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Wally Pike, NAATS President A-76 EFFORTS CONTINUE We�re still having congressional meetings but activity has fallen off considerably now. This will probably be the case until the new congress begins on January 7. My feeling is that the A-76 battle will be won or lost on the Hill. All of our activities, e.g. lobbying congress, informational picketing, user groups meetings, should be directed with that in mind. The way to defeat the A-76 study is legislation stating our function is "inherently governmental." The way to delay the A-76 study indefinitely is to deny funding through appropriations. The way to slow it down is to require congressional hearings or GAO investigations. We�re active in all three forums on the Hill. A-76 is our highest priority and we�re not holding anything back. The fact that the congressional and FAA meetings have slowed down for the holidays doesn�t mean we�ve haven�t been busy in other areas. I can�t discuss some of the innovative options we�re exploring in this forum but they should prove effective; they�ll certainly be a surprise to many when they�re made public. While we�re doing this we must be aggressively active in the A-76 study process. We don�t have the luxury of not participating -- that�s a sure recipe for disaster. We have to put our best people on the work groups and ensure the process is administered exactly as required by the circular. In the case of the PWS, we have to make every effort to list all of our activities no matter how small. It�s my opinion that the final document will be very extensive and complex. To accomplish this we must put our best people on the work groups and make every effort to maximize membership participation and education throughout the process. We�re working with NATCA and PASS, who have similar outsourcing concerns, on a common approach to the FAA and other activities such as informational picketing and joint congressional meetings. More details will be provided on these efforts as soon as they�re available. Despite this cooperation, inherently governmental legislation is an uphill battle and we need all the help we can get. Your continued participation is critical to our success. A-76 Representative Kate Breen publishes regular updates on the status of the study and how you can help. ON PAY As far as pay goes, it�s letters to Congress, especially those members on appropriations. Chairman Don Young has sent Administrator Blakey a letter requesting that the pay impasse be resolved as soon. This is the letter that I worked with his staffer on and uses the FMCS hearing data as the basis for resolution. Chairman Young prefers to work the pay issue prior to addressing A-76; however, he has consistently maintained that our workforce should not be contracted out. I�ll continue to work closely with the Chairman and his staff and I�ve asked Webmaster John Dibble to post a copy of this letter on our website. MEETING WITH ATS-1 These are the items discussed with ATS-1 Steve Brown when we met in mid-December:
DEVELOPING A UNIFIED APPROACH I�m happy to announce that we are in the process of confirming a meeting between the FAA unions to develop a united approach to contracting out. The timeframe being discussed is February 17-19 with NAATS, NATCA, PASS, PAACE, and AFSCME represented so far. At this time there is no joint picketing scheduled but we�ll keep all informed. In the meantime NAATS will continue to work the new congress, which reconvenes January 7, on restricting the funding for the FSS A76 study. These will be interesting challenges considering the changes in both the House and Senate. We do know that the Senate is requiring the FAA to brief them on how the FAA is funding the study during this continuing resolution and to explain the FAA overall outsourcing strategy. Naturally our position is that the FAA should not be allowed to fund an A76 study with continuing resolution funding and some in Congress agree. AGGRESSIVE PARTICIPATION IS KEY As I�ve mentioned before, my feeling is that we must also aggressively participate in the A-76 study. This requires using the best available personnel for the workgroups. To that end, during our BOD telcon yesterday our participants were discussed and some decisions were made. Bottom line -- I recommended and the BOD approved Dave Hoover, Jerry VanVacter and Tim DeGrazio for the PWS core group. The first meeting of this group is tentatively scheduled for the week of January 20. My thanks to all who have volunteered for A-76 groups. There is a possibility, maybe even a probability, that there were be additional spin-off groups and it�s my intention to recommend a different group of participants for those utilizing our volunteer list. I expect that there will be plenty of opportunity for participation and input as we work our way through the process. SUBMIT YOUR R�SUM�S Just a reminder -- you must send your name and a brief resume to NAATS HQ if you want to serve as a NAATS representative on details or workgroups. Details are usually for one year in the DC area. Workgroups require occasional travel. Your area of interest (equipment, operations, LMR, etc) is also helpful. DON MCLENNAN STEPPING DOWN NM Regional Director Don McLennan has resigned his union position for personal reasons. Don has worked tirelessly for the bargaining unit and our option and I thank him for his efforts and help. A special election will now be conducted to fill this vacancy. WARD SIMPSON RETIRING GA Summit Representative Ward Simpson is retiring in a few weeks. He�s always worked very hard for NAATS and our membership and he will be sorely missed. I�ve known both Don and Ward for many years and I�ve enjoyed working with them. The best of luck to both of these hard working advocates in their future endeavors.
FedNews Online, Jan 3, 2003 President Bush issued an Executive Order Dec. 31, 2002 entitled, "Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay." This order implements the January 2003 pay raise of 3.1 percent for federal civilian workers under the General Schedule* and certain related pay systems, as well as members of the Senior Executive Service. Following Bush�s Nov. 30, 2002 announcement that he would authorize a 3.1 percent across-the-board pay increase, but no locality-based raise, for federal workers, Washington-area legislators vowed to work for a 4.1 percent increase in January. These legislators include George Allen (R-VA), Tom Davis (R-VA), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Jim Moran (D-VA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), John Warner (R-VA), Frank Wolf (R-VA), and Albert Wynn (D-MD). Members of the SES will get the 3.1 percent raise next year, and their locality pay will remain unchanged from 2002 levels. *The FAA apparently wasn�t included in this. We�re for Administrator Blakey�s action whether or not FAA employees will get any of this raise. -- Editor
WASHINGTON (AP) --In little more than a year, the Transportation Security Administration has grown from 13 employees to 64,000, 42 percent more than Congress wanted. TSA chief James Loy said Monday that 23,000 of those new federal workers are airport baggage screeners hired to monitor checked bags for explosives. Another 33,000 are airport passenger screeners -- the people who check travelers before they get to the gate. The remaining 8,000 workers hold various positions, from airport security directors and deputies to administrative assistants. Congress created the TSA following the September 11 attacks and imposed a 45,000-employee cap, but the agency got around it by giving some employees five-year, "temporary full-time" contracts. Loy defends the hirings but acknowledges the TSA is strapped for money because, like most other agencies, it's operating at last year�s funding level after Congress failed to pass a new annual budget before leaving town for the holidays. "We are literally holding a meeting on Thursday to figure out (what account) we�re going to steal from to pay our employees," Loy said. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Kentucky, chairman of the House Appropriations transportation subcommittee, has harshly criticized the TSA for its hiring practices. Rogers was traveling Monday and unavailable for comment, said his spokeswoman, Leslie Cupp. However, earlier this fall he said the TSA was "growing too fast into a huge bureaucracy." "We have reviewed TSA�s staffing estimates and concluded that they can do the job with 45,000 full-time federal employees," he said. House Republicans have proposed giving the TSA $5.2 billion this year, $200 million less than Loy requested. The GOP plan calls for less spending on staffing and more on such things as installation of stronger cockpit doors and airport modifications to accommodate bomb-detection machines. Though congressmen may criticize the TSA, lawmakers are unlikely to make deep cuts in an agency that many view as crucial. Loy said he plans to talk to Rogers and other critics and believes he'll be able to convince them that the work force is the right size. Steve van Beek, senior vice president of Airports Council International-North America, an airport trade group, said the TSA has a huge job and needs lots of people to fulfill it. Without adequate staffing, he said, baggage screening could become bogged down, creating long lines and delaying flights. "I�m comfortable with the number out there right now," he said. Andy Davis, spokesman for Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-South Carolina, outgoing chairman of the Commerce Committee, said the senator and other Democrats don�t have a problem with the size of the work force. "(Hollings�) view is that aviation is national security and we�ve got to find the money for it," Davis said. The TSA took over airport security from the airlines, which hired private companies to check baggage and screen passengers. Critics said the private companies provided little training, paid low hourly wages and provided few benefits, creating high turnover. The TSA�s starting salaries range between $23,600 and $35,400, and benefits include health care, life insurance, paid vacation and sick leave. The screeners receive 44 hours of classroom training, 60 hours of on-the-job training and a promise of advancement if they do well. Bill Dolan, NAATS Chief Negotiator -- [email protected] Negotiations Update I hope this finds everybody in good health in the New Year and that you all had a very happy holiday season. I have recently read comments from members asking why, in light of A-76, the lack of a Contract and the lack of a pay agreement, do we continue to agree to MOU�s on Agency programs and management proposed changes to working conditions? I can understand (and even agree with) the sentiment, especially since the Agency has demonstrated a distinct lack of integrity in dealing with us as well as most other Unions in the FAA. That said, I must point out the fact that we certainly cannot protect our interests or gain anything from being outside the process. Barring directions from the Board of Directors to the contrary, I must continue to work within the system to protect and further the interests of the bargaining unit. I will continue to negotiate representation and participation in Agency programs. A-76 We have come to agreement on the first of what probably will be a series of MOU�s covering our participation in the process. Because OMB Circular A-76 is in the process of being revised, we are negotiating a moving target. Once the new circular is final and in effect we will have a better picture of what we may need to negotiate in future agreements. The MOU should be available by the time this newsletter is published. The MOU has been signed by myself and AHR and is being circulated for signatures in air traffic (ATS), the budget office (ABA) and will then be forwarded to Wally Pike for his signature. It will then be distributed to all facility representatives. FACILITY SECURITY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (FSMP) This MOU has been in negotiation for over a year and a half. As with the A-76 MOU, we have come to agreement and are waiting for one management signature. This too will be distributed to all facility representatives as soon as we can obtain the final signature. WebCM I have just sent the Agency Union 1 on this program. There really is no major change to the way we do our day-to-day job. WebCM is the name of the Agency program which will automate the National Change Proposal (NCP) process. It will make it easier for all involved to not only submit suggested changes but it will allow you to track the change proposal through the process. CRU-X I have recently received a number of questions regarding this MOU. If you read the document carefully, you will find both regional and local requirements for the naming of test facilities, Cru-x representatives, subject matter experts, equipment location, and program parameters. Please review the MOU and make sure you accomplish all required items. OASIS There have been questions raised recently at a facility regarding the use of overtime and changing watch schedules to accomplish OASIS training. Section 3.b. states "The Agency shall not reduce basic watch schedule coverage requirements or change basic watch schedules to preclude payment of overtime monies, solely on the need to conduct OASIS training." I have had discussions with Wayne McKenzie in ATP-400 and we are in agreement as to the intent of this language.
