December 7, 2020 Update

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to write this update to address some of the current issues affecting the area.

QXE DH8D SUMMA..CUPRI..RDM

Horizon has been notified about the incorrect routing of their DH8Ds going to RDM. They have promised to fix it three times since October and we are still seeing it. I am going to continue to call them on this and I ask that you please let me know if you are still seeing this happen.

NUW LOA 

I have heard of several issues regarding the new NUW LOA routing in and out of the OLYMPIC airspace. I would like to take a moment to explain why it was done and what the problems are that I am going to address.

NUW has been getting legal pressure from several environmental groups regarding the impact they are having on the Olympic National Forest. This routing was the result of their request to come up with a way to help alleviate the concern of those groups.

Some of the concerns I have received regarding the new routing is that it does not provide for adequate separation from two formation flights and that the fighters have not made the turn sharply enough at HUTUK causing point outs and increased workload with Victoria. 

I have been working with airspace on how we can improve upon this new routing and will hopefully be getting this corrected within the next few weeks. Please note that YETII..KNUW is still approved routing and can be used if deemed appropriate. I welcome any feedback or ideas you may have to help accomplish this.

TRAINING

Trainees have been assigned to each of the crews and the minimum required training per day is 2 hours.  I understand there may be times where the minimum is difficult to meet, but it is important that we try to do so. Management is constantly looking for supporting arguments to go back to BWS prematurely, and the inability to meet training minimums will surely be an argument they would use.

Also, I would like to welcome Kevin Brothers to our Area. He is a transferring CPC from N90 that formerly worked in the B Area here at ZSE.

BWS

The dream line sheets have been worked through and we were able to accommodate some of them.  The 2021 BWS schedule reflecting those changes has been posted in the area by the headset bins. 

The determination as to when exactly we can expect to return to BWS is still up in the air. There have been some discussions about allowing each area to individually determine when they go back, but that is something that still needs to be negotiated at a facility level. Currently, I don’t see a need to go back to five-on / two-off, but that could change if we are unable to train or if traffic demand increases to a level that we cannot sustain with our current staffing. Again, I welcome any feedback either in support or opposition to returning to BWS, especially from those of you whom I rarely see.

That is all I have for now. Please remember to wear your mask, look out for each other, and stay safe.

In Solidarity,

Jared Zimmerman

zse.natca.a.area@gmail.com

(801) 635-9184

Spot Leave Requests for the 2021 Leave Year

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to write a quick update to let you all know that you can officially enter your spot-leave requests for the 2021 leave year into web scheduler on the morning of Tuesday, November 24th, at 12:00 am. This information is also posted in the area by the headset bins. If you have any questions please contact me via phone, text, or email.

In Solidarity,

Jared Zimmerman

BWS Bidding for 2021

Hello All,

Bidding is expected to start this week. I have left a copy of the available lines in the area for a couple of weeks now, but I have also attached a copy in this post if you want to see it again. Bidding will be pretty much the same as last year, but hopefully a bit smoother since we have some experience with it. The trainee bid lines will be negotiated after the first round of CPC bidding so expect a short delay after round one.

Here is the link to the BIDATC site: http://www.bidatc.com/#/zse/

You will be able to access the 2021 MOU on the BIDATC home page.

Please log onto BIDATC prior to the start of bidding to ensure that you have access to the site and that your contact information is correct. The first CPC will be informed when they are up and the rest should be informed automatically thereafter. If some time goes by and I notice you haven’t bid, I will contact you to ensure that you were notified.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Jared Zimmerman

September 1, 2020 Update

Hello All,

I hope everyone’s summer is going well! I know it’s been a while since my last update so I wanted to address some issues that have come up and some things that will need to be addressed in the near future.

Traffic - As you all have seen, traffic has steadily increased since over the last two months and we have had to stay on position longer and work busier traffic than we were used to in order to accommodate the 5-on-5-off schedule. I have been hearing from multiple sources that while traffic normally drops after Labor Day, this year that won’t necessarily be the case. The projections are indicating traffic levels will remain about where they are right now.  

Staffing - I have had a few of you reach out to me about there being instances where you have felt like the area was understaffed for a shift. A few of the FLMs have also voiced their concerns.  As of PP21 we will have 28 controllers available to staff in the area. That means we are working with two teams of 14 (6 day, 6 swing, and 2 mid).  I am hesitant to increase our COVID staffing guidelines from 5 to 6 for a couple of reasons.  First, we have guaranteed leave for the rest of the year so we would be continually staffing under guidelines. That means we could never get any spot leave requests approved, and I know that there are several employees that may end up with use or lose this year. Second, I haven’t seen evidence other than a few instances where we don’t have the staffing to split sectors for brief periods to accommodate spikes in traffic. It sounds like people are still willing to work shorter breaks and longer sessions in order to stay in this posture. If you feel like this is a misrepresentation of how you see things, please reach out to me so we can discuss. 

