July update

Hi C Area!

A few updates for you…

First - a big ol’ CONGRATS to Miguel for certifying on R-side lows! Well done to everyone involved in his success!

Another big ol’ CONGRATS to Spencer and Abe for being picked up on this last NCEPT round to Denver Center and Seattle Tower! Spencer will be making the pilgrimage to Colorado in January, and Abe starts at the tower in October. There is another NCEPT round in August, as soon as we have more finalized information and dates, I will pass it along.

Our friend, Bogdan, is scheduled to come back to work on the 13th. I am planning on getting his family some gift cards and a beautiful plant to put somewhere special sometime this week.

For the boring work stuff….

*Fatigue Stuffs - PLEASE be mindful of your sign in time! If you’re not sure when you signed out the night before on a quick turn, or if you were on leave, PLEASE check your times in ART before you sign in. The fastest way to do this is to go to the “Overview” tab in ART, change the date for when you need to look, and then it will show you your schedule for that date. You need:

10 hours between shifts (all shifts)

12 hours before and after a mid

If you have any questions on this at all, please please let me know. I’m happy to go over any of it with you!

*ZLC - We were supposed to meet with ZLC Monday to talk about some LOA stuff with them, but they had to cancel. We had to reschedule for 7/22 and I will let you know how that meeting goes. They are in the process of stratifying Sector 06 and want to finalize that (though whatever process we need to do for ERAM to recognize the stratification was not done, so I don’t have a time frame on that just yet). I am aware that the area is not happy with the MSO procedures for arrivals, for now please follow the LOA (hand the aircraft off to ZLC, they initiate the handoff to GEG. If GEG hasn’t taken the handoff by the boundary or if the aircraft has a request, ship the aircraft to ZLC).

*LWS - it sounds like the issues we’ve been seeing with the LWS aircraft doing weird things has been a pilot issue and not a controller instruction issue. The uppers wanted to put more procedures into place for LWS, something I am admittedly against as more procedures aren’t going to fix pilots not following instructions. I’m not sure what the next step with this is, other than be aware of pilot actions and let the sup/CIC know when things aren’t done correctly.

*O-tizzle - If you want to make a change to your overtime status, please email AJT-ZSE-CScheduling@faa.gov or let me know and I will forward it on for you. Remember, per the MOU, “The change in status will take effect immediately following the posting of the next watch schedule.”

*Schedule - Please send me via email (c.area.natca@gmail.com) if you have any thoughts about next years schedule you would like to have addressed. We are still waiting on the national guidance before we can start discussing things locally.

*Article 8 - I had a meeting with Lee & Stan about making a shift change for a controller and not telling the controller it was approved (Lee approved this at 8pm for the controller’s shift the following morning from a 7 to a 6), and how much overtime is being cancelled to take us below guides. They recognize that traffic has picked up for the summer and yes, we do need these bodies to support the operation. Please do try to find a (qualified, I’m happy to look over this with you!) replacement for your overtime if you can’t work it.

*Volunteer - We could use someone to please help with the development and teaching of our Area Refresher and OCP (will be from 10/20-10/31). You will be afforded time off the floor to work with the Supervisor (I believe it’s Perkins) to develop the material for this prior to the beginning of class in October.

*TRB - There is a TRB class that will be taught here August 26-28. If you would be interested in becoming a TRB Rep, please let me know ASAP.

*Mobility Guardian - There is a sheet in the area with the approximate schedule for mobility guardian that is supposed to run until the 29th of July. So far it doesn’t look like it’s been much of an impact, but please let your sup or CIC know if there are any weird requests or if you need any additional support.

*A Area - Eric and I have been looking over some changes the A Area would like to make to our SOP to include some routing to CLS, Low Performing Jet sequencing options, and gate location clarification. I will be asking some questions based on what Dan has sent me and we will go from there. Also, there have been a couple of incidents lately that have sparked some conversation with the area that has been forwarded to management to address. Thank you for remaining professional in these instances.

*All Members Meeting - There is an All Members Meeting Thursday the 24th of July at 1300 in the East/West Conference Room. I encourage you to attend and ask questions. There is a flier on the NATCA board with more information.

Please take the time to get your nominations in for who you would like to see for your building representatives. If you have any questions or concerns with this, let me know!

Thank you for all you do, you are appreciated!