I have also received a question regarding management decreasing the number of people allowed on annual leave during OASIS training.
IT�S A MATTER OF FUNDING 12/17/02 -- Just came back from a Communications team meeting at FAA Headquarters and here is the very latest. There will be A-76 communications binders sent out to each facility to include documents like the feasibility study, public announcement, timelines, and frequently asked questions. This was supposed to be done the end of October, beginning of November, but because of the funding issues everything was put on hold. The binders now look like they will be out sometime mid-January, this could change if the agency cannot come up with funding. There was supposed to be a tape included with the binder of a briefing given surrounding the A-76 process, evidently there was a tape floating around of the briefing in Central region, but it wasn�t that great. The plan now is to tape a briefing at FAA HQ in the near future on the changes to the A-76 process when they are final and get that tape out to the field if you all care to watch. The last piece for the communications team is a web site, it�s been developed, just waiting for approval and funding. The first look at the design is that it�s going to have some good information on it and is easy to navigate. See the common thread! Management has selected their representatives for the PWS team from the field and they are Ug Garcia from SW region, Ed Castagna from Princeton, MN and Bill Moriarty from Bangor, ME. NAATS is still working on selecting the best people for the job for to represent our interests, hopefully you�ll hear something soon. The PWS team looks like it may have a kick off meeting the week of January 20th, 2003, that is if the agency gets the funding. The team will pretty much travel from January until May non-stop going from region to region, facility to facility. There may be some breaks in the travel schedule, but at this time it looks pretty aggressive. The team will then travel in and out of DC to meet bi-monthly, of course all of this depends on funding and if the schedule slides at all. I�m sorry I can�t be more specific, but the agency just does not have a handle on it yet, or they aren�t telling! MAY START UP FOR MEO LIKELY The MEO will likely start up in May sometime and run through the summer into next winter with meetings in and out of DC, this group at this time is even more up in the air. The only definite I have is the Daphne Jefferson will be the lead on the team for management. Both teams will have core group members (3-PWS and 2-MEO) and then most likely have off shoot groups that require more people involved. Again as the information becomes available to me I will get it out to you all as soon as possible. We are waiting to hear when management is going to brief the Hill on the issue, right now there are no definite dates there either. KEEP GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT I�ve talked with the PASS representative Mary Hahn and she said things are kind of quiet there until the first of the year, and my call to the NATCA contact has gone unanswered. If you would like to get out there and picket with NATCA next weekend by all means go and support and bring our message along. As it stands right now there is no "national day" of picketing set up for NAATS. I know some people disagree with not jumping in with both feet and asking everybody in the NAATS bargaining unit to get out there and picket. Can I ask for you all to hang on, we are working on some new ideas that may get the job done without having a handful of people at a few airports across the country handing out flyers, please understand that I think that was and could be very important, it�s just we are not ready to try and push a national day right now. In the meantime, contact your elected representatives while they are home in their districts ask them to come in for a tour. Visit some FBO�s, flight schools, colleges (with aviation programs), and air taxi operators, hand out some flyers there, talk to pilots, and explain what�s going on and how this whole debacle can affect them. Make up some postcards locally and have people put their name and address on them and send them to the elected representatives (copies on the NAATS web). If you need funding, ask your regional directors, we�ll straighten out whether the region or national pays later. I�ve heard from some folks that you all haven�t been given any direction from NAATS National on what to do, I�m kind of at a loss there I�ve sent out packages, answered numerous phone calls and emails. If there is something else I should be doing please let me know, there is a BOD telcon this Thursday afternoon and we�ll be talking strictly A-76 issues. I�m sure Wally will update you by the end of the week. The next communications team meeting is set for January 7, 2003. If anything develops before then, I�ll let you know, but I really think it�s going to be a slow couple of weeks. On that note, I�m going home for Christmas week, leaving Friday 12/20 and I�ll be back in the office 12/30. I will have my computer with me and will be checking my email religiously. If I have one wish this Christmas it is that you can all somehow put this A-76 in a can for a few days and enjoy your family and friends, my second wish would be that Santa puts coal in the stockings of the people who started this whole debacle! Seriously, have a great holiday, stay safe, and we will hit this hard again in a few weeks. Happy Holidays to you and your families. ARS Report Jim Perkins, ARS Liaison -- [email protected] With the continuing resolution still in effect and the holiday season, not much significant progress has occurred over the past month. Most my efforts in ARS over the past month have been focused on working with Al Smith (ARQ-200), Tanya Yuditsky (ACB-220) and Gary Prock (ATP-430). We have visited STL and MIV to solicit information on how bargaining unit members currently use whatever IDS system they have in place, as well as what they would like to see on a future IIDS system designed for Flight Service use. We have also been asking for ideas on how such a system could be more "user friendly". Both trips have resulted in some valuable data and my thanks go out to both facilities for their participation. We are planning trips to SEA and RIU in January. While on these trips I was able to meet with Mike Terry and Ron Consalvo and suggest that they talk to their other facilities about any ideas they may have. The thing to remember is any suggestion is welcome; we really need to think "outside the box" on this, because the capability to accomplish your suggestion may already exist. One of the suggestions that came out of the STL visit was to look into the possibility of using some type of mapping software to replace the "Search and Rescue" plotting board. I have talked with Tim DeGrazio in the FSOSC and he is doing some research to see if the Jeppesen software they are working with could be used for this. I will also be talking with Scott Malon and Bill Dolan about this possibility. While it seems that the powers that be in ATP and ARS all agree on how important it is to aviation safety to get projects like NSTS, SUA/ISE and Graphical TFRs out into the field, and continue to express their commitment towards the implementation of these critical programs, the lack of action towards deployment is becoming more frustrating with every meeting Scott and I attend. Hopefully when Congress reconvenes we will be able to get off the continuing resolution and get some work done. ARU Report Art Finnegan, ARU Liaison -- [email protected] ARU is the designation for the Aviation Weather Division at the FAA Headquarters. The ARU Liaison has been moved with most of the weather programs in the Agency to ATB-460, which is the "Terminal Business Group". A list of programs that are actively worked and/or monitored by the NAATS/ATB-460 liaison include:
If anyone has and questions or comments regarding any of the above programs they can contact me through NAATS Headquarters. ATP Report Scott Malon, ATP Liaison -- [email protected] SUAISE2 The follow-up CHI effort scheduled for December 9th was cancelled less than one business day before the groups� travel to the ATCSCC. Apparently, the contractors supporting ATP-200 (the lead office for the SUAISE effort) did little work on the items identified by the CHI team on their initial visit. This, despite being told last month that �almost all� of the items listed (approximately 95) had been addressed. The CHI effort has been rescheduled for the week of February 18th. This latest situation further shows how difficult it will be for the Agency to comply with our OASIS MOU, with language mandating national deployment by September �03. In a meeting with ATP-1 and Bill Dolan, I asked for some timeline identifying the efforts required of the program to meet the obligations outlined in the MOU. I hope to see something on this within the next few weeks. ATCSCC Route Advisories An effort is underway to better format ATCSCC messages that we receive, with special emphasis on a new route advisory message that incorporates Flow Constrained Area (FCA) procedures in a manner that is more helpful to the system. Unfortunately, the antiquated M1FC automation has no method of displaying these messages in a manner that assists the FSS Controller in conveying this information to our users. User groups (NBAA), as well as Traffic Management personnel have initiated some dialogue with ATP-320 on what Flight Service might need to do our jobs better -- including the format of these messages. ADDS Despite the Continuing Resolution (CR), a meeting was held to discuss moving forward with a revised test of FSS Controller/Pilot interaction, following up on the Princeton, MN (PNM) AFSS evaluation conducted last year. It was decided that a internal/external user group would be convened, composed of AOPA, NAATS, and ADDS developers, identifying specific pilot/controller needs to better suit an interactive briefing session. AOPA and I have an �IOU� to discuss the formation of this workgroup in mid-January. From this effort, the �plan� is to do another evaluation at three (3) AFSSs, using abbreviated briefings to test the usability of ADDS within the AFSS work environment. With funding up in the air, both AOPA and SAMA have committed to stressing the importance of this effort to those FAA offices involved in General Aviation interests. AC 00-62 -- Internet Communications of Aviation Weather and NOTAMS Despite our opinion letter opposing the initiative (submitted in March �02), the Agency approved Advisory Circular 00-62 on November 1st, giving a blanket "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" to all Internet sites given the coveted "Qualified Internet Communications Provider" (QICP). This Agency "blessing" gives no credibility to the accuracy of the data itself (i.e. yesterday�s weather chart, last month�s runway closure), only to the providers� ability to operate a reliable, accessible, and secure website, within the parameters set forth in the Circular. While the AC appears somewhat clear on the limitations of "Quality," AOPA has apparently taken the position that all QICP websites are now the equivalent of an FSS/DUATS briefing (AOPA website, 11/1 article). In addition to NAATS, this widely disseminated misinformation to AOPA�s constituents has the Agency concerned, as well. Prior to November 11th, a request to correct their erroneous story was made by the Agency to Melissa Bailey, AOPA's vice president of Air Traffic, Regulatory, and Certification Policy. However, as of submission time, no such clarification has occurred. In closing, it is important to note that our March �02 opinion letter expressed concern over this exact issue of potential misunderstanding. I just hope that those pilots misled by AOPA�s guidance do not fall prey to the potentially deadly affects of inaccurate information. Our letter would most certainly lend credence to the reasons why one might misinterpret the Circular�s true meaning. ATX Report Beth Gerrits, ATX Liaison -- [email protected]
A little good news for the membership is on the
Familiarization Flight Program. The airlines and the pilot�s associations
have found and agreed to a secure database information system that will
provide positive confirmation of our identification at the gates. The TSA
must now approve the resumption of Familiarization Flights based on their
security interests. Their ruling is expected within the next few weeks. It
will not be referred to as the FAM program anymore as FAM now stands for
Federal Air Marshall and we definitely don�t want to be confused with them.
