Good Afternoon All!

Local Elections

It is that time again. You all should currently be receiving the notice of elections in the mail. If you do not receive one within the next day or two, please let us know right away, that might mean your address is incorrect in the system. In accordance with Department of Labor rules, all votes must arrive at a dedicated mailbox through the USPS, and no handed-in ballots may be counted as valid. That is why we need your current address. 

Nominations are currently open. All offices are up for re-election to, include: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, all the Area Reps, TMU Rep, and Staff Support Specialist Rep. There is a black box mounted to the wall to the left of the mailboxes, that is the nomination box. There are forms to fill out on top and drop in when finished. All members are eligible for every officer position, and anyone from their respective area is eligible for the Area Rep positions. I will link our local constitution HERE so that you can read the descriptions of each position. 

If you are even remotely interested in getting involved, we would all encourage you to take the leap and submit your name on the nomination form. Seattle Center NATCA has a long-standing tradition of helping others and ensuring no one struggles alone. 

UNUM

The 2023 Open Enrollment period for the UNUM long-term disability program has begun. I have long advocated for this program, it’s one of the valuable benefits NATCA has negotiated.

HERE’s the brochure for the UNUM, and HERE’s the enrollment form. Our program liaison, Bill Liberty, does not recommend you sign up on the website as it has glitches. Just send it to bliberty@natca.net, and he will ensure they are entered into the system. And as always, members with any questions can contact him anytime.

 There will be a $50 drawing each week during the open enrollment period for members who sign up, so the sooner they enroll, the more chances you have to win!

Retirement Seminar

Another great NATCA benefit is the retirement seminars. There are many dates and times still available. There is an in-person one in Des Moines coming up in August. You do not have to be close to retirement to attend, and I highly recommend you take advantage of this benefit. You are also not restricted to the ones in our area, you can register for any of them on the NATCA portal. Everyone’s areas are short right now, but check out Article 41 in the contract. It is subject to staffing and workload, but if you can get the request put in by July 8th/9th (depending on which class you sign up for), you are eligible for 8 hours of excused absence to attend a retirement briefing.

In-person Dates/Times:

Memphis, TN 07/17/2023 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM Local Time

Memphis, TN 07/18/2023 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Local Time

Tampa, FL 07/25/2023 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM Local Time

Tampa, FL 07/26/2023 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Local Time

Des Moines, WA 08/22/2023 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM Local Time

Des Moines, WA 08/23/2023 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Local Time

Nashua, NH 10/04/2023 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM Local Time

Nashua, NH 10/05/2023 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Local Time

Houston, TX 10/10/2023 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM Local Time

Houston, TX 10/11/2023 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Local Time

Denver, CO 11/01/2023 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM Local Time

Denver, CO 11/02/2023 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Local Time

Northern Virginia 11/07/2023 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM Local Time

Northern Virginia 11/08/2023 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Local Time

Kenai, AK 12/05/2023 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM Local Time

Kenai, AK 12/06/2023 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Local Time

Juneau, AK 12/07/2023 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM Local Time

Juneau, AK 12/08/2023 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Local Time

Online Briefing Dates/Times:

07/20/2023 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM 

08/17/2023 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM 

09/14/2023 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM 

10/19/2023 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM 

11/16/2023 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM 

12/14/2023 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM 

Parking Lot Construction Update

Email from Brian Flott, ZSE ESU Manager: 

All,

As most people have noticed, the parking lot paving project has stalled due to unexpected circumstances.

 The proposed plan is to restart work on July 17th, starting in the southwest lot, from there they will work on the west lot next to the OSW. While they are doing this they will also be working on the concrete in the north lot in front of the OSW, then complete the paving in the same lot.

 Work will not move to the next phase until the current phase is completed. When I have a firm update and information I will pass it along.

 I realize this is an inconvenience that is taking longer than planned, we are doing everything we can to get this moving and end up with a good product.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Thank you for you patience.

CFS

CFS is coming up on September 18-20, HERE’s the link to sign up. Signing up is a two-step process. You sign up through NATCA and then fill out the request for excused absence and turn it in to the OM, addressed to Takashi, and ensure you write the date/time of when you turned it in in case they need a tiebreaker.

This was a long update, thank you for making it to the end,

Amy Sizemore

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