Post Bidding Survey
We asked the members present at the June all members meeting, but since bidding just finished, I would like to see if people’s opinions changed. We want to ensure we are pursuing changes that the majority of the membership is interested in. Please complete this short survey by 1/5. I will post the results when they are done.
OT Availability List
HERE’s the final list, if you see a discrepancy, please let your area rep know right away so we can get that fixed. This one won’t automatically update when changes to “available/limited” are made, but of course, the dates will stay the same regardless. Please save this so you’ll have it to reference throughout the year. Still no word on exactly where this will be stored but when it’s done, there will be a TEAM message about it.
Clarification on Working OT During Limited Periods
A question was brought up during the OT briefings regarding whether or not there is a situation that you could conceivably work during your limited weekend. During the briefings, I (Drew) gave the answer that you could only swap into working on your limited weekend, the agency could never assign or solicit it. When we reached out for clarification from the Fatigue Team we got a slightly different answer. Their answer (the official answer) is that you definitely cannot volunteer to be available that weekend. However, if there is an OT shift that otherwise would go unfilled, you could request to work it during your limited week. This is something that would have to be done on a case by case basis and would almost certainly have to be for OT scheduled in advance, not call in. The agency still cannot solicit this, this must be employee driven. I know this might only further convolute things for you, we are all learning this new world order together. So please feel free to reach out with any questions.
NATCA Shirt Day
Just a reminder: the 15th is coming up quickly! Don’t forget to wear your shirt for a chance to win a $25 gift card to either Bigfoot Java, McLendon’s, or The Rock.
TSA Precheck
Did you know you are eligible for free TSA pre-check just by having a secret-level security clearance? It’s a super quick process, but you must do it on a government computer. HERE’s the FAQ if you’re interested.
Voluntary Leave Bank
Open enrollment for Voluntary Leave Bank Membership will be from Monday, October 14, 2024 through Monday, December 9, 2024 and membership will be effective January 12, 2025 for the upcoming 2025 year.
What is Voluntary Leave Bank?
A Leave Bank is a pooled fund of annual leave contributed by its members, combined with annual and sick leave donations made by the federal workforce, that is administered by the National VLB Program Manager and Leave Bank Board.
Eligible members can participate in the program to:
Cover time out of the office as a result of a personal or family medical emergency
Bonding with a newborn, newly adopted, or newly placed child within one year of the qualifying event
Note: Bonding is only available for consecutive leave usage and cannot be used intermittently.
This program is different than the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program, here’s how:
WMT Scheduled Outage
On Tuesday, December 10, at 1500 ET, WMT Scheduler will be updated and will be down for approximately one (1) hour. The update includes several bug fixes and, most importantly, adjusts the shift duration validations to allow the entry of a six (6) hour shift. This is to comply with the new fatigue rules that go into effect on or before January 12, 2025, which allow for a six (6) hour fatigue shift immediately preceding a midnight shift. Please note that this update does not incorporate any changes to the validations for the new fatigue rules. In other words, warnings will not be displayed if shifts are assigned with less rest than required by the new fatigue rules. We are working with the Agency to update these validations and warning messages and expect this to be completed early next year.
Have a great weekend,
Amy and Drew