Work at removing that term from your vocabulary. A new name hasn�t been
decided on and we may just use the full title of the program. The rules are
not expected to change and the paperwork will be the same. Your current ID
will be used as well. The software program will only confirm who you are and
where you work. So as soon as the TSA approves the FAA is ready to utilize
the program. I will pass along as many details as I can since we may know
more than the gate agents on how this will work. There were two MOUs signed in November. One is for the Performance Management System (PMS) and the other is on Cru-X. Bill Dolan will explain these in more detail. I am actively assisting Kate Breen in researching data to address the OMB A-76 and will be joining Leesburg AFSS in picketing activities at IAD before Thanksgiving. I hope you had a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving and that the upcoming holidays are pleasant as well. FSOSC Report Tim DeGrazio & Patsy Rowe FSOSC Liaisons I concluded last month�s update by joking that you could still contact the Flight Service Operations Support Center (FSOSC) by phone, unless the FAA took that away too. They did. No joke. It seems that the ATA number that we had been issued is in sequence with their other numbers and they didn�t want to give it up. We were able to bargain a 2 for 1 deal. You can now contact the FSOSC at either (202) 267-3739 or 267-3726. At least until they want those back too. December 12th we met with Heidi Brown of AOPA and demonstrated the program. The FAA had told AOPA that NAATS was blocking deployment of this program. In typical FAA half-truth fashion they told AOPA that NAATS demanded the program be available at every briefing position in every facility before the pilot gets to see it. What the NAATS Board actually directed is that the program is in each facility when the pilot gets it. End state deployment puts it at every position. I explained to Heidi that having this equipment in each facility would prevent a reoccurrence of the 9/11 TFR fiasco where the pilots were asking us questions about data we hadn�t received yet. NAATS identified the problem. NAATS created a solution. The FAA has failed to support it or provide any alternative. She centered in on the fact that the service would not be completely free. Anyone can dial-in to the server and download the TFRs but you need a charting program to display it. She thought this was just a way to get AOPA�s members to buy Jeppesen software. I had anticipated this and had Dave Goehler from Jeppesen available. He explained the actual mapping packet is not proprietary and would be available to anyone. That means any type of charting program should be able to plot the TFRs that we produce. She didn�t know how many of AOPA�s pilots had a mapping program but she wants it to be available to anyone. She asked what kind of waterfall it would require and if the pilots would have to wait until all AFSSs had been installed before they could get access to it. I told her the program is already operational. It only requires the FAA to buy computers and hook them up to the internet. Heidi agreed that the FSSs need better equipment and could see how this would help the FSS Controller but she wasn�t prepared to support it. Her direction was to provide something simple for the pilot right now. Not exactly the overwhelming support we were hoping for. On other issues, there are currently five different examples for formatting TFR NOTAMs in the 7930.2 NOTAMs Handbook. We suggested a standard TFR format for all types of TFR NOTAMs be instituted. No response yet. We continue to suggest corrections to published TFR NOTAMs such as:
It seems the mentality here is "that�s the way we have always done it" rather than "that�s the way it should be done." Sound familiar? We hope your Holidays were happy and safe and that you didn�t get any coal in your stockings. OASIS UPDATE Jeff Barnes, OASIS National Representative, [email protected] 12/16/02 - The OASIS program continues to move forward in spite of roadblocks that seem to continually get thrown up in its path... The hardware has been installed in St. Louis and training is just about in full swing now for the controllers there, and installation and pre-installation activities continue at the sites coming up after them in the installation schedule for this year. Finally the survey of equipment placement in the OASIS consoles has been approved for distribution. With the Holidays here I�m not sure exactly when you'll see this in the facility, but sometime in the near future all sites that have been at least console site surveyed or more should receive this. Again, what we want to know is if the placement of the equipment in your consoles was done to your satisfaction. By the MOU, equipment placement was to be a local determination. However, we discovered that that was not honored at a number of sites. So you can use this survey to let us know if everything is okay at your facility, or if something needs to be moved. As I�ve said before, once we get this feedback in I expect that all corrections will be made eventually, but the safety related issues such as the frequency selector locations will be addressed first. This survey has a signature block for ATM and FacRep, so there should be no way for us to be ignored (note the SHOULD). For those facilities that have not yet been site surveyed for the consoles, when you do get site surveyed they should no longer be dictating your equipment installation. They may be asking why you want things one way or another, but they should be letting the facility make the final determination. We received word last week that the OASIS budget for FY 2004 had been cut by 1.89 million dollars in the OMB passback. On the face of it this isn�t too bad considering how much other programs were cut. OASIS came out with a relatively light budget hit. Not unexpected considering the budgetary mess that TSA has created for everyone. The disturbing part was the language that came out with the passback... "The passback does not fund the request for OASIS procurements and installations. Pending the findings of the A-76 study, it may be premature to procure the 24 systems planned in 2004." What this says is go ahead and continue working on the system, but don�t deploy anymore because of the A-76. Of course we strongly disagree with this and are communicating this to all concerned. We are talking to AOPA, although I haven�t gotten a read yet on what their plans are to respond to this. Today Wally met with Steve Brown (AT-1) and brought this up. Steve said that the cut is not unexpected, but that the FAA doesn�t support the associated language. He said that he would confirm that the FAA has objected to the language in writing and he further said that the FAA wants and plans to continue the deployment as scheduled. This is the first instance we have seen (at least in writing) where the A-76 has had an undeniably negative impact on us right now, as opposed to when (hopefully if) it is completed in the future. I wonder if someone in OMB thought that OASIS would make the A-76 a tougher sell... I hope you all have a safe and happy Holiday season with the ones you love. I am going to make an attempt to go through a whole day without thinking about OASIS and the other crises facing us...probably doomed to failure, but a worthy goal...
AIR CONTROLLERS TO ALERT PUBLIC TO JOB DISPUTE Christopher Lee, washingtonpost.com, Dec. 21, 2002 Off-duty federal air traffic controllers are set to pass out leaflets at 80 airports this weekend warning travelers that the Bush administration plans to contract out their jobs, a move the controllers say will compromise safety. This despite the fact that Federal Aviation Administrator Marion Blakey sent a letter to controllers Thursday assuring them that air traffic control duties "are not subject to competition and will not be contracted out." John S. Carr, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said the White House recently removed language from an executive order that declared air traffic control an "inherently governmental" function. The administration has touted its efforts to contract out as many as 425,000 jobs government wide. "I hope the [FAA] administrator speaks for the administration, because that would be a policy change," Carr said. He said if baggage screeners are on the federal payroll, "there is no way that the men and women who work the airplanes should not also be federal employees." AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS SEEK PUBLIC�S SUPPORT The Los Angeles Times; Dec 22, 2002 Air traffic controllers worried about losing their jobs to private companies sought support from travelers at 70 airports from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco. The publicity blitz ends today. The Federal Aviation Administration has assured controllers their jobs are safe. "The Bush administration has set the dominoes up for privatization," said Karl Keller, a controller at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Private companies run control towers at over 200 smaller airports; commercial airports use government controllers.