In solidarity,

Crumbley

360-635-8244

c.area.natca@gmail.com

Memorial Service Information

Hi Friends,

I received the following notification from Bogdan this evening. I also spoke to Stan about trying to get as many people as possible to it Sunday evening.

Please let me know if you are interested in going so I have a head count. Any form of support, either at the service or at work, is so very appreciated.

In sweet Solidarity,

Amanda

360-635-8244

Tragic news, read when ready

My friends in the C Area,

My heart is broken to share this news with you. I am so very sorry to do this via email, but this ensures you receive it timely and are able to process it in your own way.

Our dear friends Bogdan and Agnes experienced the worst loss a parent can imagine as their family’s youngest son, Henri, passed unexpectedly Thursday night.

I do not have any further information for you at this time, but I will begin collecting funds to send the Galiant family some flowers and an Instacart Gift Card.

CISM is an available resource if you would like someone to talk to about this, but if you would like them at the facility, please let Amy or myself know and we will make that happen. The phone number for CISM is 202-505-2476.

If you would like to donate funds, please send it with the note “BG” to the following VENMO:

@MandaCrumbley36

Paypal:

crumbley37@gmail.com

As things develop, I will absolutely let you know, but please respect their privacy for now. I know they would appreciate all the prayers and kind thoughts during this unimaginable time.

Thank you,

Amanda

360-635-8244

*Please Read*

Hi C Area,

Pre-Rant BIG OL’ CONGRATS to Jun for certifying on R07/11!!!! Well done to all those who helped him along his journey to success! Yay!

Begin Rant:

Lately, we have had a rash of issues with the schedule. While I am happy to point at management about them, I can only do that so much before they start getting their own “helpful” ideas, if you get my drift.

My point here - PLEASE REVIEW YOUR SCHEDULE. I am happy to go over all the rules that apply to how we work…

7210.3 2-6-7

Fatigue MOU

ZSE OT MOU

ZSE BWS MOU

CBA

If you’re not sure if something will or won’t work, please check in with me, Carly, or Barry (scheduling sup). Summer schedules are going to be crazy and tight with all these rules in place, so know that there is a lot of work that goes into checking and double checking hours between shifts (there needs to be 10 unless it’s around a mid, then 12), off duty times are correct (30 hours off duty time in a 7 day period), and overtime hours are tracked correctly (also not happening, management’s job).

Rant over.

GEG has sent over some changes to our LOA, I am asking questions about some of the stuff they’ve brought up and will get that sent out today.

I have made the request to airspace to ask MWH if we can get control of ELN arrivals from them written into our LOA.

Still waiting to hear back about the LWS proposals. I haven’t heard from anyone that there has been any weird things happening at LWS, so I’m going to take it that things are going well with it….?

I heard from no more than 3 people when I asked about the computer, 2 were for moving it back, 1 wanted it to stay where it was. Thank you 3 for reaching out, but it’s hard for me to justify another change with 6% of the floor giving feedback.

A couple weeks ago, there was a group here from MITER, a consulting firm the FAA uses. 2 of those folks were previous controllers, the other were Human Factors employees for MITER. Their purpose was to review how we work with and around the equipment we use every day and how that impacts our ability to do our job, positive and negative. The best way it was put to me was - When new equipment is introduced to the floor, no one looks at how the functionality of it will impact our task load. These guys were asking questions about how we do things and how the equipment works with those tasks. They are going to 2 other centers and some towers and TRACONs (can’t remember how many of each).

Article 5 - Still looking for someone(s?) to help out with the Article 5 for Patrick & Alex F from 8/4-9/12, M-F.

ZLC - Sector 06 is going to stratify, I think FL330 and above. I am still waiting to see the draft for how this looks, and am trying to get feedback about clarifying the wording in the LOA for less ambiguity.

OK friends. Thank you for all you do, you are appreciated and I am always here for you if you need anything.

In Springtime Solidarity,

Crumbley

360-635-8244

c.area.natca@gmail.com

LWS

Hi C Area,

LWS has been closing early or opening late, and the airspace office is trying to figure out if they are alerting anyone to this, or if they are, how they are doing it.

Please let me or Eric Winn know if you hear from them for unusual operating hours or anything else that is weird.

Also, I have officially received 2 responses for the computer placement (via text or email). If you have an opinion, please let me know by Friday 5/2 via text or email.

Thanks! Have a great week!

Crumbley

360-635-8244

c.area.natca@gmail.com

Hi C Area

Here we are at the end of April, I have a bunch of stuff to share with you and solicit for your feedback.