That being said, I would implore all of you to not hesitate to ask for help during spikes in traffic. I have seen instances where controllers got themselves into a jam because they didn’t want to shorten their co-worker’s break.  Please look out for each other and make sure safety is still the priority during your shift. The schedule is designed to minimize the risk of COVID exposure and limit its effect on the NAS if it does happen. We can only maintain these schedules as long as safety is not compromised.

Whidbey - Whidbey has formally requested an extension of the DIABLO/HOODOO airspace. Part of their request would extend the airspace into the NW corner of sector 31/12. I will put a copy of the proposal in the area in the next couple of weeks. In the discussions I have had, I indicated that for the proposal to even be considered it would need to be clear of YVR J52 routing and remain clear of YDC..GLASR. Please provide any feedback you may have after you see the proposal.

Tony Germann - Sadly, Tony Germann will be leaving us to pursue an opportunity at ZLA. I have truly enjoyed working with Tony and have looked up to him as a mentor in my time here at ZSE. I think I speak for everyone when I say his presence in the facility will be greatly missed. His last day will be September 12th and we are going to be having a Microsoft Teams farewell at 6:00 pm on that day.  Here is the link:

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_Nzg1NzY3NzMtN2EwMS00ZGZlLWIxMTEtNDBjNTc5NmRkNzY4%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2255ac6233-9691-462f-9a12-eaccdf35e2bc%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%228534f0f2-f7a5-479e-b78b-4bbb5fecd2f6%22%7d

In Solidarity,

Jared Zimmerman

June 29, 2020 Update

Hello Everyone,

We are approaching peak traffic time and there are a few changes on the horizon I wanted to address in this update before we get there.

As you may have seen or heard already, the trainees that have been certified on a position will be in the area to re-certify by getting an over-the-shoulder evaluation and eight hours of currency. I have encouraged them to take precautions due to the proximity in which they will have to work with the R-side and the fact that they haven’t been in regular contact with other employees. It is expected that they will be sent home as soon as they have achieved their currency. Only one trainee will be in the control room at a time.

There have been some personnel changes that have had an impact on the schedule. We are now operating with thirty controllers. Unfortunately, that means that I had to readjust the schedule, including the scheduled EA that was published for pay periods 15 and 16. Please log in to web-schedule to see if your schedule has been affected. Increased bid-leave, assignment of CICs, and a compressed workforce are going to lessen the amount of EA assigned to each of us. Expect that to continue throughout the summer.

The ten-minute overtime schedule has changed slightly to reflect the need in the area. The day shift will only be getting one ten-minute overtime assignment, the swing will get three, and the mid will still get two. If any of you have any experience with this being inadequate, please let me know.

I think we would all like to stay on this five-on, five-off schedule for as long as possible. In order to do that, there may be times where we are feeling short staffed, having to work longer than normal sessions, and/or taking shorter breaks. Please make sure that you are not taking any unnecessary risks by not asking to split sectors when needed just to allow for people to have longer breaks. Please look out for each other and make sure the people on your team have adequate help. 

Thank you for your professionalism and helping to support the effort to keep our workforce as safe as possible.

In Solidarity,

Jared Zimmerman

zse.natca.a.area@gmail.com

(801) 635-9184

May 10, 2020 Update

Hello All,

Well, pardon me while I reverse my thoughts on the schedule for the next few weeks. Things sure changed quickly after I sent out the last update. We are still in unusual territory and the sudden changes underline the necessity for being prepared to be flexible with this dynamic schedule. That being said, there is going to be increased traffic demand in the next few weeks and I am pleased that we are going to be taking a proactive stance instead of being reactive. I am also glad that NATCA and management have agreed to continue the commitment to keep the amount of people in the workplace at a minimum by allowing us to assign EA.

As Derek mentioned in his update, the schedule will be changing as of May 28th.  I have been working closely with all of the members of the Eboard and the schedulers to try to put out the fairest schedule we could within the new guidelines. Here is a list of changes:

• We are going to have two teams instead of three.

  • The old team two will be divided between the two new teams.

• Currently, the guidelines we have negotiated for the area are five for the day, five for the swing, and two for the mid.

