Facility Update April 4th

All Members Meeting

For those of you that caught that I didn’t put a date for the meeting in my last email, good job, you passed the test. For reals though, I totally forgot. The next All Members meeting will be April 29th at Rail Hop’n Brewery, 131 E Main St, Auburn. Meeting starts at 3 but feel free to show up at 2:30 and we’ll start getting food ordered.

Life Insurance

Do you have FEGLI life insurance?  If so, you are likely paying way too much! 
This Monday, April 7th, NATCA Benefits Partner Lance Liberty will visit ZSE from 10:00am - 4:00pm to help members see how they can save $20,000, $30,000, or possibly more on an individual life insurance policy through NATCA Benefits. Just bring a recent leave and earnings statement and Lance will give you a no-obligation comparison for an individual policy vs. your expensive FEGLI coverage which will skyrocket in price as you get older. Over 6,000 NATCA members have switched, and you should seriously consider it too! Also, for those of you close to retirement, Lance can show you how to save thousands on your survivor annuity.

Amy

Facility Update Mar 30th

T shirt/Hoodie Orders

Tomorrow is the last day to order t-shirts and hoodies. After you’ve filled out the google sheet, please venmo me, Amanda-Sizemore1. $28 for shirts, $32.79 for hoodies. Links:

• NNM Patriotic

• NNM Neon

• ZSE Pride Octopus/Salmon

• Hoodie (Available with Neon, Pride, or Original Octopus/Salmon)

All Members Meeting

With the changing political climate, we’ve decided to move our all-members meetings off-site. We want to ensure open discussions without putting anyone in a difficult position.

Going forward, meetings will start at 3:00 PM, with food and drinks available starting at 2:30 PM.

Our next meeting is especially important, we’ll be reviewing the amendment booklet to determine how you want Drew and me to vote at the convention in May.

Next meeting: 3:00 PM at Rail Hop’n Brewery in Auburn. We’ll be there by 2:30 to start ordering food. See you there!

Sector 35 (RDM) Airspace Divesture

I realized this week that I hadn’t updated you all on the RDM airspace divestiture in a while when a member asked me about it. So, here’s where things stand.

Last summer, we hit a roadblock. The Agency insists that staffing is a “zero-sum” game, meaning if one facility gains staffing, another must lose it to keep the nationwide controller total constant. While that might make sense for budgeting, it ignores the fact that traffic volume has no cap. Even the Agency acknowledges that staffing is sometimes just a theoretical number that can be adjusted for traffic, like when they signed the N90/EWR/PHL MOU, adding controllers to one facility without reducing the total nationwide. We were able to shut down this argument at the RVP/DO level, briefed the new RVP, and then… the waiting game began.

In January, I was CC’d on an email that set off alarm bells. Something felt off, so I started digging into the progress of the Sector 35 staff study. That instinct paid off, I found that the study had been altered after the last agreed-upon version to falsely state:

“As part of the transition, six staffing positions will be reallocated from Seattle ARTCC to Portland Approach, a change agreed upon by the NATCA Facility Representatives and Air Traffic Managers (ATMs) at both facilities.”

That never happened. We grieved it, got the study returned to the facility, and had to fight to get the language corrected. The front office wanted to leave in the “zero-sum” language because it was the easiest path forward, requiring the least effort on their part. I pushed back, explaining, again and again, that while P80 can accurately estimate how many people they’ll need for that sector, there’s no reliable data to say how many controllers ZSE could afford to lose before workload is actually reduced.

After weeks of back and forth, we finally landed on language that protects us:

“Adjustments to staffing allocations are essential for the delegation of airspace and must be completed with staff assigned to the receiving facility prior to finalizing the transition. As part of the transition, Portland Approach will require an eight-person increase in staffing. If the Collaborative Resource Workgroup does not approve the personnel allocation, Portland Approach will be unable to facilitate the delegation of airspace from Seattle ARTCC. A proactive allocation of staff to Portland Approach will ensure that the airspace delegation occurs without delay.”

Why does this matter? If ZSE loses controllers before our workload decreases, it will distort our CPC/total CPC ratio, making it look like we’re overstaffed when we’re not. That could cost us CPCs in the next NCEPT, all while workload stays the same. I want us to be in a position where we can release people, but not at the expense of safety.

If you've made it this far, thank you. Please don’t hesitate to ask for updates on any of the things going on, whether it’s national or local. Sometimes, we get wrapped up in doing the work and forget to brief the progress made.

In Solidarity,

Amy

Facility Update March 21st

Regional Meeting Dinner

The NNM Regional Meeting is being held downtown Seattle on April 9-10. There will be a dinner held for members at Flat Stick Pub on April 9th at 6:30pm (21+). Spouses/significant others are invited too. If you would like to go to the meeting and/or the dinner, please reply to this email before March 31st.

IST

The dates for the IST CADRE have been moved. The class is a day and a half and will be held onsite May 20-21 and May 21-22. If you would like to go to the class to teach IST this round, please reply to this email within the next couple of days. Facility training will now be 5/25-31 and 6/8-14.

T-Shirts and New Hoodie Design

I have finally been able to source an American-made hoodie that is decently priced. We will offer the original Octopus/Salmon, Pride Octopus/Salmon, and the NNM Neon logos at $32.79 apiece. They will all be printed on a charcoal gray sweatshirt. If you’re interested, please fill out the form and then Venmo Amanda-Sizemore1. We will keep this going until March 31st.

