NWP Reps/Members,
Wow, what an amazingly fast-paced several weeks with Communicating For Safety, ATSAP Briefings in Los Angeles and Oakland, LR Class in San Diego, as well as the awesome five-region membership meeting in San Diego. Things have been very hectic for the past several weeks. I finally have an opportunity to sit down and write you an update that encompasses much more than just two weeks.
To start with, I would like to dedicate this update to all of the professional air traffic controllers who keep the skies safe 24/7. In addition, I would like to give special recognition to our two Archie league winners from NCT; Tom Gallagher and Neil Irvin. Together, these two gentlemen have a combined 56 years of air traffic control experience. I was very proud to recognize these fine men as the Western Pacific Region, Archie League Medal of Safety Award winners.
I would also like to give a special thanks to John Charlton from Lake Charles tower for adding a whole new meaning to the term ‘Air Traffic Service.’ For complete information on John Charlton and the other Archie League Medal of Safety Award winners, please go to: http://www.natca.org/mediacenter/ArchieLeagueJan06Main.msp
Last but certainly not least, I would like to recognize and congratulate the Western Pacific Archie League Medal of Safety Honorable mentions:
· Gina Eckert-SEE (Gillespie Tower)
· Ken Moen & Mike La Grange- RNO (Reno Tower)
· Jason Hughes-ZLA (Los Angeles Center. Jason also won the AOPA Flight Assist Commendation award for the Western Pacific Region)
As far as I am concerned, each and every one of you is a winner for providing the safest and most efficient service possible to our users and the American flying public; thank you.
In Solidarity,
Ham
NWP RVP
· For those of you in the Western Pacific region who missed the five region membership meeting, you missed an absolutely fantastic meeting. The Western Pacific Region had well over 90 members in attendance which is an all time record for our membership meetings! In all, approximately 220 members attended from the five regions.
· I would like to thank Mickela for the tremendous job she did in organizing this meeting along with Sallie (NEA), Laurelle (NGL), and Pam (NNM). I know Mickela had many sleepless nights stressing out about the meeting (I would get texts from her in the middle of the night). I would also like to thank Dave Caldwell, Mike Hull, and Kevin Sherwood for the work they did leading up to the meeting. This was absolute team work at its finest; from the agenda to the audio/video plan to the room set up to the catering to the terrific dinner in Old Town San Diego and to the candidate’s forum. Everything was planned in advance and everything came together quite nicely.
· I also had an opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication of some of our activists. It gave me great pleasure to recognize NWP Safety Lead Eric Carter, NWP LR Rep and outgoing L30 Facility Rep Bryan Baker, NWP Runway Safety Lead Elliot Brann, and last but not least our attorney at the national office, Kevin Sills. I would like to thank all of these fine men for their support of our great Union.
· As soon as the membership meeting ended at noon on Wednesday, the National Executive Board meeting started. Thursday morning, I was on the first flight out of San Diego to meet DOT Secretary La Hood in Phoenix. The Secretary was in town for an aviation summit and planned to visit the PHX Tower and Tracon during his stay. I had an opportunity to speak with the Secretary while we were walking into the facility. He seemed very down to Earth and very approachable. Once inside, the Secretary reiterated what he has been saying when he visited Miami Tower/Tracon and FAA Headquarters. He reiterated the priorities of the administration:
1. a quick fix to our contract situation, and
2. NextGen.
· The Secretary then opened the floor up to questions. I asked the Secretary whether he would commit to working with the current administration to start affecting some changes while we wait for the new FAA Administrator. The Secretary was very up front and frank with his response. In essence, he stated that they would not make any changes until they had their Administrator confirmed and in place at FAA Headquarters.
· Mike Hull, Garth Koleszar and I continue to work with L30 Facility Rep Sara George on the myriad of issues that have been plaguing the Las Vegas Tracon as a result of the new “Go it alone” management style of the ATM. Just about a year ago, the Las Vegas Tracon was a model facility for Labor Relations. One year later, there is word that there are nine (9) disciplinary actions on the ATM’s desk waiting to be handed out!
· NATCA National Safety Committee member and ATSAP Training Team member Gini Briggs shared an email with me regarding the ATSAP (Air Traffic Safety Action Program) program. Please take a minute and read all about the ATSAP program and what it’s all about (ATSAP should be coming to the Western Pacific Region by Late May or early June):
“Dear NATCA Brothers and Sisters:
As the next region to be covered under the ATSAP umbrella, I thought maybe I should send out something short and sweet to assuage some of the concerns and misconceptions I've heard about the program lately.
First of all, ATSAP is all about safety. It's not a "get out of jail free" or snitch on your neighbor program. The whole idea in a nutshell is that we learn from our mistakes and that, as the perfectionists we are, we are basically self-correcting. No one beats up a controller more after an OE or OD than the controller him or herself. All the CBI's, training and viewings of the "Break the Chain" video in the world won't improve the level of safety in the NAS.
So in order to categorize and quantify the causes of and potential solutions to safety issues, we've got to get people to step forward and report problems within the system. Contrary to the premise of the current QA process of quantifying aviation errors, not all mistakes are caused by "human error." Ineffective policies and procedures, airspace problems, fatigue, poor scheduling practices and equipment malfunctions all contribute to errors. If we cover up our issues, we never gather the data necessary to learn from them. In the punitive environment to which we've become accustomed, we learn to avoid reporting problems due to fear of reprisal. Our current culture within the Agency is one of blame and punishment. The purpose of ATSAP is to instigate a shift to one of a just culture.
