The second General Aviation Summit meeting was held the week of January 17. We clarified the previous recommendations from November and ensured that we still had consensus from all involved (user groups, NAATS, selected FAA managers). We then briefed the package to ATP-1 Jeff Griffith and asked for FAA commitment. He agreed to the extent that of his authority. The next step is for our group to meet again in May and formalize an action/implementation plan that will include costing and timelines. After that we will form a smaller monitoring group comprised of representatives from the various group to ensure implementation. All involved remain very enthusiastic about this process and its implications for the future of Flight Service.

This past week I was at the Helicopter Association International convention in Las Vegas with PRT Chairman Larry Burdick, WP Regional Coordinator Henry Oltman, SW Regional Coordinator Fred Manthey and CXO FacRep Dana Colquitt. It was a good opportunity to interact with our customers. I was interviewed by Avionics magazine regarding the GA Summit and we also networked with Aviation Week and Space Technology.

Every quarter WP Regional Director Ward Simpson and Henry Oltman meet with their FacReps to discuss pending issues. This quarter they were meeting in Las Vegas so I was invited to. I really enjoyed the discussion; I wish there were more chances to meet directly with our members and FacReps. Kudos to Ward and Henry for holding these meetings.

On Tuesday, January 18 EA Regional Coordinator Ron Maisel and I accompanied FAA Attorney Tony Herman on a tour of DCA AFSS. We felt it would be good for Mr. Herman to see what we do firsthand since he's been retained by the FAA to help negotiate compensation agreements with the unions. All agreed that the controllers at DCA did an outstanding job in conducting the tour and describing our job. Hopefully this will better help when we next sit down at the bargaining table in March.

Wally Pike

No. 32, February 11, 2000

We're using NM Regional Director Don McLennan's Compensation Bulletins as our primary communication to you on these negotiations. Please read Bulletin #14 for the latest details. We're providing all the information we can to keep you up to date and knowledgeable; we hope to make significant progress at our meeting the week of March 13.

Nothing new at this time on OASIS. The DOT budget indicates $23.1M for FY01. Administrator Garvey did tell Congress that it's one of five programs about which she's concerned.

As you will recall the General Aviation Summit made several recommendations that are significant for our option in the future. FAA headquarters middle management is now doing its best to avoid implementation of the staffing and equipments needs identified. I've discussed this with industry and I'm scheduling meetings with both ATP-1 Jeff Griffith and ATS-1 Steve Brown to move the process along. The next GA Summit meeting is the first week of May.

One of the areas I'm concerned about is training. I feel we're missing an opportunity with Personnel Reform issues because we haven't trained our people on their impact. Another area of opportunity is the CPP MOU. I think most are aware of the move aspects in that MOU but we've never taken full advantage of the bargaining because we haven't adequately trained everyone on what the MOU actually says. I want to schedule training on these subjects as soon as feasible, perhaps at our national meeting in November. We do have a basic/negotiations/grievance training class scheduled for April 29-May 1 which will be conducted by LR Director Mike Doring; more details on this will be in the NAATS News.

A reminder that SO Regional Director Craig Campbell is our representative on the national Model Work Environment workgroup. This workgroup is determining the implementation of MWE for our bargaining unit; this shouldn't be confused with the Human Resources Policy negotiations that Mike Doring is conducting. Any MWE impact to our unit will be determined by the MWE workgroup, not by the HR negotiations.

EA Region Director Ron Maisel is meeting with his FacReps the week of February 21 in ACY. Ron has asked me to address his group on February 23. I plan to be there and I look forward to the opportunity to exchange ideas. My compliments to Ron for scheduling the meeting.

Lastly, we sent pictures of our Office Manager Gretna Stefano and our temporary office help Terry Petlowany to John Dibble for posting on our website. I encourage you to check these pictures out and the website in general; John's doing a great job as our Webmaster.

Wally Pike

The compensation negotiations scheduled for next week have been postponed. The reason for the postponement is as follows:  

The NAATS negotiating team was prepared to submit our proposal (Union 2) to the management team next week. This proposal does not significantly differ from our Union 1 since we've not been persuaded to change it by management's arguments. After discussions this week with the management team leader it became apparent that they did not yet have a firm proposal regarding part timing and/or consolidation. This, in effect, precluded our reaching any agreement during next week. Neither party wants to waste an entire week just looking at each other across the table, so the only real alternative is to wait until they have a firm position on these matters and then enter meaningful discussions.  

