, as so often is the case today. In fact, over 80 percent of the cost associated with the annual increases in federal salaries is due to longevity and the annual pay adjustment. In recent years, widespread concern has been expressed about the methodology and results of the procedures to determine the federal pay gap. These concerns are among the reasons that the pay gap has never been fully addressed.

"I believe that careful study is needed to develop more realistic and workable methodologies and solutions to federal pay issues. Part of that assessment should focus on options for moving away from a compensation system that contains government-wide pay increases with locality adjustments, and toward a system that is based to a greater degree on knowledge, skills, abilities, and performance of the individuals involved. Additional information on the performance management programs in use in various departments and agencies and the relative strengths and weaknesses of those programs, along with best practice information, would also prove very helpful as agencies seek to link pay to individual knowledge, skills, abilities, and performance. Congress may wish to consider amending the legislation to require that these studies be undertaken; specifically, (1) a professional, objective, and independent assessment of the pay gap and (2) a survey and assessment of performance management systems and programs across the government with a view toward identifying lessons learned and best practices in linking pay to employees' knowledge, skills, abilities, and performance."

Performance Management
"I fully appreciate that much work may be needed before agencies' respective performance management systems are able to support a more direct link between pay and individual knowledge, skills, abilities, and performance. OPM certainly has a continuing and vital role to play on these issues. I understand that OPM is working on a white paper that should help inform the needed discussions. I expect that the greater use of "broad banding" is one of the options under consideration. In fact, as it considers the legislation, Congress may also wish to explore the benefits of (1) providing OPM with additional flexibility that would enable it to grant a government-wide authority for agencies (that is, class exemptions) to use broad banding for certain critical occupations and/or (2) allowing agencies to apply to OPM (that is, case exemptions) for broad banding authority for their specific critical occupations. However, agencies should be required to demonstrate to OPM's satisfaction that they have modern, effective, and validated performance management systems before they are allowed to use broad banding.

"The Federal Human Capital Act recognizes the importance of a results-oriented culture by focusing attention on poor performers, whose affect on agencies' performance and morale can far exceed their numbers. Still, while important, dealing with poor performers is only part of the problem; agencies need to create additional incentives and rewards for valuable and high-performing employees, who represent the vast majority of the federal workforce. As I have just noted, to achieve this objective, more fundamental change will need to be considered."

Federal Guinea Pigs

FedWeek.com, Wednesday, May 11 2002
By Mike Causey, FEDweek Senior Editor

Politicians who want to reform the federal civil service have two (soon to be three) big guinea pigs to experiment on.

The first is the Transportation Security Administration, the fast-growing agency that is supposed to handle airport security problems. Some members of Congress and the White House originally wanted it to be a contractor-operation overseen by federal officials. But as the contractor horror stories continued to build (including the arrests last week of nearly 100 illegal workers at three Washington area airports) the TSA was federalized. It could now grow to 70,000 people and--barring the first big foul-up - seems to be fairly popular with the American public.

The other two potential lab rats are the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which is likely to be split by Congress into two agencies. For easier control and easier kicking.

Cussing the INS these days, for almost any up-for-reelection-politician, is worth dozens, maybe hundreds of votes. Because of its miscues, both real and imagined (and its split personality mission) the INS is fair game for late night TV comics and daytime comics who also serve in the House and Senate.

Put your money on the INS--that is, INS1 and INS2--to be the first agencies where the Congress installs fast-track firing procedures. It may be a good idea--when the offense is serious and provable.

Too bad the private security firms that hired minimum wage incompetents, illegal aliens, ex-cons for high security jobs and the contractor who mailed out visas to dead terrorists didn't have fast-track firing authority. Or use it.

Of course, if this doesn't work and halt the influx of dangerous illegals into the country we can always split the INS into four agencies. And if that doesn't work . . .

Connie's Corner: Flat, Alaska

Connie Cloud, FAI AFSS

Flying over the Kuskokwinm Valley of central Alaska on my way to the gold mining town of Flat I was playing keep away with the clouds laying along the ridge tops. Following the valleys through to Flat, crossing first Moore Creek then 4th of July Creek. Along the way I spotted two black bears grazing in a hillside berry patch and a large moose in a creek bottom. The closer I flew to Flat the more old rusting mining equipment could be seen. On a very long final to Flat there was a gold dredge, looking like a dinosaur stuck in a dried up mud flat.