  • These guidelines are subject to change if there is a need.

• The day and swing shift will continue to rotate as they have been. The Mid shift will not rotate since we have the same six volunteers.

• EA will be assigned in increments of two days.

• EA will be first assigned to the employees on a particular team and shift who have had the longest time since their 10-days off.

  • The next order of EA assignment will be based on seniority.

• Employees on EA during the working portion of their five-day rotation will be recallable up to four hours prior to the start of their shift. An example of an employee being recalled would be if someone calls in sick. It is understood that a sick call may not necessitate a recall, but it is a possibility.

Damien will be working this week to get the changes input into web schedule, and I would like to thank him for all of his hard work.  In the meantime, here is a copy of the revised schedule between May 28th and June 6th:

That’s all I have for now. I will try to make myself available to answer any questions you may have as quickly as I can. Thank you to everyone for handling this challenge with the utmost professionalism. I am proud that I get to work with each of you. Stay healthy, stay safe, and have a happy Mother’s Day.

In Solidarity,

Jared Zimmerman

zse.natca.a.area@gmail.com

801) 635-9184

May 3, 2020 Update

Hello All

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for your cooperation in making the transition to the new schedule as smooth as possible. Since we started this endeavor over a month ago, I have not heard from any of you that this change has been anything but doable and the appropriate measure to take during these trying times. That being said, there are some new challenges we are going to face in the near future, and I wanted to try to address the possible questions that you might have regarding the impact on the A area.

Summer is coming up, what about increased traffic volume? As it stands right now, our traffic numbers have decreased to the point where we can justifiably accommodate the workload with decreased staffing. If those numbers increase to the point where we can no longer manage the workload, that will be the time to start looking at transitioning to a schedule where we would have to increase staffing or begin using other mitigation strategies. Those strategies might include shorter breaks, longer sessions, and TMIs.

I’ve heard that we are staffing the CIC more often. Why is that? According to the facility SOPs we are required to staff a supervisor or CIC in the area at all times. At the beginning of this dynamic schedule, the A or B area supervisors were in charge of both areas. It was determined that in order to be in charge of both areas, they were required to maintain line-of-sight. That, of course, is an impossibility between the A and B areas so expect to share the burden of staffing a CIC part of the time during your shift. Believe me, I am as frustrated about that as all of you are. 

Due to Hillsboro Aviation resuming operations at the Redmond airport, the B area is expecting the need to open up a 3rd sector more often between the hours of 1000 – 1800 local. During those times, expect the need to staff the CIC position to increase in the coming days.

Bid Leave? As of today, bid leave has not been a factor. Presumably because things are closed, and stay-at-home orders are in place. As things start to open up and restrictions begin to loosen, I anticipate that some bid leave will want to be used and conflicts will arise as a result. Prime-time leave will be honored, and that will definitely be a factor in determining our ability to manage the workload. Again, if the workload cannot be mitigated by other means, we may need to look at transitioning to a schedule with more staffing sooner rather than later. 

Is there an end in sight? Currently, the state of Washington has extended their stay-at-home order until May 31st. That date has been set and extended multiple times so that date is in no way an indicator of the end of the restrictions. The schedule has been published through pay-period 12 (June 6th, 2020). Pay-period 13 (through June 21st, 2020) will be published later this week. There has been no indication as of yet that we are going to start transitioning back to our normal schedule before then. For your planning purposes, I would expect to work the published schedule until you hear otherwise from a member of the Eboard. 

What will the transition back to a normal schedule look like? It is the opinion of the local to maintain the 5/10 schedule for as long as possible. It is my understanding that when we inevitably begin to transition back to a normal schedule, we can expect a phased-in approach and would hopefully have one pay-period’s notice prior to that transition.  

I hope this helped to clarify some of your concerns moving forward. Please feel free to contact me via text, phone, or email if you have any other questions or concerns. I will try to get back to you as quickly as possible.

In Solidarity,

Jared Zimmerman

zse.natca.a.area@gmail.com

(801) 635-9184

COVID-19 Schedule

Hello all,

Here is the schedule for the next 30 days beginning with the Sunday, March 29th, mid shift. OM and MA will come in Saturday night at 2350. Damien is working to get it posted into web schedule. This schedule will also be posted in the area.

A few of you let me know there is a typo in my last update regarding the mid shift. It should read 2200-0600. Thank you for your patience and for helping to make this as smooth as possible.