• Hoodie

• Patriotic Shirt

• Pride Shirt

• Neon Shirt

OPM Email

I was wrong, I guess the last email wasn’t the last time I have to talk about this thing. There is a change coming out for this exercise. They want you to email your direct supervisor and CC the HR OPM email. Please don’t CC anyone else, you’re on gov time and gov equipment. That being said, the messages put in TEAM are not an assignment of work. The supes are still in charge of assigning duty time to do this.

Have a great weekend,

Amy

T Shirt Order

We have been doing the NATCA shirt day for about 6 months now, and I think people like participating (the next one is this Saturday, the 15th). I’ve heard that not everyone has a shirt around anymore, so I’ve searched for a while and found a local print shop that can print t-shirts on American-made products for a decent price. Another benefit of this shop is that they do not require a minimum order, so we can offer a wider variety of designs and not be in danger of not fulfilling the order. Shirts are $28 a piece, and I have put together three different designs for you to choose from.

NNM Patriotic Shirt - This design is unchanged from when we offered it about a year ago. It will be on a navy colored shirt.

NNM Neon Shirt - This shirt is slightly changed from when we last offered it. I used a different logo for the front, but the back is the same as before. The printer told me it wouldn’t have the “glow” effect shown in the picture, so the final product will probably look similar to the shirts you’ve seen around with crisp lines. This will be printed on a dark heather gray shirt.

I am excited to debut a new design, the ZSE pride logo!

ZSE Pride Shirt - I worked with an artist to brighten up our existing Octopus and Salmon logos. This will be printed on a light-heather gray shirt.

To ensure we keep this separate from the local’s funds, I will collect the money personally and then pay for the order in full upfront. My Venmo is: Amanda-Sizemore1. Please pay after you fill out the form. In the “what is it for” line, put the number of shirts you are paying for. In the future, we hope to work with this shop to print hoodies, too, but we are still working on sourcing American-made hoodies that are a little more affordable.

We will keep this order going until Mar 31st but will readdress if a shutdown drags on.

Patriotic Shirt LINK

Neon Shirt LINK

Pride Shirt LINK

Facility Update March 11th

There will be a vote on a CR today in the house, if that passes, it will go to the Senate. There is no guarantee any of that will pass, so we are once again a political football. We are all sick of it but this is the world we live in.

 Every time this happens, there is very understandable frustration and there are those who do not understand why they should still come to work. As always, everyone must make the decisions that are right for them. We do not intend to provide the powers that be with any ammunition to throw at us and say we are not professional and that we want to harm the system when the truth is that they are the ones trying to break it.

There are people making or influencing these decisions that do not intend to fix what is broken. They are creating chaos, gutting our system, and waiting for the moment to cash in. We are no different in their eyes, just another piece to be sold. But we know the truth: this system belongs to the people, and we are the ones who make it work. 

As hard as this is, we must stay focused. A missed paycheck today is devastating, but it does not outweigh the benefits and security we have spent a career earning. Our pensions, our healthcare, our families’ futures—they depend on us making the hard choice to hold the line and keep this system running.

 In this building there are many that will be deemed "non-essential" and sent home and there are many that will be told to come to work regardless of a paycheck. There's one thing we can tell you, there are absolutely zero "non-essential" members of this bargaining unit. Every single one of you are what makes the NAS operate as safely and efficiently as it does. We know the frustration. We feel the anger. It is unacceptable that we, the ones who keep this country moving, are repeatedly used as pawns in a game we have no control over. And yet, we bear the weight of a system that others break without consequence.

Thank you for all you do and please don't hesitate to reach out with questions and concerns.

Government Shutdown FAQ:

Does my bid leave get canceled?

No. The contract does not go by the wayside during shutdowns or lapses in FAA authorization. They may code it differently at the time, but it will be fixed when the Agency is back open.

Can I take sick leave?

Yes. Same as bid leave, it may be coded differently at the time but will be fixed later.

What about spot leave?

Spot leave will likely not be approved after the shutdown begins. 

I don’t have any certifications, do I have to show up to work?

Everyone with an “A-Side” is considered essential personnel and should come in to work. If you are currently assigned to the training department, please contact the training manager for direction.

If this persists, when will I see a zero-dollar paycheck?

It changes slightly depending on where the shutdown hits in a pay period, but you will likely not see any lapse in pay unless the shutdown goes on for more than a pay period. 

For example, if this shutdown happens, it will be on March 14th, which is in the middle of pay period 7. They are finishing up time and attendance by the 11th so that pay can be processed and you will still be paid in full for pay period 6 on March 18th. In the past, when these shutdowns have gone on longer, they have allowed the front office personnel to come in to submit “straight” pay for the portion of the pay period before the shutdown. If this happens, you should expect a partial paycheck on April 1st. The first zero-dollar paycheck would be April 19th.

What resources are available to help during a long-term shutdown?

In the past, members of Sky-One credit union have been eligible for zero-interest loans. USAA and Navy Federal have had those programs as well. 

Non-Shutdown Related Items:

Hopefully, we will be done talking about this ridiculous waste of time and resources soon. But, reference the five bullet item that Cristalle put into TEAM, it is not intended for that to be the only time you are assigned to do this task. Supervisors are still the assignors of work, and it is still their responsibility to task that weekly if that is still a requirement. This does not prohibit you from asking for time to do this if you wish, though.

In Solidarity,

Amy and Drew