ORRIN G. HATCH, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-4402
The Honorable Marion Blakey Dear Administrator Blakey: I am contacting you on behalf of my constituents concerning the recent efforts by the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) to conduct an A/76 Outsourcing Feasibility Study for the Automated Flight Service Stations (AFSS). While I agree with the outsourcing initiatives being pushed by the federal government in an effort to save money, I am also very interested in ensuring that "inherently governmental" positions within the United States government not be outsourced, It is my understanding that the services performed by the AFSS are very supportive to the nations homeland defense initiatives and crucial to the flight safety of those in flight. The AFSS services of distributing national security Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and the important role of being the distribution source of aviation weather to those in flight underscore the importance of those who work for the AFSS. With these important duties in mind, I would like to encourage the FAA to be very careful in their analysis of whether the positions at the AFSS are inherently governmental or not. It is my belief that they are inherently governmental because of the nature of their duties outlined above. As you continue through the A-76 Outsourcing Feasibility Study for the AFSS, I respectfully request that you review all of the functions of the AFSS before deciding whether or not it would make a good candidate for outsourcing or not. I would be grateful if you would keep my Washington, D.C. office informed of your AFSS outsourcing efforts as you continue through the evaluation process. Sincerely,
Greg McGann, RDU AFSS
WE DO THREE TYPES OF JOBS HERE -- Sign in a Harley-Davidson repair shop. The sentiment expressed above illustrates perfectly the realities of capitalism. Good and cheap won�t be fast. Good and fast won�t be cheap. Cheap and fast won�t be good. It�s the age-old proverb usually expressed as "You can�t have your cake and eat it too." Unfortunately, the world is filled with people who expect to have and eat their cake, to have all their requests fulfilled good, fast and cheap, and in most cases they expect the government to provide it. When left to its own devices our capitalistic, free-market system is unparalleled at providing the goods and services that our society wants and needs. However, when we start interfering with the basic principles of the system the results are always negative. At its core, capitalism functions by exchanging the best efforts of people who are able to produce a product or provide a service for the money of those others willing and able to pay the price. The motive of those who produce is self-interest -- profit -- which has lately become synonymous with greed, yet it is only that profit which allows the individual or corporation to grow, to expand, to pay the salaries of its employees and pay dividends to its stockholders. Without profit there is no growth, no innovation, and no natural evolution of profits and services needed to cope with a rapidly changing world. Working for nothing but the good of others is a fine ideal, but one which will serve only a few. When the government meddles with this system it is usually with good intentions but poor results, because by its very nature government divorces income from output. Government derives its income from taxes, levied on all citizens, and without regard to the nature of the services they fund. Unlike a private corporation, which must strive to produce the best product or service at the lowest price in order to survive, government provided services survive by congressional whim regardless of their quality or price. This removes the incentive to innovate, to refine, and to improve the product or service that is crucial for a private entity. This does not mean that the service cannot be done well, but it usually reduces our choices to only one. In other words, the service might be good, but it won�t be fast or cheap. It may be cheap to the user, but not to the taxpayers as a whole. Even when government tries to provide a product or service funded by user fees it is usually found that the overhead of a cumbersome bureaucracy adds so much to the cost that they must set the price below their cost in order for people to buy or use it at all, which results in huge subsidies just to keep it solvent. Subsidies separate the income from the service, and once again service declines. Why strive to make something the best if all failures are compensated for by government handout? The result of this is Amtrak. The Air Traffic Control System is an example of a service provided by government that is paid for out of general funds without any user fees on the grounds that it benefits our economy as a whole. It is cumbersome, inefficient, slow to change or to react to change, and also very safe. It is the best system in the world, which doesn�t mean that there is no room for improvement, but we must be careful what we do to "improve" the system. Government can provide a quality service precisely because the funding is independent of the service. It is good and cheap (for the user) but not fast. It can be a good service precisely because the government doesn�t care about the cost. Why should they when the revenue stream is guaranteed? Their interest is in increasing their budget as much as possible, not in order to earn a profit but to grow the size of the business. Bureaucrats thrive on the size and power of their budget. Yes, there is an incredible amount of waste, but a lot of good things come from that as well. Could a private company do better? Undoubtedly, if allowed to resort to user fees, establishing the vital link between price and service. An independent Air Traffic Control System would certainly be good and fast, but not cheap because the cost would be borne by the customer, who would then be in a position to demand good, fast service. The worst scenario is a private corporation funded by a government contract. Rather than bringing out the best in these systems it brings out the worst. It doesn�t add the benefits of each system together, it subtracts one from the other. A private entity is driven by profit, but when its income is guaranteed there is no incentive to provide a quality product or service. The goal is to maximize profit, but instead of doing so by improving the product or service it can be done in just the opposite manner. The contractor seeks to provide the cheapest equipment, the minimum level of quality and the fewest services allowed under the contract. The contractor who makes the most profit is the one who manages to provide no services at all. There are several private vendors providing aviation weather services, all competing with one another to provide the best possible product at the lowest possible price. They are striving to fulfill all three options -- good, fast and cheap. There is also a government-funded contract vendor -- DUATS -- that provides the same kind of services but at a much lower quality. The DUATS vendors are paid by the government regardless of the level or quality of service they provide, but the end product is provided free to the user. That the private weather providers can compete at all with a free service illustrates the reality that people are willing to pay for a quality product. The A76 study being conducted for the Flight Service option will result in those services being contracted out to the lowest bidder. During the life of the contract the quality of service provided will be the minimum the contractor believes he can get away with in order to minimize costs and maximize profits. Worse, once a contract is awarded it becomes very difficult to change vendors, giving the vendor even more leverage over the quality of their service. Here is a perfect example. There have been numerous outages in the Volpe/CNS connection from which the GPS RAIM NOTAM information is obtained. This has led to GPS RAIM information not being available to the AFSS controller while conducting pilot weather briefing duties. The maintenance contract between Volpe and the FAA has expired, there is currently no funding source to reactivate the contract, and until that time GPS RAIM information will not be available. This information can be critical to flight safety, yet it is no longer available because the contract has expired. Do we really want to create a situation where Flight Service functions may not be available because of contract problems? The official position of AOPA on the A76 study is that they are not going to prejudge the issue. This is analogous to saying you are not going to prejudge an execution. Once it�s done it�s too late. They also do not see a problem with a government-contracted service, laboring under the illusion that a government-funded contractor can provide a service that is good, fast and cheap. When the contract price has been fixed, what incentive is there for the contractor to invest in state of the art equipment or upgrade their systems during the life of the contract? It is simply a fact of life that when you separate the income from the product that the quality goes down. There is no question that the Flight Service system needs to be overhauled. There are three options, but only two of those are viable. You can have good, fast service from a private corporation, paid for by the customer through user fees, that is not cheap. You can also have good, cheap service provided by a government run system that is better than what we have now, but still not fast in responding to new technologies. The only other choice is a government funded contract system that is cheap, but neither good nor fast. This is the reality of A76. Good, fast, and cheap. Pick one.
NBAA.org, Dec 15, 2002 NBAA will conduct its next Business Aviation Forum & Static Display on Thursday, March 27, 2003 at Long Beach Airport in Long Beach, CA. The Forum will utilize AirFlite�s FBO, hangar and ramp facilities for the event. In addition to a static display of aircraft and dozens of exhibits, this day-long event will feature several seminars and briefings for NBAA Members. Our latest Business Aviation Forum, held November 14 in Fort Worth, TX, had more than 1,500 attendees, 27 aircraft on static display and 53 indoor exhibitor stations. For information about attending, exhibiting at, or sponsoring this event, contact NBAA�s Benjamin Jones at [email protected] or Joe Ponte at [email protected].