Please help me welcome Jesus Perdomo, an Academy Grad who has joined the C Area. He is currently upstairs studying away, but has come to the area to monitor quite a few times.

Article 5 - We are still in need of an Article 5 for Alex & Patrick (R & D Sides). I have heard rumors in the area that no one wants to do 5 problems a day, so I went upstairs to ask about the schedule. The current Dysim schedule is 4 per day, 5 on Eval days (which means you are still only responsible for 4 write ups). I know people are on leave and it is a lot to get all the write ups done, but please feel free to get creative and see if you can split it with someone if you can’t change your schedule or would like a couple of days to work during the week. It will be M-F from 8/4-9/12, please let me or your sup (yes, we still have those) know if you’re interested in this.

LWS - I heard last week that the LWS LOA is being rewritten due to “multiple” instances of the controllers at LWS issuing Runway Heading on departure, or pilots flying it, or I’m not sure what. I do know that I am waiting for the first draft to appear to Eric and/or I, but from the sounds of it from upper management yelling parties, they want every aircraft to be assigned the SID. Once we have a chance to review this, I will for sure keep you posted.

PSC - It was asked earlier about why the QXE/SKW flights from SEA-PSC-SEA are no longer on the Victor Airway. This was changed due to requests from the airlines and from controllers concerned that aircraft were flying the Victor airway in the flight levels. The area was briefed on this about a month ago during an airspace briefing, if you don’t remember it or want any clarification, please let me know.

Computer change - what an ordeal. Apparently, NO ONE knows why or who initiated the sign in computer moving. I have asked Al Franklin who said it was a sup in the D Area, the D Area sup said it wasn’t them, no on in the C Area knew it was changing until it was moved…. So - here we are. I had a conversation with Al about this - he figured if he was being asked to move equipment that all the correct people had been notified. which wasn’t the case. Here’s my ask - please let me know what you think about the computer being there. If a majority of controllers want it moved back, I will request that it be moved. If not, then we’ll leave it. Text or email me so I can count the responses.

Online stuff - You should have received multiple emails from NATCA with the handiest little template for you to fill out and send to your representatives about messing with our retirement. This is your opportunity to make your voice heard! Please take the time to review this, it took me less than a minute to complete it (not on a gov computer or on duty time), and is also well set up for any family and/or friends who would like to voice their concerns. This goes beyond just affecting our current employees, but impacts our ability to hire more folks if the retirement options get worse and worse.

All Members Meeting - This is coming up April 29th, food at 2:30, meeting at 3pm at:

Rail Hop’n Brewing Co

131 E Main Street Auburn

There is a sign on the NATCA bulletin by the entrance to the control room. Please try to make it out to this! Would love to see you there where we can talk about proposed Constitution Amendments.

Schedule - The change to IST has really thrown a wrench in things, in addition to management’s lack of collaboration about how to schedule for this. I have had a VERY hard time communicating with the OM for the C Area, but I will keep trying. Carly began asking for clarification on scheduling for IST about a month ago, and we didn’t get any help or direction until last Saturday. I know there is a lot going on, but please know that there are a lot of factors that go into who can be scheduled for what depending on needed coverage and fatigue rules.

LOAs - I am still asking the A Area for updates from our meeting. Also, I will ask for a meeting with ZLC about the wording in the ZLC LOA regarding transitioning U30. I will keep you posted.

Transparency - I try hard to be as transparent as possible with you all, but please don’t take my silence as a lack of any effort or compassion for our area. I was fortunate enough to be at the first day of the Pre-Convention meeting where Nick and Mick were both present to give an update and answer questions. Also, please watch the NATCA emails for invitations to online webinars to go over the previous week’s events. This is another opportunity for you to be updated and ask questions to our upper leadership. Nick and Mick had a lot of updates for us, some they still can’t discuss due to the nature of bargaining in good faith, but some things I would like to share with you that are happening behind the scenes…

- NATCA is standing with a lot of other aviation groups and is able to approach this administration as a larger voice for things that impact us as controllers and the aviation community as a whole.

- NATCA is pushing for more funding for training

- There are work groups in place that are updating the curriculum at the Academy (Amy is on this one), and updating the ATSA (the test new hires take that replaced the original ATSAT) (I and quite a few other controllers at this facility are a part of this).

- NCEPT is being reviewed to help streamline it and assist in getting people moved more efficiently and effectively.

