NWP “Hot Sheet” Week of 9-10-07

NWP Reps/Members,

Last week, I had the distinct pleasure of attending Communicating for Safety for the first time.  If you haven’t been to CFS then start planning for CFS 2008 in Chicago.  The conference is set up in partnership with the Airline Pilots Association and it was a huge success.  We heard from some terrific speakers.  They all seemed to echo the same theme though, which was collaboration, team work, working together in one variation or another, etc.

Even Rick Day, ATO Enroute VP, spoke about working together.  Rick was addressing the group instead of Acting COO Bobby Sturgell.  What an absolute irony to hear Rick Day talk about team work and working together to modernize the system.  The reality of the situation is that the FAA has decided to alienate its workforce and distance itself from ANY collaboration with the air traffic controllers.  In the past several years, the FAA has disbanded and demolished every workgroup that controllers were actively participating in with the FAA and the aviation industry.  Whether it was National Airspace Re-design, ADS-B (yes, the same one they are rolling out today), or CPDLC, the FAA walked away from it.  It wasn’t until delays were at a record high and the Administrator was nearing the end of her term and closing in on her new job that the FAA dusted off ADS-B and rolled it out as the cure for delays.  Keep in mind that the FAA was supposed to have ADS-B up and running in 2001! Here is a word of wisdom to the FAA: before you move any further with ADS-B, why don’t you fix the unsatisfactory conditions reported by controllers in Alaska who have been working with ADS-B for several years.

Ham
NWP RVP

• I would like to thank everyone who played a role in making the 2007 Communicating for Safety such a success, especially Vince Polk and the NATCA Safety Committee.

• Here is an excerpt from Phil Boyer’s (AOPA) speech at NATCA’s Communicating for Safety conference in Atlanta, which appeared in an aviation column.  I think Phil did an outstanding job of shedding light on NEXGEN and the whole FAA funding fiasco:

“The common goal of modernizing the nation's air traffic control system has been sidetracked by the unnecessary “food fights" over FAA funding”.

Rather than pitting the controllers, general aviation, and the airlines against each other over changing the way the agency is funded... the FAA should have been working on "creating the new system by talking to the people behind the equipment, and doing so without alienating the community that it is designed to serve," Boyer said.

There's always been enough money for what FAA says NextGen will cost, even though we don't know yet exactly what we're going to buy.

NextGen is the FAA's plan to transform the air traffic control system by creating a networked system with aircraft and ground constantly exchanging data, allowing more efficient use of the airspace, and reducing the amount of human interaction necessary to maintain aircraft separation. FAA calls ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) the "backbone technology" that is supposed to enable the rest of NextGen.

But ADS-B is already off to a rocky start, according to Boyer. "The FAA issued the contract to build Phase 1 of this new technology without standards or procedures, without an NPRM vetted by the public and industry, and without total buy-in by the airlines as to if they'll really equip for NextGen."

He said that AOPA was "all for" ADS-B when it was proposed 15 years ago, particularly since it brought with it the promise of traffic and weather in the cockpit through the same datalink. AOPA participates in ADS-B demonstration programs and hosts an ADS-B ground station at its Frederick, MD headquarters. Boyer's personal aircraft and AOPA company aircraft are ADS-B equipped.

But we've waited so long that we're now getting weather information on a handheld GPS in the smallest of GA aircraft. ADS-B is a better surveillance technology than radar because it is faster and more precise; some of the original GA benefits of ADS-B are quickly being overtaken by new technologies."

Turning to an airline pilot who was also addressing the controllers' conference, Boyer said, "Your TCAS systems are state of the art. Yet if I flew my 172, which is fully equipped with what the FAA says is the future of air traffic surveillance, next to a Delta airliner and I didn't have my Mode C turned on, Delta couldn't see me."

The FAA has yet to say whether ADS-B, with its faster response time and greater accuracy, will be used to replace Mode C transponders.

And Boyer noted that while the FAA has been claiming that there isn't enough money from the current aviation taxes to build NextGen, H.R.2881 (the House FAA funding bill currently in the Ways and Means Committee) would provide some $5 billion for ADS-B and NextGen over the next four years.