Will be held
This is the text of a memo sent from Armando Garcia, Meteorologist in Charge at the FAA Academy to Darrell Mounts, Northwest-Mountain Regional Director. In response to your request, I am providing the following information which identifies the Flight Service Station (FSS) Controller�s qualification requirements for Pilot Weather Briefing Certification. All FAA pilot weather briefer (PWB) candidates are certified by the FAA Academy Meteorologist In Charge. Students are required to take an intensive 51-day residence course where they are taught aviation weather in three major blocks: weather analysis, satellite interpretation, and radar interpretation. The students are required to pass written examinations in all three areas. The developmental students then participate in additional training at the field facility assigned, and are administered an oral examination sometime within 4-6 months after leaving the Academy. The oral examination is extremely stressful, since it must ensure that the controller can gather all pertinent weather data and present it to the pilot in a logical, concise, and easily understood manner. The briefing provided during the examination must clearly state the present and forecast weather conditions, and must cover all available weather information which meets the pilots specified needs. It is critical that Controllers alert the pilot/evaluator of any adverse weather conditions which may hinder the pilot�s safety of flight. Developmental employees who successfully pass all written examinations, and the oral examination, receive a Certificate of Authority to perform official pilot weather briefings. Weather instruction for pilot weather briefing is extremely important for the FSS PWB Controller positions. Aviation safety certainly depends on a controller�s knowledge of weather and its impact on flight. Possessing a Certificate of Authority to perform pilot weather briefings is indeed a great accomplishment. The National Weather Service has recently terminated all of its pilot weather briefing duties -- main reason being that the agency meteorologists were unable to maintain proficiency in providing a pilot weather briefing, and realized that safety would be compromised if their meteorologists did not provide well scripted and complete briefings. While NWS meteorologists are masters in meteorology, it is the FAA FSS Controllers who are now masters of providing a PWB that can be used for safe flight. The level of weather instruction provided to FSS Controllers continues to change on a daily basis as new technologies are now able to provide specialists with improved tools for accomplishing their jobs. The instructors at the FAA Academy modify lesson plans continuously in order to provide the specialists with the latest meteorological concepts that may have an impact on aviation. In comparison, the instruction provided at the Academy to other options (Tower and Center) is extremely limited. The NWS provides only five days of weather training to Tower and Center personnel, which affords them with minimal knowledge to decipher information from weather reports, and only cursory knowledge of what some of the weather graphics represent. A Tower or Center Controller would definitely be at a loss in attempting to provide our office with a pilot weather briefing. Finally, the new guidance that the NWS has written on the pilot weather briefer program can be found in NWS Instruction 10-809. It is in the process of being signed at the National Weather Service Headquarters level this week or next, and will be distributed to all FSS locations during the next few months. Note that the performance standards have not changed, but are certainly representative of the level of knowledge that a FSS Controller must possess in order to guarantee the safety of pilots which they brief. The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the authors and in no way reflects the position of the Union or its elected or appointed officials or liaisons. I Don�t Want to Say "I Told You So." Stuart Macofsky, HHR AFSS, As stated in the NAATS Yahoo Discussion Forum I�ve been monitoring this forum from the sidelines and believe that most of the participants are doing whatever they can to help us keep our jobs. However, I think that some personnel are not taking seriously the A-76 study, and the possible/probable contracting out of our services. There is an urgency to act for all persons affected by this process - FPLs (dues-paying or not), staff, supervisors, even managers interested in keeping their jobs (you can count on there NOT being 122+ upper level management jobs offered by the contractor or the FAA to oversee the program). I am concerned about what seems to be a sense of complacency on the part of several co-workers and managers. The idea that 12-18 months is a "lot of time" and that "things will probably change" is the rhetoric of those who will bury their heads in the sand until it all goes away. "There is no way that the FAA will allow our vital services to be contracted out," is another fallacy. The FAA is the same organization that bought into
It is time for all of us to let our coworkers know that their future with Flight Service, and maybe with the FAA, is on the line. This will not just "go away." We need to organize, advertise. Tell all those that do not subscribe to this forum (or can�t because of their non-dues-paying status) that this is "crunch time." I hope that AOPA and Phil Boyer do not get a contract. I don�t want to have to tell him, "I told you so."
VFR NOT RECOMMENDED Eli Morrissy, Editor Several people on the NAATS Yahoo site recently quoted a study done by Douglas Pearson, a National Weather Service employee working at Atlanta Center�s Weather Service Unit. The study, entitled "VFR Not Recommended is based on NTSB statistics on fatal aircraft accidents from 1995 to 2000. Also in this study I found that according to National Aviation Weather Initiatives, published in 1999 by the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology, "weather is cited as a factor in 23 percent of all aviation accidents. Annually this costs the country and estimated $3 billion for accident damage, related injuries and delays." In his exploration of causal factors for weather-related aircraft fatalities, Mr. Pearson examined culpability on the part of NWS, ATC and FSS personnel during the period. He found of 697 weather-related fatal accidents, NTSB cited NWS as a contributing factor in 2 cases, ATC in 9 and FSS as "a contributing factor in only five of the fatal accidents." In light of these figures and when you consider that the NWS not longer briefs pilots and ATC only relays weather information it�s difficult to understand why are the FAA and DOT so intent on dismantling the current Flight Service system. The numbers show that assistance from experienced, well-trained weather and air traffic control professionals saves lives and money. Part of the A-76 criteria says that a function that is critical to the safety of lives and property makes it "inherently governmental." Perhaps the FAA unaware of this study, though I found it on the FAA�s official website. Perhaps Administrator Blakey� and Secretary Mineta�s staffers haven�t had time to look at it yet. Seeing this study raises the question in my mind whether or not the FAA has yet done any risk analysis on increased weather-related aircraft accidents in the wake of their planned privatization of Flight Service. In the absence of free pilot weather briefings, pilots of all skill levels will increasingly rely on self-briefing services like DUATS. Without Flight Service Controllers to interpret weather and provide insight into rapidly changing weather situations, it�s not unreasonable to expect a significant increase in weather-related accidents and fatalities. In whatever case, I highly recommend all those interested in preserving Flight Service as "an inherently governmental function" visit: http://www1.faa.gov/avr/afs/news/archive/Jan_Feb2003/VFR.htm to review this important study for useful data to include in their congressional contacts to better inform our elected representatives of the significant contributions Flight Service makes to the safety of the National Airspace System. Wednesday, December 11, 2002 By Mike Causey, FEDweek Senior Editor President Bush probably could have saved himself (and Congress) some time, and won friends in the civil service if he had okayed a 4.1 percent raise for feds. Congress will probably do it in January. But his effort to limit feds to "only" 3.1 percent isn�t going to cause the average American voter (who doesn't work for the government) to march on Washington. This has been a rough couple of years for many people who are worrying more about getting, or keeping, a job than about pay raises. Regardless of whose "fault" the recession is -- Clinton, Bush, Reagan, oil prices, El Nino -- the fact is that times are relatively tough for some people and very tough for others. A Washington newspaper columnist last week chided President Bush for sending the wrong message to feds--by giving them only 3.1 percent. Ironically his newspaper -- after a long bitter dispute with its editorial labor union -- granted workers a much less generous package. The newspaper employees, whose average salary is less than the average white collar feds, will get a 3 percent adjustment spread over three years. The first "raise" this year really isn�t a raise. It�s a flat payment (of around $1,300 before taxes) that won't be applied to base pay, retirement, etc. United Airlines union employees have agreed to pay cuts -- of from 6 to 10 percent -- to stay in business. Many other firms are either laying off employees, seeking or imposing wage give backs, or both. Many are dropping (or reducing) health insurance coverage for workers. They�ve already dropped it for retirees. Do feds deserve more than 3.1 percent? Probably. Will they get the full amount? Possibly. But for public relations purposes be careful which neighbors and relatives you complain to. They might not understand! Mike Causey is FEDweek's Senior Editor and columnist. He is also a Senior Correspondent with WTOP Radio/Federal News Radio He is most well-known from his more than 20 years as the "Federal Diary" columnist with The Washington Post. Brought to you by FedWeek.com Another Civil Service Reform Push Ahead With Republicans set to be in control of both houses of Congress and the White House next year, a renewed push is planned for certain civil service reforms that fell by the wayside in the 2001-2002 Congress. While advocates of reform, led by Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, managed to get certain provisions into law-in particular, buyout and early retirement authority and certain hiring and training reforms-several provisions they had been seeking were dropped in order to gain passage in the 2002 climate. But with Republican control of the Senate, and with expected new leadership in the House Government Reform Committee that likely will focus more heavily on civil service matters, Capitol Hill aides say it might be possible to revive some of those