By all accounts the 2000 NAATS National Membership Meeting last week was a success. We had approximately 135 members in attendance and all were anxious to participate.
The three invited FAA management speakers all declined to attend so we used the time to talk about the many issues confronting our union. Of particular interest was the pay negotiations status and direction the NAATS Negotiating Team has taken.
The membership was briefed, in detail, on the history of the negotiations as well as our current status. We then discussed our team goal of "comparability". As previously discussed the entire issue centers on a 2152 series GS-12 controller making roughly the same in either the NATCA or the NAATS environment. The membership was unanimous in its support of the contract team and our determination to accept nothing less than comparability.
The NAATS Board of Directors business meeting was held prior to the national meeting and a significant decision was made to allocate resources to ensure a fair agreement is reached by whatever means necessary. I applaud the Board for its insight and courage in taking this step.
We meet with the management team and the mediators on December 12. We're fully prepared to reach agreement once the management team decides to treat us as air traffic controllers. Until that time we'll continue to explore and develop our other options.
Many other matters were discussed at the meetings last week. A report on these will be included in the next NAATS Quarterly Bulletin.
Happy Thanksgiving to all,
Wally Pike
We've signed the agreement with our new congressional firm and we are aggressively pursuing our goals on the Hill. We will have further updates on our progress as the details are developed. We appreciate all the requests for grass roots support and we'll have a plan developed during December. The plan distribution to you will be by both email and snail mail.
I met with Ron Morgan, AT-1, this week and we finalized the Familiarization Training questions and answers as well as agreed upon the eleven stations that are now authorized for international FAM training. The document will be signed by both of us and circulated to the field during the next few weeks. I'm happy to relay to you that there have been no violations of this training in our bargaining unit. As we all know, FAMs are essential training tools and do not constitute an entitlement. Kate Breen, NAATS ATX Liaison, is the subject matter expert for all questions regarding FAM training. She can be reached at (202)-267-8028.
NAATS Public Relations Team (PRT) Chairman John Dibble has developed and distributed a press release regarding the weather base communication problem between the U.S. and Canada. This is also available on our web page. John is also soliciting interest from the membership for vacancies on PRT. If you're interested please send your name and resume to NAATS Headquarters or contact John for more details.
We will report on the Board of Directors meeting in the next edition of the NAATS Bulletin. If you are not receiving this at your mailing address it means we don't have your current listing. Please contact Gretna DeStefano at NAATS Headquarters at (301)-933-6228 or email [email protected]. We plan to publish and mail the Bulletin during this next month.
I met with the new NATCA President John Carr and we agreed to work together on mutual goals. We are also going to discuss revitalizing the Aviation Labor Coalition (ALC).
Wally Pike
The December 12 mediation meeting for pay negotiations has been postponed until sometime in January. I talked with the management Chief Negotiator and he suggested we might want to wait since they didn't have anything new to offer at this time. I agreed, since we don't have any intention of agreeing to their offer of record. Comparability remains the keyword for us. I'll keep you informed as details develop.
NAATS Administrator Ward Simpson has informed me that the date is October 24-25 for the NAATS National Membership Meeting next year. The location is the Luxor Hotel.
I talked with the AFSCME Chief Negotiator Steve Kreisberg this week and he advised that they're experiencing the same problems in pay negotiations. It seems that the FAA doesn't use the same criteria in valuing its employees. We agreed to stay in touch.
The FAA and the NATCA engineers have reached tentative agreement on a five-year contact. Pay increase is 5.5% with the payout respectively 21/2%, 1%, 1%, 1%, 0 in years 1-5; subject to membership ratification.
I met with AOPA President Phil Boyer on Tuesday at their Headquarters in Frederick, Maryland. We talked about FSS concerns and agreed to coordinate in areas of mutual interest.
In case you haven't heard, AT-1 Ron Morgan is leaving for a post in Brussels. Word is that the FAA will aggressively pursue finding his replacement and the initial changeover will take place shortly after the first of the year.
President Clinton today signed an Executive Order directing the FAA to create a Performance-Based Organization to make air traffic control more efficient. I've attached a copy of all available information to this update. We're working with other unions but we don't know what the ramifications of this might be until we receive the FAA briefing. As soon as I have more details I'll pass them along.