I had been into Flat several times before and had seen the big monument along side the runway to Wiley Post, the famous one-eyed aviator of the 1930's. Holder of world speed records, high altitude records and two round the world records. He was attempting a third round the world trip when he crashed outside of Barrow Alaska, killing himself and humorist Will Rogers.

It was Post's solo round the world flight I was interested in. During my poking around in other gold camps I had heard from the old timers about John Miscovich. He had been one of the first people to reach Post and his Lockheed Vega, the Winnie Mae, when they had crash-landed in Flat. The idea of talking with someone who had been in Flat when Wiley Post climbed out of the plane sounded like a good reason to fly over to Flat and visit.

The back of my 1958 Tripacer was loaded with 3 ATV (all terrain vehicle) tires, a box of stuff and my golden retriever, Lilya. Tires and the box I was taking out to John as a favor, Lilya was going as my co-pilot. After I landed and had taxied to the end of the strip where the Miscovich's live, John drove up. He had been on his way home and was surprised to see me unloading the tires at his end of the strip. Well strip might not be the right term. Maybe a runway would be a better name for it. Made of dirt, this "strip" is over 4,000 feet long and 100 feet wide. Granted, this runway does not have lights, but neither does the city of Flat.

John piled me, the tires and Lilya into a well-worn truck for a short ride to their house. Mary, John's wife came out and before the truck could be unloaded Mary had invited me to dinner, or better yet, why not spend the night? Dinner sounded good. I couldn't spend the night because I was on a flight plan that would have to be closed out. Flat is one of those places with no phones or radio coverage. There was simply no way, at that time, to close out or extend my flight plan.

Once we were inside the camp kitchen, almost before I had a chance to sit down at the long wooden table there was a cup of tea and yesterday's baked cinnamon roll in front of me. While Mary was working on dinner I asked John about life in Flat. Turns out John was born in Flat! This town now only has one year round family, back in 1918, when John was born, Flat had up wards of 6,000 people! The Kuskokwim Valley was in the middle of a gold boom. Today there is not a village or town of 6,000 people within 300 miles of Flat. During this time, over one and a half million ounces of gold came out of Flat and the surrounding areas. I spent a long time with the Miscovichs talking about their life in Flat. I had to remind myself the reason I had made this trip was to find out about Wiley Post. On the back wall of the kitchen I found a collection of newspaper clippings and pictures showing some of the high points of Flat. Here was a condensed version of John's life. In the middle of the wall was a series of pictures. One showed the Winnie Mae crumbled, another with serious faced miners working on her. The final pictures shows a tried Wiley Post standing in front of the Winnie Mae. Upon closer inspection I notice how bent up the plane looked.

July 21, 1933 was the date on the picture. John Miscovich was 15 years old. He along with most of Alaska knew Wiley post was over due getting into Fairbanks.

John was working at the family's gold claim when out of the overcast a large, sleek white plane dropped down, passed low over Flat airport and continued on it's way. Back then Flat didn't have much of a runway, only 700-800 feet. A short time later the same plane came buzzing back over Flat. John headed down to the runway about the same time as Wiley Post came in to land. The Winnie Mae was not made for short field operations. John claimed she almost made it, but right at the end she hit a muskeg and collapsed the right landing gear, bend the prop and did some damage to the cowling. What had really kept the Winnie Mae from being trashed was the ditch along side the runway. When the wheel strut collapsed the wing went into the ditch instead of digging into the ground. John was one of the first people to the crash site. Only when he saw "Winnie Mae" stenciled on the side of the aircraft did he realized it was Wiley Post! While all of Alaska wondered where the famous aviator was, Flat had the answer laying crumble on their runway.

Prior to his unscheduled stop in Flat, Wiley Post left Siberia on his way to Fairbanks. Enroute his directional equipment stopped working. Wiley Post was lost! Finding a way through the clouds he dropped down. Reported sighting of the Winnie Mae came from the city of Tanana, pilot Noel Wien and a radio operator in McGrath. Noel Wien, and Alaskan flying legend, spotted her twice along the Yukon River. The first time, as he was heading into the village of Ruby. He spotted her again, an hour and a half later after leaving Ruby heading back to Fairbanks. Halfway between Ruby and Tanana, there was the Winnie Mae, flying low over the Yukon River. Both times she was heading east in the direction of Fairbanks. >From there Wiley Post somehow found the city of Flat, located 230 miles southwest of Tanana! Towns in this part of Alaska are still few and far between. To fall out of the sky and find any kind of runway was plain dumb luck.

