Information Dissemination
There have been multiple email blasts recently in your FAA email that have been causing a lot of confusion and frustration. The problem (or one of many problems) is that there are many departments within the agency operating without communicating with the others. A perfect example is the changes made to Employee Express. When all that went down, and NATCA was asking the agency who authorized this, why wasn’t NATCA involved, etc... no one could answer because they had no idea which department allowed it or even why. The same is going for all the vaccine mandate and attestation emails that have been getting sent out except that some of this is coming from the DOT and not the FAA. The DOT doesn’t care that the FAA has a process with NATCA and so they send out emails before the processes can be negotiated and agreed to. The national office is working out a process with the departments responsible for this so the BUEs will not be inundated with superfluous information.
Facts:
The mandate dates. Those are set as a Federal mandate and will not change.
The incentives for getting the vaccine. The agency is still working on the process to enter/track TOAs but all will be honored.
You will have to submit proof of vaccination starting October 12th and must be completed by Nov 8th.
There will be exceptions. The full process has not been agreed to yet though.
The Agency has disseminated information about how to get an exemption from the vaccine requirement. This policy is in effect and can be used but was designed for management and non-BUE employees. Collaboration is still in progress and the final questionnaire may look different when finalized for BUE use. If you absolutely cannot wait until the collaborated process has been agreed to then you can use the agency’s process to request an exemption. We do not know when the process will be agreed to and disseminated but we have been told that it is “imminent.” Your guess is as good as ours as to what that means. We are sharing the information we get the second we get it.
We will keep you posted as soon as we know anything more.
NATCA Charitable Foundation (NCF)
NCF is a great organization that focuses on supporting local charities. It is a separate entity from NATCA and has its own executive board. Everyone involved is a volunteer, mostly made up of controllers and their family members. NCF’s mission is to raise and distribute money that will stay in the communities that mean the most to our members. We at ZSE have received money from NCF to support many local food banks throughout the pandemic and the wildfires last year. We have also worked with NCF to provide backpacks full of school supplies to local children in need for the past 4 years.
NATCA Charitable Foundation has a few sources of revenue but the bulk of their yearly resources come from the fundraising events at CFS and Convention. Due to the pandemic and these events being cancelled, they have taken a big hit. If you would like to help support them so they can continue supporting local charities, here are two options:
Click HERE for the 1187 payroll deduction form (to start a monthly donation)
Click HERE for a one time donation
All donations and payroll deductions are tax deductible.
Current / Upcoming NCF Events:
$25,000 regional charity competition, help the Northwest Mountain Region’s charities win by voting for them at the link below, (no purchase or donation necessary).
Click HERE for more information
Introduction to wine tasting. Do you want to gain basic skills to perfect your palate but don’t know where to start? Maybe you are looking at beginning your adventure in wine or just want to learn a little more, this is a great tasting for you. We will explore two different styles of wine through sight, smell and taste while gaining an understanding to help you identify what makes food pairings work with specific types of wine.
Nov 4th at 7pm EDT
deadline to sign up is Oct 19
$125 donation, includes wine and tasting kit
Click HERE to sign up
Virtual 5k Run to raise funds for Bullying Prevention
Holiday Program - more to come on this but it is a program for locals wanting to give back to the local area for the holiday season and to support: homeless Veterans, provide toys and meals for families in need.
If you would like to get involved with any of these programs (or have ideas for new charities to support) but need help with the sign up process, please let us know.
The NCF website is located HERE for more information.
We hope you have a great weekend,
Amy Sizemore and Drew Stewart