As always, thank you for the opportunity to go to CFS and representing ZSE. This year the theme really centered around the practice of collaboration and how it ties into every facet of our job. At times it was repetitive and I tried to not let that show in the notes that I took. You can read up for yourself.
Some Topics:
- Gov't Shutdown
- Next Gen
- Pilot/Controller Communications
- Gov't Regs and Policies
Finally, I'd like to clarify the CIP situation. As we mentioned in a previous update, CIP is in danger of stopping as of Sep 30th. What I failed to communicate is why. According to Paul and Trish, the crux of the issue is that CIP (Controller Incentive Pay) was intended to incentivize BUE's to go to hard-to-staff facilities. Somewhere down the line that intent was lost and now NATCA and the FAA are trying to return CIP back to the initial purpose of recruitment and retention. If they can't reach an agreement be the end of the fiscal year, CIP will NOT be paid out until the 2 can figure out how to allocate those funds. What this means to a facility like ZSE, in my opinion, is that we are likely to see a permanent dip in CIP because we never have an issue with personnel trying to join us. Conversely, a facility like N90 that has historically had a difficult time with recruitment and retention, will see a bump.
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me or Troy (SLACK!!!) and we'll be glad to try to help. Thanks again.
Alex Navarro III