"Five billion dollars is about as much as I would want to give the FAA without knowing exactly what they're going to spend it on," Boyer said.

As for proposed methods for funding the FAA after September 30, Boyer said user fees of any kind "could be the death knell for all of aviation."

"And you're in this with us," Boyer told the controllers, adding that any sized user fee would start the move away from a "single, uniform government-run system with dedicated employees, to one where decisions will be made outside the control of our elected officials.... It would start us down the road to privatization."

Boyer noted that the Senate FAA funding bill, S.1300, had what many considered an "insignificant" $25 user fee.

"I don't care if it were only one dollar, it would start us down the path toward privatization," Boyer said. He suggested the controllers look at what has happened to "your bothers and sisters in foreign countries."

Boyer reiterated AOPA's support for H.R. 2881, the House FAA funding bill.

He concluded by giving thanks to controllers. "It all boils down to the people in the cockpit and the people on the ground. And I'll tell you, when I'm up there, I'm sure glad you're down here."

• We were advised that SAN Tower had a leak in the A/C system for the building.  Maint/fire/hazmat was dispatched and personnel were asked to remain in the cab and away from any fumes until the area was cleared out.  The facility prepared to go to ATC-0, and made all the coordination’s, but were then told by Hazmat that they felt it was safer for them to remain in the cab.  The controllers had to remain in the tower for approximately an hour and a half.  Serious flaws were found in the tower evacuation procedures that will hopefully be fixed.

• AOV sent a clarification to managers on Tuesday specifically stating that no credentials will be issued to NATCA bargaining unit employees until negotiations have been completed.

• Elliot Brann, Regional Runway Safety lead submits the following to the Western Pacific runway safety team: “It has come to my attention that we are beginning to see issues with the new taxiways and how they have been named at LAX. I would like to see if there may be other options for naming these taxiways to avoid confusion for the flight crews”.

• I received some information from Monique France, Western Terminal, regarding Military Leave and a problem with a VRA sign on incentive at OAK.  Monique advised that before they can forward the new interpretation for military reserve duty to the facilities they had to ensure that all three HR offices had the same interpretation.  Once this coordination is completed, the Service Center, or HR, will prepare and distribute a memo that restates the agency's guidance.  They have also determined that their determination that our OAK VRA was eligible for an incentive was incorrect.  They are looking at the timing of the incentive and when our VRA accepted the job offer to determine what if anything can be done.

• Craig Lucas, RNO Fac Rep, advised us about a Weingarten meeting at Reno.  We had some previous issues with how Weingarten meetings were conducted at RNO, but in this instance, the ATM followed the statute which certainly makes our jobs a whole lot easier.

• A FERS/CSRS retirement/benefits seminar is scheduled for the Los Angeles area on November 15, 2007 at the Westin Los Angeles airport from 8am-4pm.  The registration deadline for this briefing is November 1, 2007.  You may register online using your NATCA number at http://natca.sharmansite.com

• I talked with Teri Bristol regarding a training failure at BUR, SCT and the problems with the PSP consolidation, standardization of the Phraseology assessment “PA”, and a request by an employee for a copy of his record of investigation “ROI”.

• Here is an update on the PSP training issues that are occurring at SCT and why I had a discussion with Teri regarding SCT:

• Since July 11, 2007, the Empire area has THREE (3) controllers certified on the PSP sectors.
• The Empire area has 14 people training, 11 of them should have had a skill check by now, only ONE (1) has.
• No one gets trained more than once every two weeks and that is good, most get training about once a month. Proficiency time for the certified controllers on the PSP sectors is next to non-existent.

• I have asked Steve Merlin, SCT Fac Rep to discuss any and all issues related with the PSP Consolidation with the SCT ATM.

• I have also asked Western Terminal to validate a rumor that they will stop providing PSP controllers to supplement the training at SCT some time in October.

• Mike Hull worked with Michael Puffer at E10 regarding their upcoming schedule.

• I got some currency at ZLA and delegated the official time to Mike Hull, regional LR lead.

