All,
Just a quick reminder that I will be in the East/West @ Noon until they kick me out for chart change, discussing the proposed amendments for convention. Hope to see you there!
Drew
First, thank you for the outstanding response to our ongoing email campaign. Your engagement is making a difference. Lawmakers are already paying attention, and several congressional offices have noted the volume and impact of our messages. That momentum is powerful, and now we need to take the next step.
What’s Happening:
This week, the House Oversight Committee advanced a budget proposal that includes serious cuts to federal employee benefits. If passed, it would:
Eliminate the FERS Special Retirement Supplement,
Require increased employee contributions to FERS with no corresponding increase in pension benefits,
And potentially change pension calculations in ways that would reduce your retirement income.
These proposals would directly affect your paycheck, retirement planning, and overall financial security.
What You Can Do:
We are launching a letter-writing campaign to Congress, and we need your help. Personal letters have a strong impact. They are read, they are logged, and they influence decision-making far more than form letters or mass emails.
I will be delivering these letters in person at the convention next Wednesday. To be included, I must receive your letter no later than 3:00 PM on Tuesday.
What to Say:
Keep it personal and real. A few sentences are all it takes. Consider including:
How losing the FERS supplement would affect your ability to retire.
How an increase in contributions would affect your take-home pay and family budget.
How long you have served the public and how this proposal undermines that service.
Why these changes would hurt your future and morale.
Example:
“I have worked for the federal government for over 15 years. The FERS Special Retirement Supplement was a critical part of my retirement plan. Eliminating it would delay my retirement by several years and create financial hardship after decades of service. This proposal would drastically change the deal I signed up for.”
How to Submit:
Type your letter in a Word document, a PDF, or even just in the body of an email.
Send it directly to me before 3:00 PM on Tuesday.
If you’re unsure what to write or short on time, just reply to this email and I’ll help you put something together. We just need your voice in the mix.
Why It Matters:
Members of Congress respond to personal stories and volume. When enough people speak up, they listen. We have already seen the power of your voices in the email campaign, and now we need to build on it.
Thank you again for showing up, staying engaged, and standing together. Your involvement matters, and your story matters.
New Recruitment/Rentention MOU
By now, you’ve probably all heard about the new Recruitment and Retention MOU. This agreement represents real progress, especially in the context of the current administration’s approach to federal employee compensation.
Why This is a Win:
This incentive package includes a bonus for Academy Graduates, one of our profession’s least compensated groups. This bonus will provide immediate financial relief to those just entering the field, helping them get settled while they take on the monumental responsibility of becoming the next generation of controllers.
Additionally, this package acknowledges the need for the Agency to retain experienced controllers during a time of massive turnover. These measures will help keep experienced controllers around longer, making sure they can pass on their expertise and skills to the next wave of trainees. This will help prevent the system from hemorrhaging talent and ensure that training programs continue to thrive.
A Step in the Right Direction:
While this agreement isn’t the final answer, it is a major step forward in recognizing the critical value of air traffic controllers. We still have a long way to go to ensure that our profession is compensated correctly and supported, but this package shows that our efforts are paying off.
A Thought to Consider:
As the saying goes, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” This is a good deal, a step forward in the right direction, and we should celebrate it as such. While we continue to fight for more, we cannot afford to turn away from progress simply because it isn't everything we’ve ever dreamed of. This is something we’ve earned, and we will build on it.
In solidarity,
Amanda Sizemore
Facility Representative, ZSE NATCA
All,
Thank you to everyone who attended yesterday’s Local Meeting. We had some thoughtful and productive discussions, and as your delegates, Amy and I truly appreciate hearing your perspectives on the proposals. Hearing viewpoints that differ from our own is something we both value; it’s how we grow stronger as a Union. We’re especially grateful to the many trainees who took the time to attend and share their thoughts. Your engagement means a lot.