- Placement out of the academy is changing, as is how previous experience is being considered

- NATCA is working with advertising firms to select one that will better benefit us

- The new traffic counting software is still being fine tuned and the goal date for implementation is being moved up

- NATCA is working diligently to protect things like our retirement age, benefits, and talking to those in DC to make sure they understand the importance of preserving the things we have that this administration would otherwise be so happy to strip away.

I know things are frustrating and I can see how some might think that NATCA isn’t being as aggressive as they need to be. I would like to give another perspective, that NATCA is being aggressive where we need to be in the preservation of what we have, and pointing out to this administration why these things are important.

Personally, I value your opinion and input as to what we can do as a union and as a collective group of controllers to stand strong. Please let me know what I can do for you locally and what I can share with our upper leadership to make sure your voices are heard.

I am and will continue to be available to you for anything, please reach out any time. Thank you for all you do, especially as we come into the nicer weather and traffic picks up. You are appreciated!

In Solidarity,

Crumbley

360-635-8244

c.area.natca@gmail.com

An updated update

Hi C Area,

First - A Big Ol’ CONGRATS to Scotty for certifying on D side lows - well done to everyone involved in his success!

Tim Martin’s wife, Marisa, delivered a healthy baby boy, Jude Matthew, 3/20! Mama and baby are both doing great, loads of CONGRATS to the growing Martin family!

On another note, since I apparently can’t number correctly, I want to make a correction to my travel dates. I’ll be gone 3/31 - 4/5 instead of 12/31-4/5.

Some updates for you before I head out:

• Please help me welcome Patrick Caldwell to our area! There was talk of the C Area gaining a CPC-IT but there was some shuffling around that happened with the arrival of some Academy Grads. Patrick is upstairs in the training department and has come to the area to monitor a few times.

• I know mistakes happen and the selection process for ZLC’s frequencies using the drop down CPDLC can be a pain, but please be mindful about selecting (or typing for that matter) the correct frequency when shipping aircraft to ZLC.

• Due to circumstances beyond ZSEs control, IST dates have had to change. Something about funding being cut for national cadres, and as a result they had to cancel their initial trip out here which has been rescheduled for May 20-21 and 22-23. If you have any interest in becoming a cadre for IST, please let me or your sup know. IST dates have been moved to 5/25-31 and 6/8-14. Again, not ideal and outside of the initial dates assigned during the training planning meeting, but I wanted to make sure you were aware of this.

• We are in need of an Article 5 for an R Side (Alex Fontaine) & D Side (Patrick Caldwell). It will be M-F from 8/4-9/12. Please let me or a sup know if you are interested.

• We are in need of a volunteer to help develop our area refresher & OCP training. It will be with Jared Perkins (I believe) in the development and teaching of it. Our 2 weeks of training won’t be until the fall, but the sooner we have a volunteer, the sooner we can get you time to work on this stuff. Please let me or your sup know if you’re interested.

Thank you for all you do! You are appreciated, and if there is ever anything you need, please reach out.

In Solidarity,

Crumbley

360-635-8244

c.area.natca@gmail.com

March Update

Hello C Area,

It’s been a minute since my last update, and there is plenty to share with you.

First, a few announcements!

A Big ol’ Congrats to Robert for certifying on all the D-side Highs! He is dusting off the LWS/PUW International procedures from labs and is ready to tackle lows - well done to those involved in his success!

A Big ol’ Congrats to Jeydi for certifying on 8/18/9 R Sides! Welcome to the wonderful world of coverage and overtime, we’re happy to have you! :) A job well done to all involved in her success!

Shanna delivered a healthy baby girl February 19th! Baby Sofia and Mama are doing great, and big sister Clara loves the new addition. Congrats to Shanna and her family!

Overtime - We are already seeing a lot of overtime scheduled and that will continue as we press on through spring and summer. Be aware of when your “Limited” weekends are and if you get contacted, please let me know. Additionally, a reminder per our Overtime MOU (here): if you are on the “Yes” list and you answer a phone call and are unable to work that overtime shift, you will be charged for the overtime opportunity. Short version - If you don’t want to work the overtime, don’t answer the phone. Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

Also - remember, if you want to update your Overtime status, please email AJT-ZSE-CScheduling@faa.gov.

Management cannot solicit you for overtime on your “Limited” weekend. I encourage you to verify when those periods are.