• While at ZLA, I had a discussion with Steve Osterdahl about the upcoming ZLA ATM announcement and whether there was any progress on the ZLA ATC-12 upgrade.

• Not even three hours later, I received a voice mail from Steve Osterdahl announcing that the FAA was upgrading ZLA to an ATC-12.  Two days earlier, I personally talked to Enroute VP, Rick Day.  I made a point to specifically talk to him about the ZLA upgrade.  He commented that they were working on the upgrade and trying to make some progress.  At no point, did Rick indicate to me that two (2) days later they would come out with the most despicable, disgusting, disheartening, and disappointing letter to employees that I have ever seen during my near eighteen (18) years of service with the FAA.  In this letter, Rick congratulates the ZLA workforce on the importance of reaching this important milestone.  What he forgets to mention in his memorandum is that by applying the new pay rules, the majority of the ZLA workforce will not see a penny, nada, zilch, NOTHING!!  Meanwhile, the supervisors/managers will see a 6.7 % pay increase.

• Rick Day, Joe Miniace, and Steve Osterdahl will be at ZLA on Thursday September 20, 2007 at 1330 to share this new found spirit of employee recognition with the workforce at ZLA.  This is an absolute atrocity and I have personally asked Rick Day to save the tax payers some money and forego the trip.  The controllers at Los Angeles Center lived up to their commitment by providing the safest and most expeditious service to our users while working ATC-12 traffic for over 1000 days.  It is truly a sad day that the FAA purposefully decides to walk away from its commitment to its most precious commodity, its workforce.

• News flash out of Tuscon Tracon!  Thanks to the Phoenix hub and the U90 ATM, the controllers at U90 will be recognized on Monday September 24, 2007 for ATC-11 and below facility of the year with some light snacks.

• Here is an update from Andy Heifner, Finance Chair about local’s receiving letters from the IRS:

“The IRS is issuing letters to many of our facilities concerning a new 2008 electronic filing requirement.  If a facility in your region receives one of these letters, have them hold on to the letters and await further guidance from the National Office”.

• At Los Angeles Tower, management asks for names via the imposed work rules art 48.  Mike Foote, LAX Fac Rep responds with some names, but they do not like the names and interview other employees without providing the union the opportunity to be present.  LAX happens to be one of the facilities on the FAA administrators “Call to Action” list.  What is ironic is that they want our help to reduce runway incursions, but want to pick and choose who will be our representatives to these workgroups!!

• NATCA prevailed in the DOD Schools arbitration; congratulations Peter Gimbrere who was the first seat in the arbitration.  Here is the award from that arbitration:

The grievance is sustained on the basis set forth in the above Findings.  The Agency is ordered to:

1. Withdraw Policy Bulletin #37;
2. Provide a written statement in accordance with DOD Instruction 1342.26 that dependents of all FAA employees covered by this Award located in Puerto Rico and Guam meet the eligibility requirements set forth therein;
3. Reimburse covered employees for the private educational expenses incurred in the period since 20 days prior to the filing of this grievance for any dependents that have not been certified as eligible to attend DOD schools in Puerto Rico and Guam until such time as they are able to attend those schools.

• Currently, the FAA is reviewing the DOD arbitration decision and determining whether they will appeal the decision or comply with the award.

• I wanted to take this opportunity to once again thank every member/activist who took the time to fly to Washington, D.C. and lobby Congress on our behalf during our mini lobby week.  Noel Kingston, Legislative lead is doing a fantastic job and I could not be prouder of his service to NATCA and his fellow controllers.

• I would like to end this week’s update with yet another resignation from the FAA:

Kent Peterson,

This letter is to officially announce my resignation from Fairbanks Int. ATCT.  Although, I appreciate the opportunity to work with the FAA, the current working environment here at this facility and throughout the entire FAA, is one that I no longer wish to affiliated with.  With the imposed contract, and the subsequent treatment to employees I have seen as a result of that imposition, I feel it is in my best interest to leave the FAA.  I therefore will officially resign my position as an air traffic control specialist effective Thursday September 20th, 2007.

Happily,
Clinton A. Ford