Jared Zimmerman

COVID-19 Schedule Update

Hello all,

NATCA and management have agreed upon a dynamic scheduling plan throughout the NAS in order to minimize risk and exposure to the workforce.  We have been tasked with implementing this change by Sunday, March 29th. I will give you some of the details now and expect to hear more from Derek and/or Amy in the next day or so.

The area is going to be split into three teams. One team will have ten and the others will have eleven. The shifts will be broken up into straight days, straight swings, and straight mids.  You will work five shifts in a row and then you will have ten days off. You will then rotate to a swing if you were on days during the previous five workdays or vice-versa. I have already worked out volunteers that will permanently be on mids so those shifts will not rotate.

Day shifts are defined as 0600-1400

Swing shifts are defined as 1400-2200

Mids are defined as 2200-0600.

These shifts will all be no-flex.

There are seven 10-minute OT assignments given for a few controllers to come in, do their WX/CEDAR, and have time to relieve the previous crew. Two for the day, three for the swing, and two for the mid. These OTs will be given based on the OT list.

If someone calls in sick, there will be no overtime called in.  Methods will have to be put in place to manage the workload between the remaining crew.

On days you are not assigned to work, you will be on EA and not be recallable unless there is an emergency.

Shift swaps are only going to be approved if it is before your work week has started and it has to be for the whole week.  They will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and will only be approved if the reduction of cross-contamination can be maintained.

Any assigned OT you have beyond March 28th is cancelled.

Any credit shifts you have assigned are cancelled

Any bid leave you have is still going to be honored so if you don’t want that leave used, please turn it in.

The schedule is mostly complete, I just need to get approval from Derek and management. 

That is all I have for now. I will try to update you more as I get more information.  This situation is not ideal, however; this is an extraordinary circumstance that calls for everyone to change their lives in order to slow the spread of the virus. It is going to be a tough task but I think it will be effective, and I know that we can all make this work.

Please reach out to me, Matt, or anyone on the Eboard if you have any questions.

In Solidarity,

Jared Zimmerman

COVID-19 Update March 20, 2020

Hello all,

I just wanted to give everyone a brief update of what I know and what to be expecting in the next week or so regarding how our facility is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Sanitization: I have seen everyone using the disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer in the area.  Don Hill has committed to maintaining our supply but has asked that we do not throw away the empty hand sanitizer dispensers.  They have bags of sanitizer to refill the dispensers but no more new dispensers.  There are also latex gloves available at the OM desk if you feel the need to use them.

Guards/Doors: In order to prevent the touching of the badges, Don has arranged for us to have a paper on our dash indicating we are an employee so they can just look at your badge instead of scanning it.  There have been discussions about making the doors open automatically to the control room when you scan your badge but, currently, the paper towel method is what the facility has chosen to go with.  

Gym: Due to the lack of cleaning that is done in the basement, the gym is closed until further notice.

Training: Any non-certified developmentals have been put on EA during the national emergency. I have asked about the possibility of expanding EA to every trainee that is not certified on normally staffed positions, but so far that has yet to be implemented.  As for the national training initiatives directing how many hours per week are required, they have been put on hold.  For those of you that are on EA, there is no need for you to call into work each day as some of you were told before.  Management has asked, however, that if you go from asymptomatic to symptomatic you need contact the facility.

Management has been briefed to only allow training when it makes sense to have a sector open. Opening only necessary d-sides will lessen the amount of individuals working in close proximity to one another. If there is someone who is only certified on d-sides, they are to be given other things to do when they are not needed in the control room.

Leave: If you are sick or are caring for a sick family member, please use sick leave.  If you have been told to quarantine by a CDC official, then it is my understanding that you will be given EA.  If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 you are to use sick leave.  The FAA has loosened the restrictions on granting up to 240 hours of advanced sick leave so if you find yourself short on hours that may be an option to consider.

I would like to thank everyone for working through this difficult situation with professionalism and with care of yourselves and your communities.  Derek and the rest of our local NATCA leadership has worked hard on ensuring that the safety of the workforce is at the forefront of every decision that is being made.  This is a dynamic situation and things change rapidly so I expect to continue to see decisions made that lessen the risk to our facility.

In Solidarity,

Jared Zimmerman

March 3, 2020 Update

Hello all,

Springtime is just around the corner.  I know we are all in need of some nicer weather but, as you all know, with the change in seasons comes increased traffic volume.  The SEA traffic count is expected to, yet again, increase significantly over the previous year.  There are currently tools being utilized, or scheduled to be in place, by the peak traffic season in order to help mitigate the impact of increased volume.  A few examples are the increased 3-mile area in all the sectors, the DOWNRIGGER MRU for the airspace in sector 3, and PDRs into sector 31 for aircraft filed over MLP (they will PDR to the Z routes).  Additionally, there are ideas in the works to help improve the overall efficiency and safety of SEA departures and PAE arrivals, but those are going to take a bit longer to develop and implement.