A Area Talks - I have sent a couple of emails to the A Area and am waiting for a response. We are wanting to get some things in our SOP cleaned up and have things a bit more clear between our two areas in writing, and want to follow up from our last meeting. I will keep you posted on this.

Military - Nothing new on the MAZAMA airspace front. We are still waiting for an SRM Panel to be scheduled. The night ops that start at the end of the month were news to me, but I have asked management to update Web Scheduler with shift notes for those evenings to ensure we have the bodies to support extra traffic and missions. I have also asked Airspace to please let us know as soon as they are aware of these ops so we can make any schedule arrangements.

Schedule - I will be out of the country 12/31 - 4/5, Devin will be here and is happy to address things while I’m away. His number is 619-818-5335.

I know things have been pretty unpredictable and crazy, but please know that there is a lot going on in the background to ensure that management is being held accountable for actions in violation of our agreements. Along with that, if a sup does something that seems like it might not be a correct move, please let me know. You’re never bugging me and I do welcome your feedback and concerns.

Facility T-Shirt Order - If you’re interested in ordering t-shirts, here are the order links. Venmo Amy at Amanda-Sizemore1, putting how many shirts you’re paying for in the “what’s it for” line.

Patriotic Shirt LINK

Neon Shirt LINK

Pride Shirt LINK

Thank you for all you do, and as always, please reach out any time.

In Solidarity,

Crumbley

360-635-8244

c.area.natca@gmail.com

All Members Meeting

Hey C Area -

Some reminders for you…

Today at 12:30 there will be food and the All Members Meeting in the East/West Conference room. This is an opportunity for you to ask questions and hear about what is going on. I encourage you to attend!

Also, remember the 15th is NATCA shirt day! Wear your NATCA swag and be entered into a drawing for a gift card!

Article 5 - We are still in need of an Article 5 for a CPC-IT 6/30-7/11 and 1 R Side 8/4-9/12. Please let a sup or me know if you’re interested.

IST Cadre - The Cadre Classes will be 4/15-16 or 4/17-18. IST training will be from 5/4-5/17. Please let a sup or me know if you would like to teach.

Low Map Changes - There is a packet in the area with some proposed changes to the low map. Please take some time to review this and give your input.

As always, I am here for you anytime. You are appreciated!

Crumbley

360-635-8244

c.area.natca@gmail.com

On Your Radar

Medicals

Hey C Area,

There has been some interesting developments regarding scheduling medicals. The D Area has seen a couple of instances of things not being done correctly, and I wanted to give you a heads up that if you are scheduled a medical on your RDO or outside of your shift duty time, please let me know ASAP.

Reminders:

Article 66 section 5 “All medical examinations required by the agency…shall be scheduled during duty time. Employees shall be reimbursed for mileage and parking fees” (eg. you’re scheduled for a medical in Gig Harbor and you live in Issaquah).

Article 66 section 6 “Whenever an employee spends more than 8 hours in an official duty status on a day during which he/submits to a medical examination, evaluation, or review, the employee is entitled to overtime benefits for all time spent beyond the 8 hours. The incrememnt of payment shall be one minute”

Please let me know if you have any questions about this!

Also - when I send out info requesting your feedback, the best way to do that is either an email (you can reply to this one or directly email c.area.natca@gmail.com) or a text to my phone number. Having your thoughts in writing is a better way for me to reference them and less chance of me forgetting what all your thoughts and points were.

In Solidarity,

Crumbley

360-635-8244

c.area.natca@gmail.com

On Your RADAR

C Area Update

Hey there C Area,

First - A big ol’ CONGRATS to Alex Fontaine for finishing up his D Side training! Well done to all those who helped in his success!

Article 5 - We have 2 opportunities coming up for an Article 5 detail, will be M-F. The first is a CPC-IT 6/30-7/11 and the other is 1 R Side trainee 8/4 - 9/12. Please let me or your sup know if you would like to volunteer for either of these.

IST - Please let me or your sup know if you’d like to volunteer to teach IST. The Cadre Classes haven’t been scheduled yet, but the weeks for teaching IST are 5/4-5/17.

Cross Coupling - Eric will be meeting with Orlando Holt next Friday who is apparently the Cross-Coupling guy. The original thought was we would like to see it done on lows to help with frequency congestion. Where we run into a problem is with using BUECs (which can’t be cross coupled) and picking the transmitter sites to pair. Considering we have an odd number of transmitters between 18 and 09, it doesn’t bode well for this to be successful, but we will see what Orlando has to say and I will let you know.