I would like to offer one more opportunity for discussion in a more informal setting for those that couldn’t make it yesterday. The best time I have available is before my swing shift on Monday, 5/5. If there’s interest, I’ll plan to be on site in the East/West Conference Room around noon (we will get kicked out at 1 for chart change). If that sounds like something you would like, please let me know. If there’s no interest, I’ll just work my normal shift. Even if we don’t have the meeting, I am always available to discuss the proposals, and so is Amy.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the action campaign to congress. Despite ZSE only having 32% of our membership respond (see table below), NATCA has had some early success in beating back some of the harms being proposed. Below is an email that came from Nick Daniels, attached because many of you delete those or do not subscribe.
-Drew
HERE’s the link if you would please fill it out, it only takes about 30 seconds. Send to family and friends too. (don’t click on this on a gov computer)
NATCA Members,
Congress is still in the early phases of the budget reconciliation process, and we continue to engage on working with Congressional committees and members of Congress on the effects of harmful proposals that negatively impact our retirement system.
This week, Allison Schwaegel (STL), the Vice-Chair of the National Legislative Committee (NLC), and Corey Soignet (IAH), NLC Southwest Region NLC member, visited Congressional offices to educate them on the importance of preserving our current and promised retirement provisions. NATCA Government Affairs staff continued their efforts to ensure that our message is delivered. Anthony Shifano, CLT FacRep, has been engaged with his Congressional contacts with whom he has built relationships and helped ensure that NATCA was in conversations with key staff for the Oversight and Government Reform (OGR) Committee and House leadership.
I met directly with Senator Ted Cruz, Chair of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and attended a small dinner with him to continue our conversations. Meanwhile, we also spent the day at FAA Headquarters, meeting with airline representatives to emphasize the importance of collaborative solutions on training, staffing, and modernization.
These efforts have been an amplification of our engagement in the grassroots campaign we announced last week. If you have not yet participated, please take a moment to send your message to Congress here:
https://www.natca.org/actioncenter/
Today, committees are marking up portions of the budget reconciliation package, and there are real threats to the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) that are being debated.
The OGR Committee started the week proposing very severe cuts to all federal employee rights and benefits, including raising the FERS contribution rates for all employees to 4.4% regardless of date of hire, conversion from high-3 retirement calculation to a high-5 calculation, elimination of the supplemental annuity, and forcing all new hires into a choice between paying an extra 5% toward their retirement or giving up merit principals and the ability to challenge adverse actions. By the time the markup began, NATCA had succeeded in convincing the committee leadership to remove the increase to FERS contributions for air traffic controllers and retain the high-3 calculation for air traffic controllers. We are still working to correct the other harms.
It’s important to remember that these markups merely the first step in the budget reconciliation process. Each House committee with jurisdiction over portions of the Budget Reconciliation bill must complete their business. Then, it must go to the floor of the House of Representatives and face further amendments. After that, it must move to the Senate, which has not yet begun holding markups on its own Budget Reconciliation bill, through its committee structure, allowing for amendments both during the committee markups and on the floor. After both chambers pass their respective bills, they will have to go to a conference committee to resolve any differences between the bills before they return to the floor for a final up-down vote with no additional opportunities for amendments.
We will keep you updated as the markup process continues.
We are making progress, but our work is not done. Your advocacy makes a difference and must continue.
In Solidarity,
Nick Daniels
NATCA President
All,
First up, some LR things in the works.
Overgrown Grass
The grass outside the building hasn’t been mowed in far too long. We have been told that the agency is finalizing a contract and should have this handled soon. If this proves to be incorrect, I believe we could file a grievance on this as an OSHA issue in accordance with Article 53 of our contract.
Denial of Representation
Management failed to offer a bargaining unit employee union representation during a meeting, claiming they didn’t think it was disciplinary. But it’s not about their incorrect opinion. Under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act and Article 6 of our CBA, employees have the right to union representation if they reasonably believe a meeting could lead to discipline. And when management knows discipline is a potential outcome, they are obligated to proactively offer representation, not sit back and wait for the employee to ask. That threshold was absolutely met here. (We can’t share details, but trust me, it wasn’t a close call.) Management knew what this meeting was about. They should have offered a rep from the start. They didn’t.