I would like to take a moment to congratulate the following developmentals for some major accomplishments recently:

Mike Morrow, and Colin MacQuarrie for completing stage 4 class.

Gary Cozad, Jared Fenton, and Katrina Linder for completing stage 3 class.

Mike Draper for certifying on all d-sides.

To all the other developmentals, keep up the progress and continuing working hard. It benefits all of us to have you succeed.

Speaking of training, I know that having a high volume of d-side trainees can pose a burden on the resources of the area.  There have been a few questions asked of me regarding the approval/denial of spot leave requests when our staffing is above guidelines, but we have 2 or more d-side trainees. 

Article 24, section 14 states that “…leave requests shall be approved/disapproved subject to staffing and workload…”.  It also states that the decision “shall not be subject to conditional circumstances.”

In other words, management may decide to deny a request if they can justify it with training as a workload requirement, but they are not allowed to deny leave because they fear they might take a sick leave request.

I would really like to see leave requests being addressed consistently by all supervisors in our area, and hopefully we can get there soon.  For now, if you notice that leave requests are not being handled per the contract, please bring it to my attention.

Finally, I would like to remind you that there is going to be an all members meeting on Monday, March 30th, at the Rainbow Café in Auburn at 3:00.  If you have questions that you would like to address to the local or concerns that you would like to voice, the membership meeting is a great place to do that.

In Solidarity,

Jared Zimmerman

January 23, 2020 Update

Hello all,

Last week I attended a meeting with a few individuals from Seattle TRACON.  Amongst other things, we discussed issues with speed coordination on departures.  There have been some ideas to improve the entire process and I have been working with Eric Tandberg on addressing some changes that will improve the safety and efficiency of the existing procedures.  I will have more information as to what that might look like as we work through the process.

Thank you to those who volunteered to be the SME for TR2.  As you heard from Amy, this has been suspended indefinitely due to issues identified by the key sites.  I will let you all know when I have more information regarding TR2.

The facility is looking for 2 volunteers to teach the entire 2 weeks of the next round of IST.  The cadre class will be April 7th and 8th, or April 9th and 10th.  The class will be taught during the weeks of April 26th and May 3rd. If you are interested, please let me or anyone from the eboard know.

The new NUW LOA will be rolled out next week.  The intent of the new letter was to bring the LOA more in line with the 7110.65, and to streamline the process by forcing Whidbey to be accountable for their mission control.  We are no longer in the business of policing what they do within the SUA.  As with any change, there may be some growing pains.  If you start to notice trends that that impact us negatively, please let me know so I can address them with Whidbey command.

Representatives from ZVR will be coming to ZSE next Thursday to talk about some things that they would like to have happen in the future.  I will be there to represent our area.  If there are any concerns that you would like me to address with them, please let me know.

Lastly, during the last membership meeting, it was voted that each area rep may nominate an alternate area rep to be approved by the eboard.  I have nominated Matt Beckman as the alternate for our area and he has been approved. I chose Matt because of our positive working relationship and his interest in becoming involved in NATCA.  There is also a need to have representation on the side of the watch opposite me.  Please feel free to communicate any concerns to MM in my absence and we will work together on addressing the issue.

In Solidarity,

Jared Zimmerman

Spot-Leave Requests for the 2020 Leave Year

Just wanted to write a quick update to let you all know that you can officially enter your spot-leave requests for the 2020 leave year into web scheduler on the morning of Tuesday, November 26th, at 12:00 am. This information is also posted in the area by the headset bins. If you have any questions please contact me via phone, text, or email.

Also, there will be an all members meeting on Monday, December 9th, at Oddfellows Pub and Eatery, 102 W Main St., Auburn, from 2:00-4:00. Items on the agenda include local constitution changes, financial report, and feedback on bidatc and MOU’s. We would love to see you there!

In Solidarity,

Jared Zimmerman

zse.natca.a.area@gmail.com

(801) 635-9184

November 5, 2019 Update

Bidding, as you all know, is well underway. Thank you all for you patience with the new process. The feedback I have received has been mostly positive. There have been a few glitches with the program but I think it will be a process that will continue to get better every year. If you have had any problems with bidatc that you would like to see addressed in the future please let me know.

As we continue bidding round three and beyond this week, please remember to leave a proxy bid if you will be unreachable during the next few weeks.