I asked John what did Wiley Post say when he climbed out of the plane. "He wanted to sleep." While Wiley Post slept in the Alaska Communications Service Facility. (ACS) the rest of the world learned what had happened to him. During the 16 hours Wiley Post spent in Flat, word was sent to Fairbanks to get a new propeller shipped in along with parts. A welder was needed to rebuild the wheel strut. Soon, two planes with the necessary personnel and parts convened on Flat. Joe Crossen, piloted one of the "pontoon" which landed on the Iditarod River, then the crew and parts were taken by truck over to Flat. The Winnie Mae being in the middle of the only runway at Flat had made landing any closer impossible.

Fortunately this happened in July, with almost 24 hours of daylight. When the work was completed John drove over to the Communication Office to pick up the sleeping Wiley Post. Once back at the Winnie Mae, Wiley Post walked around the plane. He must have had a million things going through his mind. How would he take off from such a short strip? The Winnie Mae was not a short field aircraft, lacking even

FEDERAL EMPLOYEE NEWS

Brought to you by FedWeek.com

TSP FUNDS RESTORED
The Treasury Department has announced that it has stopped using financial maneuvers involving the Thrift Savings Plan's government securities (G) fund and that it has restored to the fund the interest lost while those maneuvers were used during the last several weeks. The maneuvers, which Treasury deemed necessary because the government was up against its debt limit, involved suspending issuance of the debt obligations that make up the fund's assets, amounting to nearly $19 billion, or about half the G fund's assets, at one point. That money has been restored to the fund with the $27 million in interest that wasn't paid during the period of suspension. "The G fund and its beneficiaries are now in the same financial position as if investments had never been suspended," the department said in a letter to Congress.

MORE SUCH MANEUVERS MAY BE AHEAD
The Treasury letter to Congress indicated that there may be more financial maneuvering ahead for the G Fund unless Congress acts soon to raise the debt ceiling-which it has been reluctant to do. The recent maneuvering ended only because of an inflow of revenue related to the income tax filing deadline, but Treasury said that by late June the government likely will be up against the debt limit again. Even though the fund was made good-as it was in the past when similar moves were made several times-many TSP investors find use of the fund for the government's budgetary purposes highly objectionable and a breach of the promise that money they invest in the TSP is theirs and theirs alone.

TSP OPEN SEASON COMING UP
One of the Thrift Savings Plan's twice-yearly open seasons will begin May 15 and run through July 31, offering federal and postal employees who are not currently participating in the program an opportunity to sign up and offering current participants the option to change the amount of their ongoing investments. Employees under the FERS retirement program this year may invest up to 12 percent of biweekly salary and those under the CSRS system may invest up to 7 percent, in both cases subject to an IRS dollar maximum-which currently effectively applies only to FERS enrollees-of $11,000. Highly-paid FERS enrollees can use the opportunity to adjust their ongoing investments if necessary to ensure that they can continue to invest throughout the calendar year; if they hit the dollar limit before the end of the year, their own investments, and the government's matching contributions, are cut off until the beginning of the next calendar year.

STOCK FUNDS DROP AGAIN
Two of the three TSP stock-related funds suffered down months in April, with the large company common stock (C) Fund dropping 6.06 percent and the small and mid-capitalization stock (S) Fund losing 1.06 percent. The funds posted 12-month losses of 12.73 and 1.42 percent, respectively. The international stock (I) Fund gained 0.25 percent in April but is down 14.5 percent over the 12 months. The bond (F) Fund gained 1.89 percent last month and the government securities (G) Fund rose 0.46 percent for 12-month gains of 7.9 and 5.38 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, money in the G Fund is being invested at a 5.25 percent annual rate in May.

