National Association of Air Traffic Specialists

Aviation Safety is Our Business

Bulletin #5

From

Don McLennan

In our last meeting with management we confronted the issue surrounding the effect the "Architecture Workgroup" report might have on our workgroup. Apparently, there has been some miscommunication, in and around Headquarters, and between NAATS concerning this issue. Some think this is what should be reviewing prior to developing a compensation system. Then, whatever the "new" FSS is going to look like would be easier to transition into with a pay system already in place. This is not going to happen. It would be mixing apples and oranges. Moreover, it was rewarding to discover the management members of our group felt as strongly about this as we do. It is also their understanding that we do not have a preconceived system in mind and we are developing it jointly to fit what we know to be, not what some would like to see in the future. We will discuss ways to build subsystems into our new plan to allow for change, but it would not be under the banner of trying to implement any specific program through a new pay system. I imagine architecture will be very important in being considered within the development process of a new compensation system, but in the context of allowing for change in the future and being sure that the system can be managed effectively.

While we are on the topic of the future, there arises the question of how to handle certain sets of FAA employees in being sure everyone is included within the new system. For example, intending to design a system covering "facilities", there are several groups that do not fit easily into a simple scheme such as Levels 1 through 5. Where do the Air Traffic Control System Command Center personnel go? What about non-AFSS stations in Alaska? Or, even a more contemporary issue is, where and how will we transition the Flight Service Data Processing System employees? We do not have any easy answers to these questions but we know that to have a comprehensive system we must be certain to plan to capture all of these members into a new system that will be seen as treating everyone equitably.

Another area that has not been given much thought but will be very important in developing a system that stands the test of time will be what issues, articles, programs or problems does the contract negotiating team want us to deal with. As of this writing there has been no formal agreement between the two negotiating teams of which specific aspects of a new compensation system do they want the Pay Administration team to develop proposals for rather than negotiate them at the full team level. This will probably turn out to be a mixture of those aspects of a pay system that would be easier to discuss in the context of developing a new compensation system rather than supplementing or altering an existing system. As this information becomes available to the team I will pass it on to you.

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Walter W. Pike, President

This page was last updated on 26 June, 2000