NCEPT, CFS and Staffing…Oh My!
Last week I told you that I would be working to further my knowledge of NCEPT and the NCEPT process. My opportunity came quickly as Amy, Drew, Jrod and I were able to attend a crash course briefing on NCEPT, the NEST and the Priority Placement Tool last Thursday. The biggest thing I can tell you is that there are a lot of moving parts to the whole process. The good news is that the four of us at least understand these moving parts a bit better than we did a week ago. If anyone has specific questions about their particular case, please reach out to those officers in attendance and we will do our best to answer your questions.
CFS registration is open and everything you need to know to get registered and request excused absence to attend are located here: https://www.natca.org/index.php/cfs-member-registration. It has been quite a few years since I’ve attended CFS and I am really looking forward to all the new information that is out there pertaining to our great profession.
A common theme amongst management lately is allowing our staffing to go well below guides (two or more) and not calling in overtime. I have a real problem with this. We do not always staff to the everyday, routine traffic. We staff to protect from things that can and will come up (weather, military operations, excessive delays, etc.) My request of you, is please help us hold management accountable for their poor judgement or lack of action. If you borderline need a D-side, ask for one. If a sector may need to be split, split it. We need to show management that these guidelines have a real purpose and we need to keep our staffing as close to the guidelines as possible. Going one under to accommodate leave or other unique situations, in most cases, is acceptable, but more than that seems like mismanagement to me. It may not be the heat of summertime traffic yet, but it’s right around the corner. Be sure that we are taking care of ourselves, because they certainly don’t seem interested.
That’s all I have for the moment. As always, the honor is mine to work on your behalf.
In Solidarity,
Derek Adams