NAATS HEADQUARTERS EMAIL UPDATE
Volume 3, #19
February 1, 2002
The joint letter, requesting a recommendation to resolve the pay impasse from the FMCS Director, has been signed and mailed. A copy has been send to NAATS Webmaster John Dibble for posting.
Expect an update from NAATS NM Director Don McLennan regarding the progress on the pay rules/work rules negotiations this week. Our hope is to resolve these as soon as possible but care must be taken to address all of our concerns. This may take a few meetings.
As I�ve indicated before, once the above group completes its work we will conduct the hearing. I�ve asked SO Regional Director Dave Hoover to join WP Regional Director Mike Stafford and Legal Counsel Arthur Fox in helping me with our presentation. Dave has agreed so our hearing team is now complete.
On Tuesday I met with Chairman Don Young and his staff. We discussed the FMCS recommendation request and the Chairman expressed his satisfaction that this is the right course. I advised him that we were committed and that I felt the Administrator would likewise implement any recommendation. I told him I would be back to see him, however, if there was a FAA hesitancy to do so. He responded that, if the FAA refused to implement this recommendation, he would legislate it this year. We agreed to stay in touch as we work through this process.
I also invited Chairman Young to speak at our national meeting in April. He advised that he would be delighted but Congress is in session that week. We agreed to talk more on this.
I met with AT-1 Bill Peacock on Monday.
There is no hiring freeze in FSS and we agreed to maintain current staffing until a pay agreement is reached.
The national recognition for your efforts since September 11 (time-off awards) has been authorized to the regions in the increments discussed earlier (0-20 hours, additional for exemplary service). This time is in addition to the previous award entitlements. The division managers and our Regional Directors will address any problems within regions and cross regional issues will be resolved nationally.
The FAM program resumption may slip past February 1. All carriers have signed on but the security order requires waivers for the jumpseat. This is being worked through legal but may not be accomplished by today. Air Traffic will keep me advised. No other problems were noted.
Last Friday I visited BNA AFSS and met with SO Regional Coordinator Tom Forte, FacRep Mike Ramsey and the membership. Many good questions were asked and discussed with a number of good suggestions. Later that evening I attended the retirement dinner for BNA Manager Richard Post, who by all accounts is one of the best air traffic managers around. I got to know him during work rule negotiations and soon realized that he was an extremely positive influence. I thoroughly enjoyed both experiences.
Workload permitting, I plan to attend the FacRep training scheduled February 26-28. Then I go to CXO March 13, FTW March 14 and PIE March 28. I�ll be in Alaska April 30, May 1-2 to meet with the members there. July 31 I�m at HHR and August 1 at SAN. I�m trying to visit as many facilities and talk to as many members as I have invitations. If you�re interested in a meeting please contact your Regional Director.
Following is an update from OASIS National Representative Jeff Barnes. As a result of the last BOD meeting you will be receiving bi-weekly reports from our liaisons, tech reps, Chief Negotiator and GA Summit Representative.
Wally Pike
01/31/02 - The latest round of testing is complete on the new OASIS software. The OASIS Human Factors Team spent three days testing the system using both formal test procedures and ad hoc tests done at the discretion of the team members. When we left the Tech Center 18 Program Trouble Reports (PTRs) had been written. Most of these were written on the new functionality that is present in this software. They will be analyzed and documented by the test organization at the Tech Center and presented for disposition. If it is determined that the problem is in the scope of what is on contract it will be taken on as a Harris PTR. Otherwise it will be brought to the Human Factors Team for determination of priority and disposition. The next round of testing is starting soon. Next week the NAS Operational Test and Evaluation (NOTE) will be done at the Tech Center. It consists of members of the original NOTE Team and an equal number of controllers and management from AND AFSS. They will be testing for four days. This will not only be another test opportunity, but it will give them all a chance to work together and get comfortable. This is important because at the end of February into early March the final test will happen at AND AFSS. The same team will be doing the testing there with a strong emphasis on simulating position operation rather than just testing specific bits of OASIS functionality. The goal is to see the big picture of how OASIS helps/hinders the controllers in their real world duties. I have second hand word that the training that has begun in AND AFSS is going well. It's very early in the process, but everyone is watching this training closely because it's much nearer to being the final product that will be taught at the rest of the facilities. This will also give us more information to make better decisions regarding the national training plan and the training cadre concept. I'm sure Donna Holmes will have more to say on that subject as it gets more well defined. I thank a lot of people here, and deservedly so. I want to thank someone not normally thanked in a union article. My ATM Richard Post recently retired. I want to thank him for keeping the reigns on me very loose, giving me the latitude to do my job as effectively as possible. He has to own a little piece of any success I have had as the OASIS Representative because of the trust he and by his example BNA has had in me to do my best here. The union lost a strong management advocate with his retirement.
Fraternally,
Jeff Barnes
National OASIS Representative