The NAATS team is fully prepared and eager to enter into meaningful discussions at the earliest possible date. Nobody wants these negotiations completed more than we do and we're doing everything we can to move them along. We've been negotiating since August 1998 and the drain in time and resources is a major concern to me. We have to be prepared to stay the course, however. In the meantime please remember that we have ensured no bargaining unit member will lose any compensation during these negotiations and that any agreement will be retroactive to October 1999.  

I will be meeting with both AT-1 Ron Morgan and Deputy Administrator Monte Belger later this month and, among other matters, I'll re-emphasize to them our strong desire to reach a quick, fair agreement on pay. 

I will also be testifying at the congressional hearings later this month. Compensation, equipment (OASIS) and staffing will be our main topics. 

One of the items discussed at the Board meeting the week of February 28 was the newsletter. It was decided that printing hard copies and mailing them first class to the facilities is no longer cost effective. Instead we will put the newsletter on our web page where it can be downloaded and printed by the facilities for their distribution. Regional Coordinators will also receive the newsletter via email to ensure distribution. If all else fails and a facility cannot receive it any other way we will mail a hard copy.  

With the money we save using electronic distribution we will explore a professional quarterly bulletin, possibly to be mailed to each member. The goal is to improve communication at all levels. My thanks to Newsletter Editor Eli Morrissy and Web-Master John Dibble for their help in putting this proposal into effect.     

A summary of the Board meeting will be included in the next NAATS News.    

                     Wally Pike

We have agreed to meet with the management team for the two-week period beginning June 19. The only other option was a one-week meeting the middle of May. We opted to push for the June two-week meeting in order to allow time enough to wrap up the negotiations. The reason for the delay was in coordinating the management team schedules and in a cancellation fee issue at the hotel where they're staying. 

I've informed their team that we are approaching this meeting with the goal and expectation of finalizing the pay agreement. If, however, there are still areas of disagreement at the conclusion of this meeting then we will be able to address them in a much more efficient and timely manner. We agreed that Mike Doring and I should meet with their two lead negotiators to resolve any remaining issues. 

There is no single issue more important than these negotiations. The delay is a major concern that makes me all the more determined to drive for agreement in June. As I said in my update to you last week, I'll stress our desire for a prompt and fair agreement when I meet with AT-1 Ron Morgan and Deputy Administrator Monte Belger next week. I also have a message to talk with ATS-1 Steve Brown and I'll make the same point with him. 

NM Director Don McLennan will be posting Pay Bulletin #16 after our Board meeting in May; this will contain the details of our latest proposal for the June negotiation meeting. 

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me. 

                Wally Pike

As you will recall I sent Administrator Garvey a letter (posted on our web page) expressing our concern about being overlooked in the Spring 2000 Initiative. This is the collaborative effort between the FAA, airlines and others to reduce air travel delays due to severe weather. I've since been invited to participate and our first meeting was last Monday. The membership includes the Presidents of NATCA and PASS, the Administrator, Deputy Administrator, ATS-1, and ARA-1. During the meeting I proposed that we be given the necessary modernization equipment to utilize our expertise in adverse/severe weather in accordance with the industry recommendations. The group plan for achieving broader reform of the air traffic control system is due back to the President in 45 days. We next meet on Monday, March 27.

I've talked a number of times with ATS-1 Steve Brown and we concur that agreement should be reached with the management negotiating team during our June meetings. We also agree that, if we don't reach total resolution on all issues, we should be so close that we can wrap up those few matters remaining in a short time frame with smaller teams. I have meetings with AT-1 Ron Morgan and Deputy Administrator Monte Belger tomorrow and I'll make the points to them. There's no reason for any further delays, we've been negotiating since August 1998. NAATS' goal is to have the contract proposals for your consideration and ratification this summer. We'll continue using NM Director Don McLennan's Pay Bulletins to keep you updated.

NAATS Congressional Liaison Hal Gross has recommended, and I have agreed, that it is better to meet with the House and Senate members individually to discuss compensation matters as opposed to submitting testimony to the labor committees. We're also working on the staffing and equipment testimony for the appropriations sub committee later this month.