provisions. That might include, for example, expanded authority for agencies to conduct "demonstration project" tests of alternative personnel systems. That could pave the way for entire agencies to break out of standard civil service rules in hiring, performance evaluation, pay-setting and other areas. Other Provisions Also Might Resurface Other civil service reform proposals that also might resurface in the new Congress include: greater authority to designate positions as "critical" and meriting higher salaries; widened authority to pay recruitment, relocation and retention bonuses; requiring agencies to put greater emphasis on employee training; improving leave benefits for those joining the government in mid-career; and correcting provisions in current law that discourage employees later in their careers from switching to part-time work as a way of phasing into retirement. New FEGLI Rates Reminder Effective January 1, some new premiums and new age bands will apply in the Federal Employees� Group Life Insurance program, bringing decreases in some cases and increases in others. The premium for Basic insurance-which provides coverage equal to salary rounded up to the next $1,000 plus $2,000 -- is dropping from 15.5 cents per biweekly pay period per $1,000 of coverage to 15�. Also, some premiums will decrease for Option B insurance, which provides coverage of up to five multiples of salary, starting with the age bands applying to those 45 and older. Those age 45-49 will pay 9� biweekly per $1,000 of coverage rather than 10�, those age 50-54 will pay 14 cents rather than 15, and those age 55-59 will pay 28� rather than 31. There will be no change in Option A insurance, which provides $10,000 of additional coverage. Greater Accountability Planned in Contracting-Out One element of the Bush administration�s recently announced planned revisions in Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76, the guidance on converting federal jobs to contractor performance, is increased agency accountability, including stricter oversight by senior officials. In certain cases if an agency misses a deadline its bid could be disqualified or the work could be converted directly to contract. Also, if the public sector operation wins the competition it will be held to what will effectively be a contract, which generally will be good for up to five years with options for the contracting officer to extend it, but only if performance goals are met. Numeric Goals Downplayed OMB officials say the starting point for deliberations on contracting out is the annual inventory of commercial-type jobs that shows some 850,000 such jobs in the federal workplace. The Bush administration earlier set a goal of having 15 percent of such jobs government-wide either formally studied or directly converted to contract by the end of the current fiscal year, September 30, 2003. The administration�s long-term goal remains to either study or directly convert half of those jobs, although there is no deadline for reaching that goal. Officials have indicated that no further interim goals likely are to be set. However, compliance with the larger goal is one of the categories on which agencies are assessed for progress in the administration�s management agenda, providing pressure to reach that goal. ALASKA REGION
CENTRAL REGION
EASTERN REGION
GREAT LAKES REGION
NEW ENGLAND REGION Kurt Comisky, Director & Tom Halligan, Coordinator December 22, 2002 Arbitrations The arbitrator has not made a ruling on the "highest previous rate" grievance. The highest previous rate is a concept in the setting of an individual�s initial grade and step upon entry into the Flight Service option. The concept provides that an individual�s grade and step be set at the highest previous rate received in federal employment prior to entry into the Flight Service option. Three individuals were identified in New England that this concept should have been applied. An agreement was reached on two of the individuals, which their grade and step was recalculated and back pay given. An agreement could not be reached on the third individual, the subject of this arbitration. The ruling is expected in early January. The next arbitration is the "nighttime differential" grievance. This grievance is similar to the Sunday pay grievance several years back. An individual is entitled to received nighttime differential for those hours scheduled, whether in duty or in non-duty status. As a result of personnel reform, the agency wanted to change this to pay nighttime differential to only those hours in duty status. In 1996 the agency completed negotiations with NATCA, an agreement was reached and an MOU was signed. In 1996 the agency began negotiations with NAATS, however agency never completed the negotiations, there is still no agreement to date. In 1996 the agency stopped the practice of paying nighttime differential to those scheduled hours in non-duty status and a PRIB was issued. The basis of the grievance is that the agency changed a personnel practice or policy without completing negotiations as required. The issue is fairly straightforward, however I suspect the agency will raise an issue of timeliness. On the issue of timeliness, there is precedent. Arbitrators have ruled that grievances were found to be timely even when there is considerable time between the change in the personnel practice and the time the Union became aware of the change. This is a bar that must be met. In January I will begin discussions and plan the arbitration with the Region. Call Forwarding MOU By the time this article is published, there should be a new Call Forwarding MOU for New England. For the past several years, there was an effort to forward some of the traffic from BDR in an attempt to balance the workload within New England Region. Although the MOU worked fairly well for the task of balancing the workload, there was a disconnect between the Call Forwarding effort and the distribution of staffing within the region. Art Kenne [who since left as BDR OM to a staff position in Eastern Region] drafted a new MOU. The new MOU takes the concept of balancing the workload and provides for a smoother adjustment in traffic in relationship to staffing. The new MOU presents the concept that the traffic will follow the staffing. That is traffic will be allocated to each facility based on qualified controllers on board, which will be automatically adjusted monthly. In theory, we have made the transition from viewing ourselves as several individual units to view ourselves as one unit and distributing the workload to each based on the current staffing levels. This is a pragmatic approach from both the Union and the Region�s perspective. It must be understood that staffing in New England has been at a critical point for many years. I suspect we are the most short staffed region, pro-rated. At the National level we must fight to improve our staffing, however at the regional level we must work with what we have. Because traffic is now viewed as a single unit within the region and the traffic will follow the current staffing at the facility, the target staffing level for each facility is flexible. In concept, this flexibility in setting the staffing level is profoundly different than how we previously addressed the staffing levels. This flexibility will provide a greater ability to meet the needs of both the customer and the controller. This flexibility will enable management to maximize efficiency and will enable the controllers to develop a watch schedule that most meets their personal needs. The target staffing for both BTV and BGR is 34 and the balance of the regional allocation to BDR. Comments on A-76 To close, a few comments on A-76. The beginning of the New Year gives us an opportunity to reflect and look forward to the New Year. I recall attending an A-76 briefing in DC with the Grant Thornton and agency folks. We told them about the considerable anxiety in the field. We spoke about how the contract and pay fiasco weighted heavily on the minds of the controllers, now add to that the study to contract out their jobs, the pressure was mounting. We stressed the need to keep the controllers in the field informed, there must be an effective communication effort. Well, the agency�s communication of the A-76 developments has been abysmal at best. Basically the agency went on a countrywide jaunt, at taxpayer�s expense, to personally tell the regions how the agency was going to contract out the controllers in the field, unconcerned if any controllers were actually present. To date, the agency has made no attempt to speak directly to the controllers they intend to eliminate. I also recall a meeting with Jack Nimmo, the facility manager assigned to the "communications team", in which his plan was to keep the facility managers informed and the facility managers will in turn keep the employees informed. It has been my experience that most facility managers are self-serving and show little concern for the well being of those in their charge. Since then, no manager had any meeting with his or her employees concerning A-76. I am still waiting the for the facility manager to take any action to inform the employees, to address their concerns, to address their anxiety, to answer any of their questions. Jack did not prove me wrong. [NAATS News, September 2002] I
find the agency�s callous disregard for the AFSS controllers rather
unconscionable and bordering on cruel. NORTHWEST MOUNTAIN REGION DENVER AFSS LOCAL NEWS John Dibble, FacRep Greetings from the Mile High City! Anybody wanna move to Denver? If so, don�t read the next section! The Continuing Saga: Working Issues with Management Can somebody tell me what Article 20-02 says? It seems management here at Denver AFSS has a different contract from mine. There seems to be a few extra words in their edition. Where it says, "Sick leave shall be approved for an employee who is incapacitated for the performance of his/her duties", the manager�s copy adds the phrase "unless they don�t have any saved up". Makes a BIG difference to the meaning. What management here says is: "If you don�t have any saved up, then you have to ask for some other form of leave, if we �have the numbers�, we will approve it. If we don�t have the numbers, we�ll give you AWOL if you don�t come in!" Oh, they do add "you can bring in a medical certificate to prove you were sick and we�ll approve some other form of leave". (Sounds like a violation of 20-04 there) If anyone else has run up against this, would appreciate some guidance. I�ve already filed the grievances and moving them up the pipeline. Public Relations "Great job" to all the folks who picketed across the country. I was out, with one other member, at Denver International Airport the day before Thanksgiving with 6 or 7 PASS members. A Passing Thought On the other hand..... You�ve got different fingers. Aviation Safety is
Our Business & Our Business is NOT For Sale SOUTHERN REGION Dave Hoover, Director & Tommy Forte, Coordinator
Happy New Year Everyone! We trust the holidays were kind to each of you and
that you had a wonderful time celebrating them with family and friends.