Interim Altitude - We will not be participating in the B & D Area’s trial period. Keep on keepin’ on as usual.

Low Map - I know I sent out a lot of data in my last email about some proposed updates to the low map. I have received no feedback on this, so my next thought is to have a copy of the list or picture of what is proposed in the area so you can see it. I will try to get this done next week. Still requesting feedback on this.

Meeting with the A Area & Airspace - There is a lot to cover here, so stick with me. Overall, it was a great meeting and we were able to get a lot of things discussed. Eric and I were able to meet with Matt, Dan, and Jared Simpach (sup airspace rep for the A Area. Lee is our new airspace rep and was unable to be there). Here is what we went over:

* Metering trial period with PD FL240. We are going to make this permanent and the SOP will be updated to reflect this. Some reminders for this procedure:

—We still need to give the A Area some delay. Sometimes it works out that they come over with no time or due to the sequence they end up with no delay, but it should not be the norm for us to take all the delay and give the A Area none.

—This does not alleviate our responsibility to sequence and separate aircraft. If you have an aircraft with a delay and the one behind it does not, we still need to ensure that we’re setting up a sequence that works, which may mean descending that no delay aircraft and assigning a speed.

* We discussed a shelf (I’ve attached a photo) over YKM that would be from FL200 up to but not including FL240. The idea behind this is so the A Area can continue an aircrafts descent on the CHINS without pointing out every arrival to 09. It was discussed to have the option to add or delete this airspace depending on flow, but since we have no other airspace boundaries that we do this for (when it comes to flow purposes), it was proposed that this area be added to 01’s airspace permanently. We would still need to do an SRM panel for this change on top of everything else to make it happen, but it would keep more aircraft off of 09’s scope when the CHINS is busy and SEA is landing north. I will keep you up to date on this as new developments come up.

* Sequencing low-performance jets. The A Area has an LOA with S46 when it comes to sequencing these jets that pose a challenge with the rest of the flying public. It has been proposed that we copy the list that the A Area already has with S46 (C500-550, C25A/B/C/M, EA50, EA50P, SF50, PC24, HDJT) and have the ability to stack them under better performing aircraft. They will still need to be sequenced with each other.

* CLS and other arrivals south of Seattle. We are waiting to get a proposal from Dan (A Area Rep) about what to do with the aircraft that land at airports south of Seattle. We talked about a couple of options and expressed our concerns with their initial proposal, but the gist of it is they are requesting to have these aircraft cross the boundary at or below FL240. We will continue to discuss this to come up with a solution that works well for both areas..

* Sequencing. The A Area expressed concerns with multiple instances that we are handing them aircraft 5M in trail with little to no pull away. They proposed us coming up with a procedure to require that we give the A Area 8M in trail with matched speeds on every aircraft. I am not a fan of implementing a procedure for instances like this, but ensured that I would share the A Area’s concerns with the C Area. Please be mindful of what you’re handing off to the next area/facility, keeping in mind if it’s not something you would appreciate receiving (even if it is considered legal), it is probably not going to be well received on the other end.

MAZAMA Airspace - If you haven’t heard of this yet, it is on its way….. After a lot of details continue to be hashed out between us, the A Area, and the military. It will be west of DIABLO, the littlest little polygon of airspace that you did ever see. As we figure out more details for it, I will keep you posted, but know neither the A or C area are happy about this little shape and it is causing a lot of work for everyone. And - no one knows who actually agreed to go forward with it. That’s the best part.

I want your feedback on this and everything, so please reach out and share your thoughts and concerns.

Thank you for all you do, you are appreciated!

In Solidarity,

Crumbley

360-635-8244

On Your RADAR

Happy 2025

Hi there C Area,

Sorry for the late greeting, but my boys shared their flu bug with me the week after Christmas and I’m finally returning back to civilization.

A Big ‘Ol CONGRATS to Christopher Costanzo for finishing up training on his D sides! Well done to everyone involved in his success!

Some more updates for you…

There has been a suggestion to update some of the airport markings on our low map, decreasing the clutter and ensuring the airports are marked with the correct identifier (like a square vs a little circle with a line in it, etc). They would still be identified on the emergency airport option, but the main map would have a little bit less on it. The initial suggestion would remove the airport marker on the main map for the following airports:

R49, 63S, S83, WN92, 6WA4, 1S5, S70, S40, 1S7, S73, S95

Change the airport identifying symbol from a square to the upside down L (indicating there is no published approach to this aiport)

S52, S97, S10, 3W7, S72, M50

Add a square:

2S8, PSC, EAT, COE (currently represented by a circle for the VOR at PSC, EAT & COE)

Add MYL to the emergency map

Please let me know your thoughts on this and I will move forward with talking to airspace about the next step.