A word about the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (Air-21). The $40 billion dollar bill is earmarked specifically for airport improvements and ATC modernization programs. It does not provide any additional funding for operations, which include ATC salaries. That battle is still to be fought.

If you haven't heard, our Office Manager Gretna Stefano lost her brother this past week. Legal Counsel/Acting Executive Director Arthur Fox has lost his mother. On behalf of our organization I've expressed our condolences to both Gretna and Arthur.

            Wally Pike

We will be posting all of our Memoranda of Agreement (MOUs) on the NAATS web page shortly. This will ensure that you can view or print a copy of any MOU anytime you need it.

My thanks to ATX Liaison Kate Breen and WP Regional Director Ward Simpson for their help in preparing our response to the White House on partnership. The response chronicles the suspension of our participation in NFP. You can view the document on our web page.

I've received a request to identify the various offices and routing symbols at FAA Headquarters. The highest authority in the FAA is Administrator Jane Garvey (AOA-1). Next is Deputy Administrator Monte Belger (ADA-1). In our line of business (LOB) the next authority is Associate Administrator for Air Traffic Services Steve Brown (ATS-1). Then comes the Director of Air Traffic Ron Morgan (AT-1). Hope this helps.

I've now talked with Monte Belger, Steve Brown and Ron Morgan about our pay negotiations in June and our desire to come to agreement. I'm working particularly closely with Steve Brown to ensure we set the stage properly to accomplish our goal. I think it's fair to say that we're both optimistic at this point.

I'm now participating on the Air 21 Administrator's Work Group and we're on schedule to have a report for the President by the middle of this month. I'm also staying involved with the Spring 2000 Initiative and the possible opportunities for our bargaining unit. I'll give you more details on these as they develop.

I talked last week with both NATCA President Mike McNally and PASS President Mike Fanfalone. We all agreed to stay in closer touch and work together on areas of mutual concern.

NAATS Congressional Representative Hal Gross and I have finalized my testimony for the hearings this month and it's posted it on the web page. We'll concentrate on the staffing and equipment issues and lobby the individual congressional representatives on our pay negotiations.

Following received from our web master John Dibble:

The NAATS Newsletter is available on the web page for viewing, downloading and/or printing. To get the best printed results, you can print directly from your browser by selecting <File> then <Print> on the menu bar.

To download the newsletter to view later in another browser, select <File> then <Save As> and direct it to be saved on a floppy disk that you can view on any computer with a browser, whether or not you have internet access, by clicking on the .HTM file.

            Wally Pike

I'm happy to announce the addition of Christopher Klemm as our full time Labor Relations Specialist. Chris is very qualified, coming to us from SEIU Local 500, AFL-CIO in Gaithersburg, Maryland where he served as Grievance Representative. Prior to that his experience is as follows:

• Litigation Paralegal, Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos
• Labor Relations Specialist, AFSCME, Washington, D.C.
• Labor Relations Specialist, AFSCME, Duncansville, PA
• Graduate Assistant, Department of Industrial and Labor Relations, Indiana, PA
• Senior Resident Assistant, Office of Residence Life, Marymount University
• Personnel Intern, The White House.

Chris' education includes an M.A. Industrial and Labor Relations and a B.A. in Business Law. Chris will start working at NAATS Headquarters on May 15 and will immediately begin working on the grievance and arbitration backlog. Additionally he will establish and maintain national databases on grievances and ULPs that will be available on our webpage. We will also have the option of contracting with Mike Doring for his services on a case-by-case basis, which is Mike's preference.

May is another busy month beginning with the General Aviation Summit meeting the first week. We'll continue to work with industry representatives to improve our training and equipment and to keep these concerns at the highest agency priority.

The National Partnership Council meeting is the second week of May and we're continuing to address the PPRS and Model Work Environment issues.

The Board of Directors' business meeting will be the week of May 15. If you have any items you want discussed please contact your Regional Director. NM Regional Director Don McLennan will be updating you with his compensation bulletin after this meeting.

On April 18 I attended a SW Region Facrep Meeting. Later that evening I met with the members from FTW AFSS. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussions and the exchange of ideas. My thanks to SW Regional Director Ron Dawson for inviting me and to all those who attended.