This week I met with ATS-1 Steve Brown and we discussed a number of matters including the status of pay negotiations and the new FAA Performance Based Organization (PBO). It was a good discussion and we agreed to work closely together in the future.
I attended a briefing on the PBO by ATS-2 Peter Challens. Bottom line is that no one really knows all the ramifications of the Executive Order at this time but we agreed to develop a process that will include NAATS involvement at the pre-decisional stages. This is expected to begin in January and, of course, we don't waive any of our bargaining rights by participating. It does give us an excellent opportunity to influence the structure and direction of the PBO. The impact to us could range from minimal to significant.
I also met with Administrator Garvey yesterday on this topic and discussed the same concept of early union involvement. I applaud her decision to engage us at the very beginning in this change.
Congress is basically through for the remainder of this year. We know the game and we'll be ready when the new 107th congress begins next month. As previously discussed, we'll keep you advised of all the details.
A word on the general pay increase this year. NAATS bargaining unit members will receive an average 3.7% increase that includes locality. You have probably heard that the FAA employees in core comp, including some unions, will receive 5.3%. The 5.3% figure is arrived at by using the 3.7% and then adding the 1% FAA OSI and the .6% SCI which has not been distributed this year. Some will tell you that this amounts to an additional 1.6% that NAATS bargaining unit members won't receive. But, as is usually the case, it isn't that simple. The average increase between the steps of a GS-12 is 1.6%. NAATS bargaining unit members still receive step increases while those in the core, of course, do not. Add to that the fact that our bargaining unit still collects the 5% ATRA figure instead of the 4.1% base pay roll-in that NATCA and PASS receive. An argument can be made that we are actually receiving more than the core employees; it's all in your perspective.
Happy Holidays to all,
As you may have heard, Norman Mineta is President-Elect Bush's choice for our next DOT Secretary. Conventional wisdom has it that Mr. Mineta would also have been high on Gore's list for the same job. He is currently the Commerce Secretary and has served in the U.S. House for 21 years. Secretary Mineta has been a major player on aviation matters and I look forward to working with him on our issues. Administrator Jane Garvey is expected to continue with us for the foreseeable future and I expect to continue our productive relationship.
The new 107th Congress is now is session and we're continuing our work there. Next week will be a busy one as meetings are scheduled with some key congressional players. We remain very positive about the expected outcome of our efforts.
I'll also meet with ATS-1 Steve Brown and the new AT-1 sometime next week. I plan to press our issues of pay, staffing and equipment.
We've tentatively scheduled the next contract negotiations meeting on pay for February 14. We'll keep you advised of any developments in this area. The NAATS team remains anxious to reach a fair settlement with the FAA.
The next BOD meeting will be the week of January 29. Please contact your regional representatives with any questions, comments or suggestions for this meeting.
The mailing of the quarterly NAATS Bulletin will be next Tuesday. If you don't receive it during the next few weeks please contact Gretna at NAATS Headquarters (301-933-6228 or email [email protected]) to ensure we have your mailing address.
January 24, 2001We're active in the inaugural activities as well as the fundraisers now. Obviously our intent is to spread our message to the new congress and gain support for our issues. We're working with our new congressional representatives to develop a detailed plan of action that I'll communicate to you as soon as it's complete.
I want to thank those of you that are keeping us informed of all the good work you're doing with your specific representatives. Some suggested points to emphasize:
- � Invite them to tour your facility,
- � Educate them on who we are and what we do,
- � Explain our pay comparability issue with GS-2152 ATCSs,
- � Ask them to support us on our issues when they come up in Congress,
- � Tell them to feel free to contact me for more details.
Our next pay negotiations session with the management team will be February 14. Hopefully some progress will be made; we'll keep you informed.
There are some agency-proposed changes to the OASIS requirements schedule. NAATS National OASIS Representative Jeff Barnes will send out a more detailed Human Factors Team report of these items but I want to emphasize we're working the issues through our NAATS Human Factors Team. I'm very sensitive that we don't do anything that displaces them in the performance of their task.
I'll meet with ATS-1 Steve Brown and the new acting AT-1 Bill Peacock on February 5. Obviously I intend to press our issues of pay, staffing and equipment.