Despite all that is going on in our world of Flight Service, family and
friends are the most important influences in our lives. Please take the time
to show how much you care. We wanted to start the year by saying thank you to the members who continue to support the NAATS with their dues, their time and their energy. Without your support, we could not possibly fight the battles. We have tried to enlist and include more members in the business of our Union. The Southern Region has been well represented both regionally and nationally. Thank you to the following members who have served and volunteered their services during the past year: ANB: Mark A. Gibson; Timothy J. Hutchins; James A. Reppin; David E. Williams AND: Tom Brister: Dennis Carmen; Kevin R. Larkin;Paul B. McDonnell; Joe S. Standridge; Timothy W.Hutcherson BNA: Jeffrey C. Barnes; Robert M. Bermudez; John Derek Buchanan; Carroll J. Carter; Kenneth E. Fix; David L. Parks; Micheal R. Ramsey GNV: John D. Bussey; Larry Douglas DuPre; Michael Harris; Pedro Munoz-Morillo; Lars M. Nielson, Jr.; Robert L. Reynolds GWO: Ada M. Eldredge; Charles E. Holland; Jeffery T. Smith; Matthew O. Yeisley LOU: Francine J. Cannon; Ollie D. White MCN: LeeAnna Gail Frank; Bart S. Gray; Lisa M. Haddow (Bradford); Karey D. Hall; Christopher Thomas Henne; William L. Howard; Scott A. Malon; George S. Weldon MIA: Timothy E. De Grazio; Tommy D. Forte; Terry W. Frederick; Stephen L. Jones; Tammy Marie Martin; Albert Charles Osborn; Marlene M. Pelaez; Carol G. Raiford; Mark A.K. Singh MKL: Debra A. Anderson; Gregory M. Mitchell; Richard S. Pollok PIE: Richard C. Anderson; Margaret A. Hamilton; Marc R. Lowther; Susan E. Rhodes; John Wesselhoft; Wanda L. Wright RDU: Barbara Ann Brown; David W. Lombard; Gregory D. McGann; Lydia E. Rijos SJU: Jose M. Melon; Major A. Miller ZJX: Harold C. Rogers ZTL: Ivy N. Solomon News from Around the Region Greenwood AFSS GWO now has 16 FPL�s and one developmental on board for a total of 17 bargaining unit members. Out of these, 13 are union members. Kim Burton was fully checked out in November; and Joe Goninan is training on his last position. Both are NAATS members; Joe is the most recent to join NAATS. We expect to pick up one FPL from STL in the next month. That will help beef our watch schedule back up. We recently lost one member to RDU AFSS; another to DEN AFSS; and one FPL to the TSA. That hurt our schedule. All is pretty quiet here at GWO. We finished our 2003 watch schedule in September; and just finished bidding our Prime Time Leave for 2003. We are still using FSS time as seniority at GWO. NAATS/Management at GWO continue to work out any problems at the lowest levels through mutual agreement. No major problems exist here. Life in the Delta is good (albeit a little slow). Jeff Smith, GWO FacRep Miami AIFSS A few people from Miami AIFSS recently joined with some of the local PASS members on the "picket lines" at Miami International Airport in support of their union brothers and sisters. Regional Director Dave Hoover met the Regional and National PASS Representatives the night before and engaged in some valuable networking with them. Tim DeGrazio, our NOTAM Representative in Washington came home for the holidays and along with his wife Debbie, hosted their annual Christmas Party. Everyone had a wonderful time, and most of the attendees even showed up for work the next day! Miami�s Union Membership has been steadily growing again over the past few months and we now have 52 members out of 63 total bargaining unit members. As we keep saying, these union members are the ones whose dues are paying for the fight to keep our jobs and we�re proud to represent each and every one of them. They�re the ones we know we can rely on. Steve Jones, MIA AIFSS San Juan AIFSS At San Juan, the staffing situation becomes critical as one of our members, Major Miller will be retiring in 2003. Major has served as our Hub Representative for many years and is our most senior member. He�s been the anchor at San Juan for many years and will be missed dearly. San Juan needs more people. So if anyone out there desires great weather year round, this is the place to be. Anyone interested will have an excellent benefit like free schooling at any Military base from Pre-k to High school and Home Leave. Home Leave is an administration time-off that you receive once your beginning 2-3 year term has been completed at San Juan. You will be entitled to "Free Round Trip Tickets" for you and your family to your home of residence and can be taken every 2 years. You may even add some of your annual leave towards your home leave to expand your time at home. More details on Home Leave, Local Schools, and duty in San Juan is available by contacting San Juan AIFSS at 787-253-8719 or you can e-mail me at [email protected]. Joe
Melon, TJSJ AIFSS SOUTHWEST REGION Mark Jaffe, Director & Dana Colquitt, Coordinator I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. Now it�s time to get back to work on the issues that are affecting our union. REGIONAL NEWS First, some regional news. Martha Grimsley, DRI AFSS, should be approved by the time this is published, as national rep for the Runway Incursion Team. Dana Colquitt, CXO AFSS, is the national rep for the Drug & Alcohol Team. Sal Mugica, FTW AFSS, will be one of four NAATS members testing the NSTS system. Linda Sterling, JBR AFSS, is our national rep for the FTI team. Oscar Hinajosa, SJT AFSS, will be on the SUA/ISE human Factors team. Thanks to all these people for donating their time and energy for NAATS. I am trying to develop an e-mail roster of regional members. If you would like to be included, send me a message at [email protected] and let me know. PAY Pay is still a top issue and we will hopefully hear from the FAA in the very near future. They are still claiming that they do not have a pay policy for unions solidified internally. In other words, they can�t agree on what they want to offer us. With their history and all the other things impacting our bargaining unit, it�s hard to be optimistic about anything that pertains to work right now but just hang in there. I�m sure you have all seen the letter that Mr. Young sent Ms. Blakey. This can�t hurt our effort and will hopefully have some impact on FAA management. We will know more after our next meeting on pay. We have 2 ULPs filed on the work rules. An Unfair Labor Practice complaint normally takes several months to run its course, so we may not know anything until late in the spring. I am hopeful that Ms. Blakey will be embarrassed that her employees in H.R. refuse to honor a document that holds their signatures. So far, even though Ms. Blakey has apparently NOT been visible or active in running the FAA, she has not been dishonest in her dealings with NAATS. . This will be a test of Ms. Blakey�s honesty and integrity since she is ultimately responsible for all of the employees in the FAA. Right now, it reflects on her integrity and honesty that some of her employees will not honor their own agreements. What I�m trying to say is that Ms. Blakey has the option of doing the right thing and implementing the work rules that her employees have agreed to and signed. This is her first big test with our bargaining unit, how she responds will tell us a lot on how we will do business in the future. A-76 Now
the biggie -- A-76. If we don�t win this war the rest of the battles don�t
mean much. The most encouraging thing about our chances here are the people
that are fighting for the survival of our option. First and foremost is Kate
Breen, our A-76 rep. We couldn�t have a more dedicated, accomplished
professional in this position. She lives and dies with A-76, 24/7. But it
doesn�t stop there. Wally, the BOD, Regional Coordinators, FacReps, office
staff, everyone is pitching in and making a difference. Now let me tell you
the real reason that I believe we will win this war and how I came to that
conclusion. For more than a year, I have been hearing about the people that
make up the NAATS chat groups and have even joked with the people at FTW
about "Yahooligans." Well, now I are one. I joined the NAATS group in
December and started reading all the discussions that go on everyday. What I
have come to realize is that, although there are some crazy rumors
occasionally, this is where our strength lies. In our members and their
commitment. If you want to see a bunch of folks that will leave no stone
unturned to win this thing, check out this group. When I look at this many
bright people brainstorming 24 hours a day to solve a problem I think, "how
can we lose?" We have the FAA out-numbered, certainly out-smarted, and we
are not going to give up. We can�t afford to. I don�t know how we will
overcome A-76, maybe legislation, maybe the budget, or maybe the A-76
process will play out to it�s full life and it will conclude that we are
still the best option for Flight Service. What I do know is: if the FAA
wants to take away our jobs, they better bring a lunch, �cause it�s going to
be a long fight. WESTERN-PACIFIC REGION Mike Stafford, Director and Bob Stanco, Coordinator PAY I find it incredible that Ms. Blakey is saying that the FAA needs to time to formulate a pay negotiation "policy" for dealing with the FAA Unions. I understand that she is new in the job, but the FAA wasn�t created yesterday, and we have been at the "negotiation" table on pay for years. From my point of view, the FAA has been "bargaining" in bad faith for years, and their bad faith bargaining should have been addressed at the beginning. This is why we are where we are in our negotiations -- nowhere, in my opinion. We are now waiting around for Ms. Blakey to formulate her "policy", and/or react to Congressman Young�s latest letter. This is unacceptable; she should have had a ULP on her desk the day she took office. I intend to address this issue at the next BOD meeting, as I feel it has gone past any reasonable person�s tolerance level. A76 As Wally has told you, the MOU and the makeup of our A76 teams is now being formulated. The number of people we have on the MEO and PWS teams will be determined by the MOU. I know that there are a good number of people that have volunteered for this duty. You can still send in a resume to Wally, and be considered. It�s very important that we have some of the best and brightest from the field (not just RegDirs) on these teams. This is especially important for the PWS team, as this team will have to ensure they get every job element we do in the document as well as quantified. PICKETING We have had good results at SAN, RNO, and also HNL. My thanks to everyone involved in this picketing. I can�t emphasize enough the press and political results that picketing can achieve. This is something that your FacReps have to take the lead on. They have all received packages of suggested leaflets, signs and legal guidance from NAATS HQ. All that remains is to have signs made up at Kinkos (or do it yourself), get the proper permit from the Airport Authority, and get your people out. NATCA is just starting to picket and you may be able to join them and/or PASS. Wally has a national meeting scheduled with the other FAA Unions for some joint picketing and strategy. The sooner the better, in my opinion. One point to keep in mind -- ours are the jobs that are immediately on the line, so if you do joint picketing, make sure our message gets out. When that person with the microphone arrives, make sure you tell them who you are and who you represent. I believe we should have already had a day of National picketing -- but it�s not too late for that. Now that all the Unions are mobilizing, we could have a really large National