NEW TSP FEATURES AHEAD
The TSP, which has had contractors working on upgrading its computer systems for several years, is expected to announce in the months just ahead exactly how the added features to become available under the new system will work and when they will be effective-most likely, sometime in the second half of this year, possibly on a phased-in basis. Many investors have been most interested in the switch from monthly to daily valuation of accounts, which will speed up processing of inter-fund transfers, loans, withdrawals and other transactions. However, new options also are on tap for how withdrawals can be structured, including new choices for partial withdrawals and for mixing and matching the types of withdrawals allowed; current rules require that an entire account be taken out as only one type of withdrawal.  

Regional Supplements

ALASKA REGION

FAIRBANKS AFSS HUB NEWS

By Phil Brown, FAI FACREP / AAL PR Focal / AAL NAATS NTSB Liaison  

Northway FSS
If you have been following our updates on the Northway FSS then you know of the "on again, off again" routine we have been enduring for the last several months. I am pleased to finally say that Northway FSS will open on May 1st. Northway is located on the east bank of Nabesna Slough, 50 miles southeast of Tok. It lies off the Alaska Highway on a 9-mile spur road, adjacent to the Northway airport. It is 42 miles from the Canadian border in the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge. Semi-nomadic Athabascans who pursued seasonal subsistence activities near Scottie and Gardiner Creeks and Chisana, Nabesna, and Tanana Rivers first utilized the area around Northway. The Native settlement of Northway Village is located 2 miles south of Northway. The Native village was named in 1942 after Chief Walter Northway, who adopted his name from a Tanana and Nabesna riverboat captain. Our seasonal FSS in Northway will consist of a 100% Union staff this year. Flight Service and NAATS veteran Mort Forsko will be serving the membership as FacRep.

If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything!

Fairbanks AFSS
The Fairbanks AFSS is abuzz with news of Wally Pike's visit. Wally is visiting us on April 30th. We have planned a facility cookout and we have scheduled two separate membership meetings throughout the day to maximize attendance for Wally's briefings. We also planned a teleconference bridge so our brothers and sisters working out in the bush could enjoy Wally's good words of Unionism. The FAI AFSS Procedures committee recently met to address some very difficult issues. Among them were staffing, mid shifts, self-approved leave and CIC-duty tracking and distribution. A special thanks to Pat Kerber, John Siron, Jay Langston, Dave Williams, Rachel Reynolds and Jim Banks for serving on the Procedures Committee. Their continued dedication furthers the goal of democracy within our Union. Thanks again!

Get Well Soon
A hearty "get well soon" goes out to two of our Union brothers. Mike Welch and Jim Banks have been under the weather lately with prolonged medical issues but we hope to have them back soon. Hang in there brothers...we are all pulling for you!

Grievances & ULP's
As we previously reported, FAI management denied our grievance regarding jury duty leave. We have arbitration scheduled for later this month. It appears that management has put the Frontier Flying Service issue on hold also. This is great news for our controllers that travel to and from the bush. Management has also sustained another grievance that we filed regarding security site surveys/inspections within the hub. ANI and security were showing up totally unannounced at our facilities and conducting inspections/surveys without a Union member present. Our position was that even though a national agreement was made to "I & I" security implementation measures later, this does not negate the rest of our collective bargaining agreement's contractual requirements. Chalk up another one for the good guys!

"Connie's Corner"
Look for "Connie's Corner" in this month's edition of NAATS News. You will find a great article on Wiley Post and his record setting solo trip around the globe. Connie traced Wiley Post's adventures in Flat, Alaska and actually spoke with some of the original pioneers from 1933. It is great reading!

THE NEWS FROM KETCHIKAN

Dan Hart, KTN AFSS

Well, the most talked about thing here in Ketchikan, is the grievance settlement agreement that was effective April 7th. We are still waiting to see the SF-50's that show our promotions, or our pay stubs (which we will be viewing online on Thursday), to make absolutely sure that we got the promotion to FG-12, catching us up with the rest of the world.

It was a long fight to get the FSSs upgraded. In the settlement agreement, FSS people who were supposed to be promoted to FG-11 several years ago gave up back pay. What we got was an end to the dispute, and the opportunity to bring the level 1 FSSs with us to be 12's. There is no doubt in my mind that it was the right thing to do.

More than an increase in pay, this settlement agreement stops the disparate treatment that the people at the non-automated FSSs have endured for years. We can now have the same career progression that everyone else has (this means that we will no longer be automatically be excluded from many bids.)

