All,
Hopefully you are staying safe and having fun in all this snow. WA isn’t exactly known for having good drivers so be safe out there. I’ll address WX EA first and then a few quick items for you guys after that.
Article 19 (WX EA)
I am sure you have all already read it to make sure you know the rules with WX EA but just in case, here is a quick refresher. Here is the text from Article 19:
Section 1
Given the essential nature of FAA responsibilities, employees are expected to make a reasonable effort to report for work during hazardous geological/weather conditions between the employee's home and their duty location; however, they are not expected to disregard their personal safety or that of their family. All employees who are unable to report for duty shall notify their facility as soon as possible. Employees who are unable to report for duty shall be granted excused absence at the time of their request, subject to the review process in Section 2. If requested, employees shall provide information that supports their request for excused absence as soon as feasible after returning to duty. Examples of information are:
oral or written statements;
conditions that the employee encountered;
a synopsis of efforts made;
other information which provides an explanation or which shows hazardous geological/weather conditions prevented the employee from reporting to the facility or compelled the employee to safeguard his or her family against such phenomena.
Section 2
When deciding to sustain or rescind excused absence(s) granted in Section 1, the Agency, during joint review with the Union, shall consider reports from the employee, civil authorities, current meteorological information, news media, official road reports, leave approvals, reduced staffing, or closings at other area government facilities.
Section 3
When the Agency at the local level, after consulting with the Union, determines that hazardous geological/weather conditions exist or are imminent, on-duty bargaining unit employees shall be released as soon as possible, as staffing and workload permit. Volunteers to remain on duty shall be utilized to the extent possible.
Section 4
The Agency retains the right to determine the opening, closing, and use of its facilities during periods of hazardous geological/weather conditions. Subject to security and operational needs, the Parties at the facility may review existing facility emergency readiness plans and, to the extent appropriate, negotiate supplemental procedures addressing the work and family safety concerns of employees during such hazardous conditions.
Section 5
At facilities not in continuous operation, the Parties at that level shall negotiate procedures that employees shall use to notify the Agency in the event that they are unable to report on the opening shift. The procedures shall also establish the method the Agency will use to notify employees in the event that they are not required to report for duty due to hazardous geological/weather conditions.
Section 6
Issues arising from employees who chronically are unable to report to work during these conditions will be addressed utilizing the provisions of Articles 8 and/or 52 of this Agreement prior to more formal measures being initiated.
One big thing to remember is that the excused absence will be approved when you request it but they may go back and ask for supporting information. So if you live at the top of a hill or something like that that would make it harder for you to get to work, I recommend taking pictures and remembering specifics in case they ask. I have not been given any indication that they will be asking for specific info, but per the contract, you need to be prepared for that possibility.
Shutdown/Pay
If you are not on the slack channel, you should be. We are posting info regarding the shutdown and pay as we get it to the slack channel. The information is there, you just gotta go get it. Here are the documents that were shared there and to your FAA Email. As of now this is all we know. Not to add insult to injury but all indicators are trending towards another shutdown on the 15th so please try your best to be prepared for that and let me know if I can do anything to help.
There is also a calculator that Alex shared that will help you determine if you were paid right. Garret has said he is willing to help anyone who needs it with the calculator. You can find that here:
Sector 35
Sector 35 is planned to be online by the end of May. There is some talk that there might be delays in being able to get a frequency for it so it may be a bit longer before it is open and running. Still lots in the works there. What I need to know form you guys is what kind of training, if any, do you want on the new sector. Its impact on us is minimal. The biggest thing I have thought of is if we will want to release control to 5/35 of Redmond landers. Take a look at the attached maps and let me know what you all think. 35 is going to be 150 and below.
Security Investigations
As Alex mentioned in his update, the contractor the agency hired for security investigations is supposed to conduct all interviews in the building and on duty time. I know there has been a rash of interviews that took place on people’s personal time. We are going to try to go back and get you credit hours for any interviews conducted on personal time. So if this applies to you, please let me know the date, times, and location the interview took place so we can work on that. Here is the FIS MOU for your reference. Section 7 is the one that matters most.
Ok that about covers it for this week. Let me know if you have any issues. Also, mark your calendars for a local meeting on 2/27. Time and Location TBD.
In Solidarity,
Drew