I attended the national Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) meeting yesterday. Unfortunately no FSS issues were discussed or even contemplated. At some time it will dawn on the FAA decision makers that adverse weather and all its related effects are critical to aviation safety.
I've received information that AFSCME has reached tentative agreement on pay with the FAA. I haven't been able to verify this yet but the preliminary details are it's a seven-year agreement for 8%. Payout in the respective years is as follows:
Year 1 = 2.5%
Year 2 = 2.5%
Year 3 = 2%
Year 4 = 0
Year 5 = 0
Year 6 = 1%
Year 7 = 0The staff 2152s and attorneys they represent are to be placed in the higher "k" band. These are all the details I have at this time. I'm working on verification and additional specifics and I'll keep you advised.
The Senate Commerce Committee is conducting the Norman Mineta confirmation hearing today. We've sent both the Chairman and the Ranking Member a letter endorsing Mr. Mineta as the next DOT Secretary. His confirmation is expected without delay.
All members should have received their copy of the quarterly NAATS Bulletin by now. If you didn't get yours it means we don't have your current mailing address on file at NAATS Headquarters. Please contact Gretna at 301-933-6228 or email [email protected] with any additions or corrections.
We are continually soliciting volunteers for NAATS representatives on workgroups or as liaisons. The difference is that workgroups meet infrequently and some travel is required. The liaisons are details of one year at FAA HQ. If you would like to serve on these please send me your name and a brief resume. Any area of specific interest is also helpful.
No. 58, February 8, 2001
I've forwarded the AFSCME tentative agreement, including pay, to webmaster John Dibble for posting. Please check out our web page if you are interested in these documents.
We will resume negotiations with the management team next Wednesday. Our hope is that they have concluded they need to address our comparability issue and that we can make meaningful progress in these negotiations. So far we haven't seen much from them other than word games and "fuzzy math".
Meanwhile we continue to work the new Congress. Our thanks to those of you who used the information in the last update and contacted your representatives. It will pay dividends in the future.
The Federal Labor Relations Authority homepage (FLRA.gov) has a wealth of information concerning labor relations in the federal sector. John Dibble has provided a link from our web page and I encourage you to take advantage of this resource. It's updated more frequently now and can be a major tool for all of our representatives and members.
I'm scheduling a meeting with Administrator Garvey to discuss the latest OASIS developments. I feel this presents us with a good opportunity to address this and related issues in a collaborative manner.
We're received many comments about the FLRA training conducted at the membership meeting in San Diego. We're coordinating with the FLRA again for this year and it would be helpful if you would suggest the areas that interest you. Please send either Ward Simpson ([email protected]) or me ([email protected]) a note with your thoughts and we'll tailor the training next October.
The minutes of the February NAATS Business Meeting will be published in the next edition of the quarterly Bulletin. I do, however, want to tell you of one Board decision regarding facility membership reimbursement. The Board decided to increase, effective March 1, the regional imprest funds $30 per facility per month. This money is earmarked for reimbursement of facility NAATS expenses. Since the Regional Directors will administer this funding using different methods, you are encouraged to contact them directly for details.
No. 59, February 15, 2001
The pay negotiations meeting yesterday with the mediator did not produce any significant agreements. The management team is still offering 5.5% over five years and the union team is still insisting on air traffic controller comparability.
There was discussion about the pay disparity figure between NATCA and NAATS GS-12s. The management team stated that it amounts to 13.2% and not 18% but they didn't have any documentation to support their position. They did take an IOU to provide this documentation prior to our next mediation meeting on April 17. Please note - they are not offering 13.2%, they're merely discussing our proposal.
We've also had Capitol Hill meetings this week with senate and house staffers from both parties with more meetings and fund-raisers scheduled for next week. Our new congressional representative is working on some grass roots information that we'll promptly send to you when it's completed. In the interim we encourage you to maintain contact with your individual congressional representatives and to educate them on who we are and what we do.
We're aware of the mailing problems associated with the quarterly Bulletin and we're correcting them prior to the next edition. The first printing and mailing of the monthly NAATS News is scheduled for March 1.