There are AWS request forms posted in the area near the headset boxes that need to be filled out and returned to me by 12:00 pm on Saturday, November 9th. You can put them in my headset box or my mail slot. I will be reviewing the requests the following week and will be meeting with management to negotiate the changes.

I was officially notified yesterday that we are in need of TWO article five volunteers for the training department. One for a stage three class, and one for a stage four class. Both classes will begin on Dec. 30, 2019. The D-side class will end on Feb. 13, 2020, and the R-side class will end on Feb. 20, 2020. As, the memo indicates in the area, this solicitation request will close at 12:00 pm on Saturday, November 16th, in order to give Damien enough notice to work on the schedule.

Looking ahead, IST training will be during the first two weeks of December. I will post the schedule in the area in the next couple of weeks.

Don’t forget about the NATCA holiday party on Saturday, December 7th, at the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Tacoma from 6 to 10 PM. Catering and drinks will be provided by Pacific Grill. If you are interested in helping make the party a success please contact Amy Sizemore or you can let me know.

That’s all I have for now. Keep up the good work!

In Solidarity,

Jared Zimmerman

zse.natca.a.area@gmail.com

(801) 635-9184

October 14, 2019 Update

First, I would like to thank everyone for allowing me to represent the area.  I hope that I can live up to your expectations, and I welcome any feedback to help me do the best job possible.

As Brooke mentioned before, there has been a delay in bidding due to the Article 46 solicitation.  It is my understanding that the bid will get started soon after the solicitation closes (last week of October).  The bidding process is going to be different this year but, going forward, I think it is going to be a much smoother process than what we have done in the past.

Here is the link to the bidATC website:  http://www.bidatc.com/zse#/register.

Everyone will need to set up an account in order to bid.  You will need your NATCA member number. If you don’t know it, contact me and I can get it for you.  If you have any questions about the bid process or setting up an account, please contact me.  Briefings will be conducted this week to help everyone understand how the process will work.  In the meantime, here is the link to the bidATC tutorial video: https://vimeo.com/364230100           

I have heard from a few of you that you have interest in becoming more involved with NATCA.  I would encourage everyone to do so.  In my experience, getting more involved will have a positive impact on your career and will give you a better understanding of what goes on outside of the control room that directly impacts what goes on inside of the control room.  Please contact me or Derek if you have interest and we will keep you in mind when opportunities arise.  

Lastly, here is my contact information:

zse.natca.a.area@gmail.com

801-635-9184

Please feel free to call, text, or email me at any time.  I may not always be immediately available, but I promise I will get back to you as soon as possible.

In Solidarity,

Jared

Brooke’s Final Update

Well I’ve been procrastinating on this update because I’m terrible at goodbyes and it’s most likely a good thing. As all of you should know by now, the bid is being held up to due a Article 46 solicitation to move to the B area. Over the past month I have put the finishing touches on our guides and schedule as well as bringing Jared up to speed on everything going on behind the scenes. Now that my work is done with the schedule, Jared is fully in charge of the area. In preparation for online bidding, you can go to http://bidatc.com/zse#/register and create your account. You be asked for your member number and birthday. You will then be directed to choose your communication method either via text or email. When asked for your initial, it is referring to your operating initials. Once you are done with this you will be ready to bid. As the system is new to the facility, you will be contacted by a rep or designee when you are up to bid.

So with 2 weeks left, I’m going to enjoy my time working in the area. I want to thank everyone who trained me as a CPC-IT. I learned a lot and hope I leave here a better controller. I’m going to miss ZSE, the A area, and the PNW. If you find yourself in Cleveland for any reason (it really isn’t that bad), you have my contact information.

Lastly I want to thank everyone for having the confidence in me to represent you over the past 2 years. I hope I did not disappoint you as I always thought of the area as a whole when making decisions. I hope to see familiar faces at NATCA events in the years to come.

In solidarity,

Brooke

August 31, 2019 Update

We made it through another summer of traffic. After this weekend will see traffic drop off and then continue to slow until Thanksgiving. We will be transitioning to spring/fall guides and into winter guides by the end of October. Saturday swing guides were negotiated back to 8 for the remainder of the year. Unfortunately with my leave in conjunction with Kevin Nolan’s leave and Damien’s leave, it was never passed down the appropriate channels in time for the publication of pay period 20. While the guides say 7 they are actually at 8 and management is rectifying the 1 shift under guides.

I’d like to congratulate Jared Zimmerman as the next Area Rep. Jared and I will be working together over the next couple weeks to ensure a smooth transition before my departure at the end of October.