A grievance was filed on this and elevated outside of our building. The Agency’s official stance? They say they’ll “continue to strive to comply with the CBA.” Ah yes, the classic “we’ll try our best” approach, right up there with I meant to do my homework and my dog ate my CBA.
Cherry-Picked Grievance Replies
The Agency continues to play “choose your own adventure” when it comes to responding to grievances. Instead of addressing all the points we raise, they pick and choose the ones they like and pretend the rest don’t exist. We’ve grieved this pattern because we expect full responses, not selective storytelling.
Overtime Assignment Violation (Fatigue Mitigation Ignored)
The Agency improperly assigned overtime to an ineligible employee, violating their own fatigue mitigation rules in the process. If they had followed the rules, an eligible person (who was available btw) would have received the assignment. This grievance has been filed at the area level (Step 1) and elevated to the facility level (Step 2).
Please reach out with any questions.
DCA Thank You Letter
As many of you know or can imagine, the aftermath of a major incident brings immense stress and added workload. The tragedy at DCA was no exception. In a show of solidarity, the ZSE Eboard chose to support our NATCA family there by providing dinners for their members during that difficult time.
DCA NATCA responded with a heartfelt thank-you card, which we've posted on the bulletin board for everyone to see. They also sent packets of flower seeds as a memorial gesture for the 67 lives lost that day. We'll be distributing the seed packets throughout the areas, please feel free to take one if you'd like to participate in honoring their memory.
Airline Dispatchers Federation Event
The Airline Dispatcher’s Federation has invited the local controllers to an event this Sunday. Below is the email they sent out with the details:
Join us for a night where radio calls become handshakes and colleagues become collaborators. Mix, meet, and mingle with the professionals behind the voices you trust every day: dispatchers, controllers, and pilots.
We believe that aviation safety excellence happens when we understand each other's perspectives. Come ready to:
* Share those "wish you knew this about my job" moments
* Break down the silos between our critical functions
* Trade stories and solutions with people who get it
* Build relationships that make our skies safer (and your workday smoother!)
* Enjoy good food, drinks, and even better company - all on us!
Date: Sunday, April 27th, 2025
Time: 4:00 P.M - 9:00 P.M (My friend assured me no one is under any obligation to be there the entire time.)
Location: Copperleaf Patio @ Cedarbrook Lodge
18525 36th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98188
https://www.cedarbrooklodge.com
Dress code: Whatever makes you comfortable (though, we recommend leaving the high-vis vests and wands at work!)
Info: https://dispatcher.org/conferences/839-cfc-sea
You need to register with the link above, and it says “waitlist,” but I’ve been assured there’s plenty of room.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, now GO OUTSIDE!
Bring Your Child to Work Day
Bring Your Child to Work Day is this Thursday. If your kiddo is under 8, please make sure to have an extra chaperone. There’s no formal program or presentation, just a regular workday with your mini-me by your side. Coordinate any visitors through your supe, as usual. This isn't happening at many facilities this year, so let’s set a good example and help keep it going here.
CIC Cadre Class
They are holding a CIC Cadre class May 5-6 here at the facility. This class will qualify you to teach the CIC class in the future. If this interests you, please let me or your area rep know by Friday if you’re interested.
Trivia
This month, check out the bulletin board for our Contract Trivia Contest! Complete the quiz for a chance to win some NATCA swag. At the end of the month, we’ll draw four names from all completed entries. HERE is the link to the quiz. Winners get to pick something from our NATCA swag cabinet! HERE is the link to the quiz.
Email Campaign to Save Our Benefits
NATCA National sent out an email yesterday encouraging everyone to contact their Representatives and Senators. It’s critical that you take part to help protect the benefits we’ve fought hard to earn from being stripped in the new budget proposal. This is our chance to be heard. Leading up to the White Book, only 2,200 members participated in the email campaign, and we all saw how that turned out. Let’s not repeat that mistake.
Just remember, do not participate using government equipment or on government time. There’s a quick and easy email campaign already set up on NATCA’s Action Center. It takes less than a minute to complete, just enter your info and hit send. You can find it HERE. Please share this with friends and family so they can help too.