I know that when the contract is settled nationally, the minimum grade for an FPL was to be a FG-12. The feeling that I have heard from most of the affected people, who have been passed by before, that a "bird in the hand" was the best thing for us.

Staffing, the lack of it, remains a problem here, just like everywhere else I guess. Taking leave burdens the rest of the facility, and the people remaining have to work short. We have two new people in the school in OKC right now, and they are scheduled to arrive at the facility to begin training about the 4th of July.

We have three of our members trying to leave. Two have slots in McAlester in January. The other has a CPP transfer to Boise that we have not worked out a date for yet. With the pay grade now the same as everyone else, and the local hire, hopefully, we can eventually get our staffing to stabilize so that we are not always training people and having them bid out. Our old "multi-tier" system surely made it tough to keep people at the non-automated facilities.

Spring is here, at least officially, and the first cruise ships will be coming by the FSS soon. With that the traffic picks up. We invite any of you to stop by and visit if you are passing through.

Ketchikan is 100% NAATS.

CENTRAL REGION

EASTERN REGION

Donna Holmes, Director & Ron Consalvo, Coordinator

STAFFING

Staffing remains a problem in our region. Most facilities are understaffed. Some are short as many as 7 slots. The problem is that the region is overstaffed. These overstaffed positions are management and staff positions. We keep trying to address bargaining unit staffing problems with regional management but have had no success. Just this week, 2 facilities have decided to fill staff positions with details of bargaining unit members. These details will leave the bargaining unit even shorter in the region. Grievances will be filed in both of these cases.

NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

Last week was the convention in Las Vegas. The Board of Directors meeting was held on Monday and Tuesday. The Board discussed many issues and received briefings from the liaisons, chief negotiator, administrator and treasurer. This is the first board meeting I have attended as coordinator. I was impressed with the work ethic and the responsiveness to the members exhibited by the directors.

The membership meeting was held on Wednesday and Thursday. Members attended from every region. There was a good exchange of information. The members received the same briefings that the directors heard earlier in the week. The directors were available for question during one of the sessions. Many members asked questions and received forthright answers from the Board.

On Thursday, Bill Peacock addressed the membership and then took questions. The primary interest of the members was staffing. He spoke for a few minutes and then the onslaught of staffing questions began. The membership took full advantage of this opportunity. I think, Mr. Peacock finally understands ours staffing shortage. Hopefully the Agency will start to address our shortages but only time will tell.

GREAT LAKES REGION

NEW ENGLAND REGION

Kurt Comisky Director and Tom Halligan Coordinator

The watch schedules are set, the annual leave is posted and as spring blooms in here New England, one would assume all would be calm and serene.

Well, not exactly.

Staffing Issues Strain LMR
We are having many issues that are creating strains in LMR; one significant matter concerns adjustments to the watch schedule and spot leave. Several grievances have been filed and I suspect many more to come. Many of these issues center on the lack staffing, and facility management's attempt to manage the dwindling resources.

Over time it has become clear that in each facility there are a certain number of controllers are necessary for the facility to run smoothly and efficiently. A balance between the needs of the customer and the needs of the controller, in a cost effective and efficient manner, an equilibrium so to speak.

In the current climate of contraction of the flight service controller workforce, in each facility there comes a point when the level of controllers falls to the critical point. When staffing falls below this critical point, many personnel and LMR problems begin to arise. Productivity falls off, quality of service falls off and LMR issues dramatically rise. All of these elements are clearly evident and measurable. The most remarkable point to this observation is that the critical point for each facility can be defined in terms of one or two controllers. That is by adding one or two more controllers above the critical point; a dysfunctional facility will be brought back to a state of balance, dramatically restoring productivity and harmony. Inversely, the loss of one or two controllers below the critical point will cause a noticeable reduction in productivity and/or quality of service, and will create discord and anxiety.

Here in New England our staffing has fallen below this critical point. As this summer approaches, our productivity and our quality of service will most certainly diminish. If history is any indication of the future, some facility managers will respond is such a manner that will exacerbate the problems, not solve them. The resulting effect is an increased strain in LMR, and of most importance, an adverse effect on customers we serve.