Please remember to vote for our FacRep/President. Ballots must be returned by September 15. If you have not received a ballot by August 30th please see any E-board member or Election Committee Members (Angie McMahon, Laura Ryals, Mike Sellman, Dani Eliel).

We are still soliciting an Article 5 to the training department for stage 3 training. The dates of this detail are October 28-December 13. A volunteer is needed by September 7. Please let me know if you are interested in this detail.

A new initiative has come down from the region regarding trainees spot leave. For our trainees, Spot leave is leave requested after the schedule is published. The initiative states that a trainee must get their minimum required training hours in for the week before they can take spot leave. I am unsure of the exact hours but they are around 15 and vary between d-side and r-side trainee. The region calculates the week as Sunday through Saturday. If your leave request is denied please let me know as soon as possible or contact Derek or Amy.

Brooke

Brooked85@hotmail.com

440-227-5591

July 22, 2019 Update

I apologize for not getting an update out sooner. Between our short staffing and trying to get my house ready to sell, majority of free time has been going to building next years schedule and negotiating guides as well as making sure our trainees are being taken care of.

I received word this week that guidance from the region is that we are to keep all trainees on the training side of the schedule everyday and it will be upon those trainees who need currency to get it for themselves. Since this is new information as of this week, I anticipate that on Pay Period 20, the trainees will no longer be scheduled a pro day. I ask once again that you do not ask trainees to staff for you so you can get a day of leave. While I want everyone to get leave, we need to train our way through this staffing shortage so that leave will be plentiful in the future.

Our flow of trainees is not going down anytime soon. If you were not aware, we have 6 trainees in the training department right now with 1 more scheduled to arrive today. There will be a lot of D-side training over the next year. With that said we will have 2 opportunities for Article 5s through the end of the year.

The 1st article 5 will be for stage 3 class for John Conley (CPC-IT from SAN) and Zachary Nelson (DEV from academy) beginning Monday, October 21-Friday, December 6. If you are interested in this detail please let me know.

If you are interested in the above detail but you have scheduled leave you worry may interfere, the next Article 5 detail will begin Monday, December 9 with the end date TBD. There is a chance that our 2 academy grads in this class get placed in other areas to help alleviate our traffic jam of trainees but they will be replaced be 2 more academy grads shortly after.

While I discuss training, I will begin a VERY early solicitation for Recurrent training Cadres. Recurrent training round 14 is scheduled December 1-14. The Cadre class will be the week of October 28. It’s a 2 day class and attendance during both days is mandatory. There will be 2 classes offered over 4 days. If you are interested in being a Cadre, please let me know.

I want to thank everyone for feedback on the schedules I have had in the area. I have made some minor adjustments and printed out new schedules for everyone to look at. I will be submitting schedules this week to management and at that time the schedules on the floor will be removed until we approach the time we get ready to bid.

Onto airspace discussions. I’ve been working with S46 on some minor changes to the LOA to accommodate the addition of PAE commercial traffic. There will be some adjustments for aircraft handoffs and PAE departure routing into sector 2. The routing issue is just to adjust the current operations to make them compliant with the LOA as some aircraft are having issues with the current routing in the LOA. These changes will be minor and briefed in the near future.

I have also received an airspace change proposal on the sector 1/32 boundary. I am going to place a depection of a proposed change to the airspace in the area on the wall near the headset boxes along with some feedback forms. Please take some time to give feedback on the the proposal if you like it, don’t like it, or kind of like it but have an alternate idea.

On a final note, I have hunted everyone down to verify addresses for the upcoming election. The address on the sheet was the address in the NATCA database. If you wrote down a new address, you will need to log into the Natca site to update your address. Please make sure your address is up to date for any future NATCA mailings.

Brooke

440.227.5591

brooked85@hotmail.com

June 8, 2019 Update

Staffing

We are in full swing with summer traffic.  As a result, starting Monday, June 10, there will be two 1530 shifts each week night through pay period 16.

Please keep an eye out on your fellow controllers as we are working more traffic with poor staffing.  Everyday we have people call in sick, management has tried to call in OT however only 1 or 2 people are eligible and most of you are feeling burnt out from 6 day work weeks.

Training

It has been brought to my attention that our trainees are not getting consistent training.  Half of our trainees fail to get 10 hours of training a week.  This has been brought to managements attention.  OT has been authorized whenever we fall below guides.  Management may also ‘manage’ the area to ensure our trainees are getting a minimum of 2 hours of training a day.  If your break gets cut short it is most likely so we can get our trainees certified before they are eligible to retire.