The national meeting location for November has been changed to San Diego. We'll be meeting at the Handlery Hotel & Resort at 950 Hotel Circle North. Please note -- there has been no change in the meeting date -- it remains November 15-16. I want to thank ATP Liaison Donna Holmes and WP Regional Director Ward Simpson for their work on this. More details will be provided as the date approaches.

                Wally Pike

No. 38, May 5, 1999

The General Aviation Weather Summit meeting was held this week with representatives of NAATS, AOPA, NBAA, SAMA, EAA and the various levels of FAA management present. Of major concern is the FAA funding commitment to accomplish the recommendations identified by the workgroup. I'll be talking with ATS-1 Steve Brown about this next week and also working with the industry representatives in identifying the necessary resources. In no way is this meant to detract from the support we've received from ATP-1 Jeff Griffith throughout the process so far, it's just that additional funding must be forthcoming.

One of the action items we identified is the necessary revision to FAA Handbook 7110.10. As you may recall there was an effort to rewrite this handbook a few years ago and it fell well short of our goals. This time we have the opportunity to make the necessary changes to enhance our service to the users. Some examples of some of the changes are:

�    Eliminating the disclaimer statement on international flights

�    Modifying or eliminating the VNR statement

�    Bargaining unit access to Internet weather.

There are obviously many more necessary revisions. No one knows the problems with our handbook better than you. This is your chance to make the changes that determine how we do our work.

NAATS is one of the responsible parties for the handbook effort. Please forward any suggestions you have for enhancing our service to the aviation public to NAATS Headquarters, preferable as an email attachment. We've created a special email address for this purpose, [email protected]. Or, if you prefer you can send your ideas to your Regional Director, as they are all participants in the process.


Wally Pike

The National Partnership Council (NPC) is made up of the FAA Deputy Administrator, FAA Associate and Assistant Administrators, and the presidents of the various FAA unions. It's a unique forum to address issues that affect the bargaining units within the FAA.

We held our quarterly meeting last week and discussed future agenda items. It was agreed that we would work the "Air 21" budgetary process. This means that the NPC will have input on the $40 billion, five-year appropriation and will be involved in determining funding levels for the facilities and equipment (F&E) programs. Of course, the most significant of these to our bargaining unit is OASIS.

This is a significant development. In the past unions have never been involved in this stage of the budgetary process; we've always been limited to traditional impact and implementation bargaining after those decisions have been made.

We congratulate senior FAA management for involving the FAA unions in true collaboration on this portion of the FAA budget. NAATS feels this foresight will make for a better final product.


Wally Pike

By now you've received Don McLennan's Compensation Bulletin 19 detailing the status of pay negotiations. We intend to continue to use these bulletins to keep you promptly informed about developments. Our hope is that we can expedite the issues by using the sub groups; the idea is that the Agency Chief Negotiator and I will continue to work the pay percentages in the interim. The Parties are currently far apart in their proposals but the NAATS team is determined to get a fair and equitable pay plan for the bargaining unit regardless of how long it takes.

On a related issue, yesterday the President signed a $75M FAA supplemental operations funding bill for this fiscal year. They have also given a number of their managers an 8% pay increase. Need I say more?

I've instructed our Congressional Representative Hal Gross to step up his lobbying with our friends on the Hill. We expect to see positive results from this effort, especially since this is an election year. Depending on how the pay negotiations go, we may ask that you become involved in a grass roots effort. Hal and I will keep you advised.

We are still planning to post all of our memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on our web page but we've had some file conversion problems. As soon as we resolve these problems we'll complete the posting. In the interim, if you need copies of these please feel free to contact NAATS Headquarters or your regional representatives.

NAATS Labor Relations Specialist Chris Klemm has three arbitration hearings scheduled in the next few months. One concerns the FAA's refusal to adhere to the CPP MOU, specifically the distribution of bargaining unit members to the regions/facilities. The second arbitration addresses the FAA's refusal to provide official time for our OEX Representative Dave Hoover. The third hearing concerns a bargaining unit member's removal in the Central Region. This is exactly the kind of activity we wanted and expected when we hired Chris. Our contract is only as good as our commitment to enforce it.


Wally Pike