Peacock Acknowledges Imbalance
At the recent membership meeting in Las Vegas, Bill Peacock, was repeatedly questioned about staffing, actually staffing issues took up the lion's share of his time. Bill Peacock did acknowledge that there is an imbalance in the staffing levels between facilities. Bill Peacock indicated there are some facilities that are at or above staffing and those that are understaffed. It was Bill Peacock's hope that the new controllers coming into the option will be placed in those understaffed/hard to staff facilities. Clearly, Bill Peacock understands that there are many facilities that are understaffed, and presumably that the staffing in many facilities are below the critical point. It is Bill Peacock that controls the level of staffing for the flight service controller workforce; it is his hand at the valve of the inflow of new controllers in the flight service option.

So, it is equally clear that Bill Peacock fully understands the effect of the lack of proper staffing in a flight service facility. Bill Peacock must understand that there will be a demonstrable loss of productivity and/or reduction in quality of service. It is impossible to reduce staffing below the critical point without any impact to quality or service. Productivity and quality will be reduced and Bill Peacock, the person in charge of Air Traffic, must know this.

The point is, as we go into the summer months; there is clear understanding and acceptance by the leadership of Air Traffic that many facilities are critically understaffed. It would be clearly reasonable to foresee that there will be compromises in productivity and quality. So, as the facility representative and the facility manager work these productivity and quality issues, it must be understood that the leadership in Air Traffic is cognizant of the situation and as a matter of policy, deems a certain loss of productivity and quality is acceptable.

Facility Management Disinformation
On another note, a few weeks ago I was talking to the manager of BGR AFSS. Near the end of the conversation the manager asked how pay negotiations were progressing. I recounted the short version about the work on the pay rules and the presentation to the FMCS. Well for some reason the next morning, the manager made a trip to the operations floor to proclaim to the controllers that NAATS BOD had agreed to an 8% pay raise.

I have no reason why the manager felt it necessary to spread this obvious incorrect and misleading information to the employees under his direction. Was he trying to create anxiety, create discord, stir up trouble, belittle the Union's efforts, or is he just mean. I have no interest in calling him to find out why he felt it necessary to do that, just the fact he did gives great insight into his character. In response, there are a few options available, a grievance, a ULP, or maybe something more creative, what is the result that will be the most appropriate, time will tell.

Passive/Aggressive Behavior
Which leads me to another observation, some managers display passive aggressive behaviors or acts towards the employees and the Union. As an example, in BDR AFSS, after receiving numerous complaints for years about the computer on the floor for employee use, the manager still refuses to update. The computer on the floor is a 486 with a turbo button, a piece of history for the Smithsonian. The manager, for some reason, will not move a more capable PC to the floor for employee use. I do not understand why this cannot be done; it appears to be another passive aggressive act. Over time it have become clear to me that all of us in Flight Service are in the same boat; we each have a different role to fill. One aspect we have in common is that we are the stepchildren of Air Traffic, we are Flight Service. Maybe the reason for the many instances of passive aggression is, as managers they want to feel like managers, they need to exercise control and dominance over the minions, I do not know, it is above my pay grade to find out why. What is clear that for many, a productive and content facility that strives for quality is not the priority, I find this behavior counterproductive and unnecessary.

Kudos for ANE-500 and 501
Last fall here in New England we had received a 10-hour time off award for difficulties following September 11th. The crushing workload and voluminous and incoherent NOTAMs/TFRs created considerable stress and anxiety. First, I want to thank Bill Yuknewicz, ANE-501 for stepping out in front issue and recognizing the conditions the Flight Service Controllers were faced with. All of our efforts were certainly not over looked by many in the New England Region. I also want to thank Bill Ellis, ANE-500 at the time, now ATX-1, Bill personally visited each facility and presented the awards. A special thanks to Bill Peacock for coming up to BDR for a visit and to express this thanks for the outstanding efforts.

Time Off Awards for 9-11
The 10-hour time off award was a blanket award given to each operational flight service controller. The region has agreed to look at additional recognition awards on a case-by-case basis. Additional recognition awards will be given to those employee(s) that have demonstrated performance above and beyond. The Facility Representative and the Facility Manager will jointly identify these individual(s); documentation will be provided and forwarded to the Region for review. This a similar process used for the NATCA bargaining unit here in New England. The credit for the additional individual recognition awards must be given to Bill Yuknewicz.