Airspace

This past week many of you have reached out to me about sector 2 during Sierra routes.  I have talked to TMU about possible alternate routing and was told it would be difficult to have the B area (which is where the crossovers would happen) buy off additional workload.  The first step to help us mitigate this issue is to lower the threshold for the sector going red.  I am also reaching out to S46 and SEA to see if they would be able to help us with some in trail spacing on departures.  This will take a little time to set up a procedure for reducing the workload on sector 2 but in the mean time, please create a falcon reply and email it to me and Kevin Nolan (kevin.nolan@faa.gov) or give me a date and approximate time in which you had a very busy session that was complicated by Sierra routes.

Brooke

440.227.5591

brooked85@hotmail.com

May 18, 2019 Update

Summer traffic is building and so is my workload going into the summer and negotiating next years schedule. Damien and I will be meeting with Todd and Kevin to discuss our guides going into next year. If you have any input on things you would like to see please send me an email. As those who work around me have seen, I keep a spreadsheet of every time someone works over 3 hours. It has exposed a need to change our hourly guides at a minimum. I’m also going to work hard to bring up our Saturday night guides in the winter-that will include the rest of this year.

SCHEDULE

A few items for the schedule. 1st is round 6 bid leave that may be converted into credit. If you have leave that was bid in round 6 that can be converted to credit hours, the notes in web scheduler (under your leave) will read BID ROUND 6 LEAVE. If you don’t remember what leave you bid in round 6, navigate to the bid info page of our local website and round 6 picks are noted in red.

Thank you to everyone, again, going through these next couple weeks. The 2 shortest staffed areas in the building have been most impacted by the back to back mandatory training requirements we are required to do each year. This week we have annual area refresher training. We get a week break before we send new OJTIs and CICs to their respective classes and then we have mandatory OJTI and CIC refresher classes. We will then be back to normal ops until the end of summer. OT assignments will not drop back to winter levels but most likely will not be as high as they have been recently.

Last item is the building of next years schedule. It is very important for me to get feedback from you as I will not be bidding a line next year. I will take schedule submissions for next year. We have a few factors that may impact next years schedule. I believe we will start the year with 33 CPCs but we will lose Dave in the middle of summer as he enjoys retirement. With that I’m planning a schedule with 32 CPCs and doubling up whatever line Dave bids. Some other factors that play into this is the possible lose of Derek as the facrep if he wins the next election. We also have a few CPCs looking at career progression that may impact our numbers. If you would like to build a schedule consider that we may need options for 31, 32, or 33 CPCs. Next years summer guides will most likely remain the same as this year. Build a schedule to summer guides. If you would like a copy of the excel spreadsheet I use to build the schedule, I’m willing to send it out with some basic instructions on how to use it.

TRAINING

Thank you to everyone who volunteered for this summer’s article 5 detail. Bid leave played into our selection but there will be plenty of opportunities in the near future. There will be at least 1 more opportunity this fall and possibly a second by the end of the year.

Over the past couple weeks, there have been many inconsistencies in training hours. The r-sides have been used in staffing and some d-sides have received as little as 4 hours of training for the entire week. After talking with management, the expectation going forward is a minimum of 10 hours a week for trainees. To help mitigate this, I’m asking everyone to go to a trainees sup (not the sup who’s shift the request is on) when considering a trainee to work in staffing for your leave. The trainee’s sup is going to have the best idea on how many hours a week they are training and if they can be spared a day to cover leave.

LSC REQUEST

The LSC is requesting any questions or feedback you my have for TMU. Please keep the feedback civil. If you believe something can be done better please provide the feedback. Please keep questions regarding TMU operations strictly to the operations. Examples can be why does the C area have a meter time for an aircraft that departed GEG but the A area doesn’t have a time until they are 10 miles over the C area border? Please direct questions/feedback to my email or to the LSC suggestion box at the watch desk. Ideally I would like everything sent to me via email so the LSC can identify area specific questions that may be reoccurring.

NATCA SWAG

We have new lanyards for all members. You can stop by the union office to receive one or wait for your refresher day. Area refresher starts Monday and I will see everyone. If you haven’t received a lanyard prior to your refresher day I will have 1 for you.

Local Meeting

Our next local meeting is June 13, 2:30pm at the Rainbow Cafe. We have some local constitution amendments to vote on so please join us if you are available. We will also be discussing MOUs for next year.

Brooke Dawson

brooked85@Hotmail.com

440.227.5591