One of the main obstacles to open reporting is the issue of trust. This is the number one reason why so many members are opposed to the ATSAP program. Rest assured, your NATCA brothers and sisters on the ATSAP training team are well aware of the lack of trust between the Union and management. We are not going to stand in front of you and tell you to place all of your trust in the Agency to do the right thing. We're not telling you that this program is going to make all of the bad managers in the field stop trying to punish us if something goes wrong. The trust simply isn't there yet, even for us.
What we do trust in is our Union leadership. We trust that those who wrote and signed this MOU on our behalf will do the right thing by us. We trust that they won't allow the Agency to hijack this program and turn it into a witch hunt. We trust that they will hold management's feet to the fire and make them comply with every single letter of every single word in the agreement, or they will pull our cooperation and participation in it immediately.
I'd like to ask my NATCA brothers and sisters to keep that healthy skepticism of the ATSAP program. Contact your fellow members who are already covered by the program and ask them how it's working. Attend an ATSAP training briefing or go to the ATSAP website to find out more about it. All I ask is that, until you have received the briefing and seen the program in action, you keep an open mind. Feel free to contact me, any other of NATCA's ATSAP training team or an ERC member with any questions you may have.”
· SBA Facility Rep and NWP LR Rep Gordie Thompson worked with Mike Hull and TOA Facility Rep Victor Morales to assist with some local issues at TOA. I would like to thank Gordie for making the time to help our brothers and sisters at TOA. This is exactly what the NWP LR Team is all about.
· NCT Facility Rep and NWP LR Rep Steve McCoy works with Mike Hull, RNO Facility Rep Rich Ferris and I to help the RNO Local. Together, we have decided to designate Mike Hull as our official designee at RNO to deal with local management and resolve a myriad of issues plaguing the local.
· I worked with SCT Facility Rep Mel Davis and ZLA Facility Rep Garth Koleszar to discuss some issues of mutual importance for both facilities. Garth and Mel are consummate professionals and I am very proud of both of them and what they have done for their respective locals.
· Mike Hull and I worked with BUR Facility Rep Cau Hau regarding a medical issue at the local level.
· As a reminder, all new hires are entitled to excused absence for making pre- and post-moving arrangements. The interpretation that was sent out from HR in October 2008 stated that students at the academy are hired as temporary appointments while attending the Academy. As temporary employees, they are ineligible for excused absence to make pre and post-moving arrangements. However, upon successful completion of the Academy training (they have one travel day to report to their facility) they are converted to permanent employees. As permanent employees, they are eligible to receive up to sixty-four (64) hours of excused absence to make pre and post moving arrangements relating to reporting for duty to a new, official station in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement and HRPM LWS 8.8. In addition, excused absence may be granted up to two (2) years after the effective date of reporting for duty at the first official station.
· Mike Hull, Tony Yushinsky, Bob Taylor and I are putting the finishing touches on the initial Web-based class on Basic Labor Relations that will be available for all very soon. This first class is the prelude to completely transforming training for our membership. Whether it’s legislative training, PAC training, ASI Training, CISM Training, Arbitration training, etc. Web-based training is the future and the future is looking very bright for NATCA training.
· I will be leaving the family on Easter Sunday to head out to Phoenix for a meeting with Western Terminal early Monday morning April 13, 2009. Mike Hull and I will be meeting with Western Terminal Management, PHX Hub Management, and NATCA PHX/P50 to discuss some issues of concern at Phoenix and the Hub in general. Following our meeting, there will be a combined PHX/P50 membership meeting hosted by the Western Pacific Region. The meeting will start at 630pm at Aunt Chilada’s located at 7330 N. Dreamy Draw Drive, Phoenix. Members from the surrounding facilities are also welcome to attend this event. Please contact Mickela if you plan to join us at the membership meeting.
· The following morning, Tuesday April 14, 2009, Mike Hull and ZLA Facility Rep/NWP LR rep Garth Koleszar will be conducting a basic LR class at the Hilton Squaw Peak Hotel. The training will be conducted from 8am to 430pm and lunch will be provided. It’s not too late to attend this terrific class. The class is great for new Facility Reps, activists, new hires, and members in general. If you would like to attend the LR Class, please contact Mickela at mickela@natca.net
· I had an opportunity to talk with many of you in San Diego regarding what I perceive as how things will change in Washington, D.C. and what will happen with our contract. I do not believe that there will be any substantial changes in the FAA until the U.S. Senate confirms President Obama’s nominee for FAA Administrator; Randy Babbitt.
· Once confirmed, I firmly believe that the new FAA Administrator will bring about some radical changes to the FAA. The current organization of the FAA is seriously flawed. HR/LR should not trump the ATO COO. There is no need for so many senior level managers in the ATO. I could go on and on, but needless to say, the system set up by Marion Blakey and Russ Chew has failed miserably and has created an absolute mess.
· With respect to our contract, I would anticipate that it will be the number one priority of the new administrator. I firmly believe that there will be some disagreements with the new administration, but I do believe that the process to settle our issues will be fair and there will be no imposed work/pay rules. I also firmly believe that each and every one of you will have an opportunity to give your stamp of approval to any agreement reached between the parties by ratifying the new contract.