So, if you have any suggestions for these additional recognition awards, please contact your facility representative. If you have any questions, please call me, 860 302 8401.

NORTHWEST MOUNTAIN REGION

SOUTHERN REGION

SOUTHWEST REGION

Mark Jaffe, Director and Dana Colquitt, Coordinator

Hello NAATS members,

I just returned from Las Vegas where our annual NAATS Membership Meeting was held. We had good attendance at the meeting this year considering the travel problems.

Convention Highlights
Thanks to the Southwest region members who attended: Dennis Detrow and Tye Bjorkman from ABQ, Jim Davis and Dana Colquitt from CXO, Martha Grimsley from DRI, and Kirk Leander and Don Dudley from FTW. Thanks to all who attended and I hope to see you in San Antonio for next year's convention. ( More about San Antonio later.)

My time in LAS was spent at a BOD meeting on Monday and Tuesday. I will send out a separate report on that meeting by the end of April.

Wednesday and Thursday, the General Membership meeting was held with an attendance of about 115 members.

On Wednesday, Wally Pike opened the meeting with a discussion on the pay impasse. This is a very important issue to NAATS and will hopefully be resolved by the end of summer. The remainder of the day was spent hearing reports on MWE and OASIS and winding up with a Q&A session with the Regional Directors.

Thursday began with our guest speaker, Bill Peacock, AT-1. Mr. Peacock was hammered pretty hard, by the membership, about staffing issues. He was also made aware of problems in hiring new people. Hopefully, he was enlightened about our staffing situation to the point of actually doing something about it. The rest of Thursday was spent hearing reports from our Liaisons, Chief Negotiator, tech reps, Treasurer, and a demonstration of SUA/ISE.

ASW Members on Details
We have had several members on detail doing valuable work for NAATS. Terri Michel, FTW, spent a week in ACY testing new equipment. Dave Smith, MLC, and Pedro Armenta, SJT, spent about 2 months in ACY testing the new Voice Switch system. We have other people such as Dana Colquitt, CXO, Martha Grimsley, DRI, Dennis Detrow, ABQ, and Linda Sterling, JBR, who routinely give their time for numerous projects to help and improve your union. This list does not include the people at FTW like Kirk Leander and Jose Vasquez who work on the SUA/ISE or any of the other FacReps like Ed Sizemore, MLC and Jim Hale, SJT.

DeRidder Manager Retiring
In other happenings around the region, Barbara Stanley, the manager at DRI has announced her retirement. We wish her a relaxing and enjoyable retirement.

FacRep Appreciation
Your FacRep works harder than anyone in the union to drag our butts out of trouble when we screw up. Don't forget to thank them for all they do.

Back to D.C.
I'll be in D.C. the week of May 5th for another week of pay rules talks. We have finished the work rules (red book) and hope to finish the pay rules that week. Any questions about this subject should be directed to me. Call and I will fill you in on where we are on this issue.

9-11 Time Off Awards Approved
The TOAs have been approved by ASW-500 and all facilities should be working on them and preparing to send them in to the R.O. The criteria is a base of 10 hours for AFSS FPL's with an additional 4 hours per day for working on 9/12, 9/13, or 9/14 (8 hours max for these 3 days). Two hours per day for the 17th-23rd (4 hours max for these days). Maximum of 20 hours. I was told that FSDPS would also get 10 hours but have since been informed that some FSDPS folks only received 6 hours. I'm working to correct that mistake. Again, if you have questions talk to your FacRep, Dana, or myself.

Next Year in San Antonio
The National Membership Meeting in 2003 will be held at the St. Anthony Hotel in San Antonio the week of April 20-25. This is one of the nicest hotels in SAT. It is located about 1 block from the River Walk. The big news is that we have reserved rooms for our convention during FIESTA. This is the biggest celebration in San Antonio every year. I would like to see our region host the best convention ever. I will be asking for help from many of our members to insure that everyone has a great time in San Antonio. Please put in for leave now so that you will be assured of attending. I will publish reservation information in the near future. This hotel has some very unique features, call me for details before you make your reservations.

I have rambled on too much so I'll close. As always, thanks for your hard work and support. Call or e-mail if you have questions or would like to talk.