No. 60, February 23, 2001
As you probably know there was a proposal to cut anywhere from $300-350 million from the FAA's budget this year. The Bush administration has rescinded that proposal and the FAA will receive the full Air-21 entitlement. As a point of interest, the proposed cut was from the Facilities and Equipment (F&E) budget, not the Operations budget. It's the Ops budget that funds the FAA employees' salaries.
The Board of Directors has reiterated its policy of members and FacReps contacting their regional representatives before they call NAATS Headquarters. Some of the reasons for this are;
- Coordination problems created in bypassing the regional officers,
- The fact that we at NAATS HQ frequently don't know the particular policies in effect at the regions or the dynamics involved.
We do want to emphasize, however, that if you cannot reach either your Regional Director or Regional Coordinator by all means feel free to contact us. We have a policy of returning phone calls within 24 hours and letters (including email) within one week.
On Saturday, February 17, President Bush issued four Executive Orders (NAATS Webmaster John Dibble is working on posting the text), one of which revoked Executive Order 12871. While this is unfortunate, we do not expect these actions to have a significant effect on our efforts. All negotiated agreements remain in full force and effect. We'll keep you updated on future FAA activity in the partnership area.
NAATS Labor Relations Specialist Chris Klemm has resigned to take another position with the State Department. We wish Chris the best in his future endeavors. NAATS Headquarters has absorbed the LR duties and no problems or interruptions in service are expected. The BOD has authorized a prototype arbitration advocacy-training program and once the results are finalized the BOD will make a decision on our future structure.
We continued our congressional meetings this week. I'm attaching a letter our congressional representative has finalized that you can send to your individual Capitol Hill representatives. The names and addresses of the individual congressional members are available on the NAATS web page if you need them.
I want to particularly thank DEN AFSS FacRep Darrell Mounts and his membership for their work with their representatives in Congress. They did exactly what we need:
- they showed their representatives around the facility;
- they educated them on who we are and what we do;
- they informed them that there is a pay disparity between FAA air traffic controllers;
- they asked them to contact us at NAATS Headquarters for more details (costing specifics, any possible bill number, hearing schedule, etc..);
- they reported their progress to us, which allows us to coordinate our Hill activity, ensure message consistency, and to follow-up on the facility contacts. Again, nice work DEN AFSS.
Wally Pike
SAMPLE Letter:
Date
The Honorable [name]
Address
City, State, Zip
Dear (Congressman [fill in last name] or Senator [fill in last name]:On behalf of the 2,500 members of the National Association of Air Traffic Specialists (NAATS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees that we represent, we are writing to advise you of a serious inequity which affects a dedicated group of FAA air traffic controllers.
In 1996, as a result of a provision in the FY 1996 transportation appropriations bill, the FAA was removed from coverage under most of Title V, U.S.C. that sets forth the personnel and compensation system for civil service employees. This measure also directed the FAA to develop a new pay and personnel system. On October 1, 1998, as part of its reorganization, the FAA negotiated and implemented the new Air Traffic Control Specialized Compensation System (ATCSC) for field air traffic controllers (Series 2152).
The air traffic controllers that our organizations represent are also Series 2152 controllers. There was an understanding with the FAA, that under the new personnel and compensation system, all Series 2152 controllers would receive comparable compensation. The FAA has now informed the air traffic controllers who are not covered by the ATCSC, that they will be compensated at a significantly lower rate than the agreement-covered controllers will. Since all series 2152 air traffic controllers share the same series classification and are certified and qualified, regardless of the type of facility or the location where they work, we believe that they deserve comparable compensation.
The civil service personnel and compensation system under Title V provided fair and equitable treatment to all FAA employees. It has been replaced with a system that pits one employee group against another. The FAA now has serious morale problems that have resulted in a number of lawsuits being filed and EEOC complaints filed against the FAA by its employees.
We believe that congressional action is necessary to address this gross inequity. NAATS respectfully requests your support to ensure our goal of achieving equitable compensation for all FAA controllers is reached this year. We look forward to working with you to help rectify this inequity and bring fairness in compensation to all air traffic controllers.
If you would like additional information, please contact Wally Pike, NAATS President at 301/933-6228. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Sincerely,
(Name of individual(s) sending the letter)