Article 5 - There is an opportunity for an Article 5 class (2 R Sides) from 4/7-5/30, give or take a couple of weeks on the back end. There is discussion of having the class run M-F to get them through a little quicker, so as soon as I have for sure dates, I will send them out. There will be another Article 5 class opportunity after that one beginning possibly early/mid May, 1 R side and a *possible* CPC-IT D-side. I will keep you posted. Please let me or your sup know if you’re interested in the 4/7 Article 5 detail by January 19th.

Cross Coupling - I received some paperwork from Jackie last week and will spend time looking over it with Eric in regards to setting up Cross Coupling on lows. There has been a lot of back and forth with it lately and once I have a good handle on what the capabilities and options are, I will let you know.

Interim Altitude - The B and D Area are creating a trial period regarding Interim Altitudes between lows and highs. They have asked if we would like to participate in this with the B Area, making it like we work with the A Area. Whatever the final altitude in the data block is, that is what they will be climbing to when coordination is completed. We are kind of already doing this with 16/47/09, but this would make it official. Let me or Eric know what your thoughts are on this and if you have any further questions.

AWS Requests - I finally was able to talk with Stan and we have finalized the AWS requests. I will reach out to you if I haven’t already with the results, thank you for your patience with this. You’ll see those changes on the next pay period that is published.

Overtime - Our new overtime calendar has officially started, complete with the new tracking and status changes. Remember - you cannot be solicited for overtime on your protected weekends, and if you are please let me know. There is no tracking reference or hour adjustment that needs to be made to go between available & limited, it’s more of an on/off selection, but do remember that when you make the request, it will not be effective until the next pay period to be published.

Management - This is a friendly reminder about talking with management. I know Amy sent out an email addressing this, but I wanted to reiterate if management wants to talk to you and you feel that it may lead to discipline, absolutely request a rep. Even if you’re not sure - request a rep. We are here for you to ensure that these processes are done properly and we would rather you ask for one and not need one than vise versa.

Feedback - There is a lot going on in our union and work lives, and it is important that you feel heard and represented. Our local meetings are the best place to have open dialogue with your E-board, but we realize that schedules can’t always line up. At the end of my emails, I will include a link to the form that Amy sent out for you to fill out at any time so we can be better about being available for you. Please utilize this as often as you’d like so we can address things as they come up.

I am available if you have any questions or concerns, thank you for all you do. You are appreciated.

For the C,

Crumbley

360-635-8244

On Your Radar

NATCA Updates

Hi C Area,

I know a lot of info has come out in the past week, especially today.

Read the emails from NATCA National. There are a lot of important links in these emails that will answer a lot of your questions.

If you can’t find them, please reach out with your email address so I have fast access and I will forward whatever you need.

Regardless of what happens tonight, remember we are all in this together. Thank you for your continued dedication to our job and mission to keep the flying public safe.

In Solidarity,

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Happy December

Hi C Area,

First - a big ol’ CONGRATS to Robert for certifying on D47/48! Well done to everyone involved in his success!

Some updates for you…

Overtime - the list that is in Webscheduler reflects the preferences for the new leave year. There is no way to set a future date, and so it was updated to get the correct overtime sequence set for the assignments in the new pay periods. I have updated the sups and OM about this and careful attention is being paid to the overtime lists when it is called out. I will keep tabs on this until overtime is reset.

Leave - I will be on leave starting Monday for the week, but I am in town and available if you are in need of anything.

C-Cret Santa - If you are participating, please get your gift in and under the tree as soon as possible. Thank you!

Spot leave - Entering spot leave requests became available starting last week, so please feel free to put your requests in for the 2025 leave year.

A Big thank you to you all for your kindness and encouragement this year, especially with the new Fatigue MOU changes. There has been a lot of effort put into everything done for our area this past year and especially lately with the SGET changes, 3120.4 requirements, SOP and airspace changes, and all the updates. I appreciate everyone who has stepped up to help the area out with their time and knowledge, and I look forward to all the amazing things the C Area will accomplish in the year to come.