turnout on a specific day which I am sure would garner National news attention. This is another discussion item for the next BOD meeting. LETTERS If you have not written your Congressman on the subject of A76, now is the time to get going. I know that a lot of you have written, but I also know that a lot have not. I have provided sample letters and talking points to all FacReps over the last 3 or 4 months, but if you missed it, you can get even more from Kate Breen, or me. I just emailed the latest list of Congressmen to your FacReps, so if you are uncertain who represents you -- just ask! Even if you have written a letter -- write again, fax, call, or email. Sometimes regular mail takes a long time in DC due to the anthrax inspections, so I would recommend faxing. From the Congressmen I have spoken with, this is better than email, as a lot of their email gets overlooked. CONTRACT As you probably know, we now have a ULP filed on the non-implementation of the work rules. This is a pretty sad state of affairs, and doesn�t say much for Ms. Blakey in my opinion. She certainly has the authority to tell her people to immediately implement the work rules that both sides have agreed to, but hasn�t. It appears the FAA is content to have the ULP run its course, so it�s anyone�s guess now on when we will start working under the new contract. More stalling, more stalling, more stalling. VOLUNTEERS Once again, we are seeking volunteers for short and long term details, please let me know if you are interested, and submit a resume to Wally. If you have submitted your name before, please send it to me again, as I am trying to keep my list current. There is a lot of work to go around if we are to keep our jobs, so don�t be shy about joining in the fray. SAN DIEGO AFSS NEWS Michael Puffer, SAN FacRep SAN AFSS Happenings The only thing that stays the same here is change. First of we would like to welcome 2 new members to the Union, Milagre Paulo and Scott Power. Milagre just finished training and Scott should be pretty close by the time this is printed. A warm welcome to Carolyn Stokely, and Elizabeth Vallerini, both new arrivals from the academy. Second, Hail and farewell to Dennis Floyd, he is officially medically retired. Good Luck Dennis. Fairwell to Eric Wilkins who is off to sail the seven seas. Good Luck in your future endeavors. And Good Luck to Tonia Calliouett with her move to RNO. I had the pleasure of representing the Union at the AOPA convention. All the Union members should be thanking Darrell Mounts for all the hard work he put in at AOPA, not to mention his dogged persistence at getting things like letters from the National Weather Service on how we are the only people certified to provide weather briefings. The Union needs more individuals like him (more to come on that later). We got the word out to the membership of AOPA that AOPA leadership isn�t really behind us. It did this controller well to hear pilots say "we love flight service; we don�t want you contracted out!" I also had the opportunity to meet Ms. Blakey. She took the time to listen to our concerns on pay and A76 issues and believe me, Darrell and I had a lot to say. She also commented on the ad in the USA Today. On the 22nd of November NAATS and PASS had a joint picket at SAN. We were on the 10 o�clock news and got some pretty good press out of it. Overall the public appeared supportive of our issues. Unfortunately we had only seven members come out in support and three of those were elected union officials. It is pretty sad when only a 1/3 of the union members show up. Only one person on their RDOs showed up. This leads me to my next topic. Solidarity
Apathy: 1.) lack of feeling or emotion: IMPASSIVENESS. 2.) lack of
indifference or concern: INDIFFERENCE. Now lest you think I am aiming my comments to the BUE only, I am not. I think we need to change the mindset of our leadership. As a guy with 20 years to go until retirement, I am tired of hearing "we can�t do that, or we tried that once and it didn�t work." I understand there is a time for being politically savvy and trying to maintain a warm relationship with the FAA. But that time has long since gone!!! The FAA continues to treat us with no respect, because leadership has let them. How many times are we going to slapped in the face before we stand up and say, " No More!" We need to stop acting like the FAA has all the power and realize that we have power too. I took Karass training on negotiating, along with members of the BOD; it is useful to use emotion once in a while. The FAA does not respect us, and sees us as a pushover, and is not bargaining with us. We shouldn�t have to wait 4 months to see the new administrator, or enact agreed upon work rules; you can bet NATCA wouldn�t wait. NATCA receives 25,000 dollar paid moves and Controller Incentive Pay which ranges anywhere from 4-10%. Why does NATCA have it? Because they wouldn�t take no for an answer! Demand an MOU on CIP pay, get an MOU on paid moves, or an MOU on something other than equipment. We don�t even have a MOU on hardship moves. I know we are not as big as NATCA, but why should we expect any less? The time has come for our leadership to ignite a fire within and demand respect from the FAA. Do not take "NO" for an answer! If the FAA doesn�t come to us with a pay proposal, file a ULP. Better yet let�s not wait for them to come to us with a pay offer, let�s tell them what we want and let them respond. If we can�t get ahead being nice, then let�s change the rules on how NAATS will play the game. When the FAA comes out with staffing and hiring numbers and doesn�t sit down at the bargaining table prior to releasing them to the field, file a ULP. If they choose to not act or play by the rules, then we will bury them in paperwork and force them to act IAW the rules, regulations and past settlements. The other thing that concerns me is NATCA had a press release out saying all air traffic was a commercial activity a day after Wally had his meeting with Ms. Blakey, and there was no mention of it in his update he put out the next day. There is no reason we shouldn�t have had a NATIONAL day of picketing the day before Thanksgiving. It was proposed over 3 months prior. Isolated events are not going to ever gain national exposure, but national events will. That again is a leadership issue, when I read on Discussion groups that the National leaders of our Union won�t join the picket because they are going on leave it upsets me, especially since I used 6+30 AL to be out picketing, plus gave up my own additional time. Not At Their Best I have heard that at BOD meetings, a few members of the Board are not "at their best" in the mornings, and one has had to even lie down, or miss part of a meeting because of partying hard the night before. This is unacceptable. There is a time to work and a time to play. If you or using our dues money to hold BOD meetings then the least we can expect from each and every member of the board is to be able to function, and participate in the meetings. I don�t think that is asking too much especially at a critical time like this in Flight Service. So you all think I don�t rely on hearsay alone, the board had to pass a policy that stated if a RegDir left before close of business on the last day of the quarterly the Union would not pick up his or her room from the night before. Maybe they should have included a measure on if you are not able to function you will not be reimbursed by the Union for your hotel. There is a time to party and a time to work, board meetings fall under the latter. I have also been to training paid for by the Union where people have come into the meeting with a Bloody Mary in hand and totally unprepared for day�s training. I know we are in the fight for our lives but there are issues besides the A-76 that face this Union as well; we have 9 regional directors and 9 coordinators, and a president. When the A-76 issue first came up, the thinking was we would finish pay and then concentrate on the A-76, but we should have been delegating responsibilities. Five Regional directors and President on pay and work rules and the remaining directors on the A76. No one expects Wally to be able to do everything by himself, which is why delegation is part of being a leader. I was merely suggesting that everyone take a deep look at themselves and if you hold a leadership position i.e. FacRep, Pres., RegDir, or RegCo position and you think we are doing the absolute best we can right now, or if you are not able to find a fire, or don�t think you have the fight left in you, then I ask you to please step down. NAATS is in the fight of its life and the last thing we need is someone giving less than 110%. Don�t Give Up So Quick In closing I belong to a Yahoo NAATS group for due paying members, I am already hearing lets start negotiating severance packages, etc. Let�s not be so quick to throw in the towel, but instead let�s use past events to give us inspiration to continue the fight. One can look back to the Revolutionary War to be inspired. The fact that a colony took on the largest "super power" of the time is inspiration enough. But I want to look at one individual in the war: John Paul Jones. John Paul Jones was the captain of the Bonhomme Richard, his ship was under attack by the British frigate Serapis, and it was on fire and sinking. The British asked him to surrender, to which he replied, "I have not yet begun to fight!" Three hours later he was victorious and the British surrendered to him. Make no mistake our ship is on fire, but we have the means to save it, if everyone joins in the battle, and fights for our existence. HAWTHORNE AFSS NEWS Scott Morrissy, FacRep WELCOME Our newest "Hawthorner," Melanie Liden arrives on January 16th. She�s who was originally hired into Oakland AFSS from Los Alamitos Base Ops. With Melanie�s arrival, that will bring our total of 6 former SLI employees up to 6. We really are becoming Los Al North! But that�s okay, they�re good people and we look forward having Melanie as a co-worker. LOG JAM AT INFLIGHT Now that Victor Morales (VM) has checked out in Broadcast, things are starting to get a bit crowded around the Inflight console. We now have Kevin Bender (KB), Frank Cortes (FC), and Victor all vying for training time. HARD AT WORK Our other developmental, Alicia Davila (AD), is hard at work learning the ropes on Preflight. She�s been getting a range of weather conditions to brief and is making good progress. PICK UP DATE MOVED UP Lori Collins� (LC) pickup date for the Command Center�s Weather Unit has been moved up to February 9th. The people who bought Lori�s house were so eager to move in they didn�t want to wait until March! Kudos to ATM Mike Lammes for working out the accelerated pick up date. CONGRESSIONAL LETTERS Eli and I have put letters together to educate our Representatives and Senators on what Flight Service does and why the A-76 must be stopped. The plan is to Fax it to their Washington D.C. offices and mail, or (even better) hand deliver it to their local offices. We�re asking everyone who wants to send a letter to give your mailing address to either Eli or me, along with your Rep�s. name, if you know it. Don�t sweat it if you don�t -- we can use your zip code to look it up on the Congress.org website. NAATS News Editorial Policy Nothing that is inflammatory or scurrilous, libelous, attacks members by name or which contains words or phrases that are in poor taste and likely to be unnecessarily offensive, should be printed in the NAATS News or Regional Supplements. Individual(s) views expressed in the newsletter do not necessarily reflect the position of the Union. |