WESTERN-PACIFIC REGION

Mike Stafford, Director and Bob Stanco, Coordinator

From The WP Director:

I just returned from the Convention and Quarterly Board of Director's meetings, and I honestly believe it was one of the best Conventions I have attended. Las Vegas is always a fun town, but its diversions didn't keep us from accomplishing the very important work at hand.

Last Few Articles Nearly Finished
We are almost finished with the last few Contract Articles, and we are having a preliminary meeting with the FMCS Director, Mr. Barnes, to establish the ground rules for our pay negotiations. This meeting will take place on May 16th, and we are hopeful that at that meeting we will set the date for our actual negotiations. As a member of the pay team, I am very confident in the case we will present. The facts are on our side, we are well prepared, and we will make a very strong case to Mr. Barnes for 13.2% (not including ATRA) retroactive to October of 1998.

After the Contract and Pay negotiations are finished, they will go out to you, the membership, for ratification. Again, I am confident that what we will have for you to vote on will be some of the best news for Flight Service Controllers that we have had in years.

Staffing Frustration Continues
The FAA has told us they will not discuss our staffing issues until our Contract is ratified. This is very disappointing, and is going to be another very important issue for our future, especially if we are successful in our pay negotiations. Their "head in the sand" stance on staffing is extremely frustrating, and one I can see no justification for. One of the speakers at the Convention was Bill Peacock, ATS-1. During the Q&A period, he was hammered pretty relentlessly on our staffing issues, and he said the FAA will negotiate with us on the staffing issue as soon as our Contract negotiations are finished. Given that we have lost some 450 positions in the Flight Service Option over the last 5 years, it's very obvious that we cannot withstand a mass exodus after our pay negotiations finish, and the FAA's position on this issue is unacceptable. This is something that should have been dealt with years ago. Wally, and the Board continue to push this issue, and we will not let it rest until we can get the FAA to start emergency planning for what may well be a run on retirements in our option.

Don't Buy the Rumors
The closer we get to finishing the Contract, and beginning our pay negotiations, the more I hear and read rumors on the Internet concerning these issues. Frankly, 99% of the rumors I have heard and read are very far from the truth, and I wish that if you have a question on something you have heard concerning what is going on, please contact your Director for the straight "scoop". I am hopeful that the next submission I have for the newsletter will contain a lot of good news. Until then, keep the faith.

HAWTHORNE AFSS NEWS

Eli Morrissy, HHR AFSS

TSP Open Season
Thrift Savings Plan Open Season begins May 15th and runs until July 31st. Don't forget that the TSP tax deferral limit is $11,000 for FERS employees and CSRS employees can currently to the TSP.

The Lone Developmental
Kevin Bender, currently HHR's lone developmental has checked out on Coordinator and is making good progress on Flight Data. At the rate he's going, he'll be checked out by the time our other developmental, Victor Morales, gets back from the Academy.

Los Angeles CFC Sets a Record
The Combined Federal Campaign for the Los Angeles area amassed record contributions during its 2001 fundraising season. Though it results from the combined efforts of a whole lot of folks, I think it's appropriate to point out those of HHR's CFC Contact, Ned Kramer. His efforts resulted in HHR personnel also setting a record for their contributions to the charitable organizations under the CFC's umbrella. As part of the celebration of the CFC's success, Ned was recognized, along with other CFC field contacts, by AWP Regional Administrator, Bill Withecomb for his hard work and dedication. We're really proud to have such a stand-up kind of guy as a co-worker.

Special Visitor
HHR alumnus, Greg Cox dropped by for a visit. He left us last year for Torrance Tower and he's currently undergoing treatment for colon cancer. Greg looked pretty good, but he's really trimmed down. He did say that he doesn't really recommend the "cancer diet," though. It seems his sense of humor is still intact and helping to sustain him and now he's back to working part-time on the Admin side at the Tower. Greg is approved for the leave donation program and any leave anyone can afford to give on his behalf would be greatly appreciated.

Our Deepest Condolences
One final note, Bob Baron lost his mother last Tuesday after an extended illness. He was already there in Indiana for a family visit and was able to be with her just before she passed. But it's still very sad and difficult to lose a beloved parent. Everyone at HHR extends their heartfelt condolences to him at this time. I'm sure that all his former co-workers from STL and AOO AFSSs also feel the same.