I am and will continue to be available to you, and a very Happy Holiday season to you all.

For the C,

Crumbley

360-635-8244

2025 Spot Leave

Hello C Area,

You may have already seen this in TEAM or posted in the area. Spot Leave for the 2025 Leave Year will be opening on Thursday December, 12th at 1 AM. Any leave requests stamped by Web Schedule before that date and time will be removed.

Devin

What's up with the Slots?

Hey C Area,

Some of you noticed that we ended bidding with 30 SLOTS “Remaining”. I assure you that we did bid all our accrued HOURS of leave. The discrepancy is because we have so many 4/10 lines. 2 of our 4/10s earn 5 weeks of leave (25 slots) but bid those week in 20 slots, Similarly the other 4/10s bid their 4 weeks with 4 slots less than an 5/8 schedule. So you have 2 people leaving 10 slots and 5 people leaving 20 slots, presto, you have 30 slots left unbid. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused.

Devin

Round 5

Hey there,

Reminders on Round 5 -

You can bid up to 5 days provided you have the leave amount for it, this includes your accumulated leave. Your leave balance should reflect if you have enough to select 5 days this round in BidATC. If there is a discrepancy with this, please reach out.

There are 48 slots left after bidding the past 4 rounds from the original 790.

Devin will be conducting Round 5 after tomorrow and will be following up with you on your overtime preferences.

AWS - please get your sheets into my headset box if you have a request. I was hoping to address them before I left, but Stan is gone the rest of this week so we will look them over when I get back.

Have a great Thanksgiving! Thank you for all you do.

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Overtime

Because you didn’t think you’d hear from me again this week….

The overtime briefings have started - please attend one.

I will be contacting you in order of seniority to get 2 things - your yes/no status and your available/limited status.

There is a copy of what weekends are protected on what lines in the green folder in the area. This is not the master sheet, nor is it where you sign up for these things. It will be filled out for area awareness, please don’t fill it out.

The email to change your status after you select it initially - AJT-ZSE-CScheduling@faa.gov

I will have this available if you need it in the future.

Trainees - Your weeks are already kind of pre-determined since there are 1 of you per crew. There will be a trainee line sheet in the area for your reference as well.

I will be happy to go over any questions with you to get all of this accomplished. Please be patient with me, I will not skip you but please get back to me timely so we can get through everyone.

You guys are awesome, thank you for your help getting through bidding!

Happy week to you,

Crumbley

360-635-8244

I forgot.........

Reminder for round 4!

You can bid 6 days. If you want to bid 6, you must “add week” before you submit your bid so you can select that last day.

Happy Bidding!

Crumbley

Round 4 and OT

Hi C Area,

We finished round 3 today and I have given Stan all the leave that we requested. I will start round 4 tonight that will include the 8 hour earners only. Trainees - you folks will not bid round 4 but you will have an opportunity to bid round 5 with any accumulated leave you may have, up to 5 days.

Overtime - You all should have received the email from Drew. If you did not receive Drews email or can’t find it, please let me know so I can send you a copy of the new OT MOU. Briefings will being 11/25 (Monday) and I highly encourage you to go to one. I will give you all an opportunity to get briefed on this and ask any questions to me or during the briefing before I start contacting people in order of seniority. I will need to know if you want to be on the “yes” (volunteer) list or the “no” (non-volunteer) list. The other thing I will need to know is if you want to be in “limited” status (where every 3rd week you will not be contacted for overtime) or the “available” list where you will be open to overtime any weekend. I am hoping to have a copy of what the facility tracking outline will look like by tomorrow (Monday) morning and have it in the area for you to review. You will need to select a line that will rotate through every 3 weeks for the year and will not change, regardless of when you are assigned overtime or if you change between “available” and “limited” status. Again - please try to attend a briefing this week or reach out with questions. I would be happy to go over it with you.

AWS Request Sheets - So, I put a stack of them in the green folder and they are all gone, so I put another stack in there today. Please have these done by Thursday 11/28 and in my headset box.

C-Cret Santa - They will be collected Wednesday afternoon and distributed in headset boxes on Thursday. This is a fun way to get to know your coworkers and spread a little bit of kindness and cheer to the area! Please consider playing :)

I will be available all week until I leave Friday, and then Devin will be here for you until I return 12/6. Thank you for all you do, and I hope you have an excellent week and a blessed Thanksgiving.

For you all in the C,

Crumbley

360-635-8244