Viewing entries by
Paul Skorniakoff

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THANK YOU

Dear NATCA Sisters and Brothers,

I will be on leave from December 19th through January 5th. Brooke Dawson will become the Area Representative beginning on the 19th. 

I would like to thank everyone for allowing me to represent our outstanding Area for the last two years. The time has been rewarding and fulfilling. We have seen many changes during my tenure. The 3-mile area for separation around KNUW is the most exciting change, to me. Management has been held accountable for their mistakes during my term. The ZSE S46 LOA is finally near completion, the LOA is being negotiated through a Collaborative Work Group and the process is working very well. We have bid three schedules, not perfect but fair schedules. I hope everyone thinks our Area is in a better place today than it was two years ago. And lastly, I hope my communication was acceptable for everyone. 

It’s been an honor being your A Area NATCA Representative!

Sincerely,

Paul Skorniakoff

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

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Area Radar Map Change Prodcedure

Sisters and Brothers,

I have been negotiating a  process to change our area Radar Maps during a flow change at KSEA. We have come to an agreement on how to accomplish this. After being notified, by S46 or TMU, that the last KSEA arrival is on short final we will execute an ERAM TEXT file from the Supervisor ERAM workstation. The TEXT file will change the flip/flop airspace. The reason for the change is to make our airspace accurate during a flow change. For the CIC's, there is a cheat sheet on the Supervisor's desk on how to execute the TEXT file. 

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

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Another Short Notice Article 5 to Training Solicitation

Sisters and Brothers,

I was informed today that we have an Article 5 to Training available beginning January 8, 2018. The assignment will last 5 weeks. The detail is for a Stage 3 class.

Please let me or an FLM know ASAP if you are interested or would like more information about the detail.

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

253-332-2066

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SCHEDULE UPDATE

Sisters and Brothers,

1.       Schedule:

A.      Guidelines

a.       Beginning immediately our Monday through Friday swing shifts guidelines have changed. We now have seasonal guidelines for the Monday through Friday swing shifts. January-May and September-December the guideline is now 9, June-August the guideline is 10. 

b.      Saturday and Sunday have not changed. Monday through Friday day shifts have not changed.

B.      Developmentals and CPCiTs;

a.       R-side trainees will be scheduled proficiency days. The proficiency day will not always be the same day each week. The scheduler will assign proficiency days strategically, for coverage and to optimize training opportunities.

C.      Schedule Bid:

a.        We are bidding a schedule with 33 lines; 3 10hr lines (CWS/Maxi-Flex), 1 Fully Charged (fatigue mitigation) mid line per crew is available/guaranteed to choose by seniority, 1 third swing line on Crew 1.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

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Short Notice Article 5 to Training Solicitation

Sisters and Brothers,

I was informed yesterday that we have an Article 5 to Training available beginning November 6th and ending on December 21st. The detail is for a Stage 3 class.

Please let me or an FLM know ASAP if you are interested or would like more information about the detail.

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

253-332-2066 

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LINE BID

Brothers and Sisters,

1.       Schedule:

a. DS won the Crew 3 Mid line bid.

b. DS’s Crew 3 Line is up for bid now.

                                Crew 3 Line:

SUN       MON       TUES      WED      THUR     FRI     SAT

0630     RDO        RDO         16        1330NF    08      07

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

 

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LINE BID and CREDIT HOUR REMINDER

Sisters and Brothers,

1.       Schedule:

a.       EC won the Crew 3 CWS line bid.

b.      EC’s Crew 3 Mid Line is up for bid now.

                                Crew 3 Mid Line:

SUN       MON       TUES      WED      THUR     FRI     SAT

00NF      RDO       RDO     15       1330NF    08     06

c.       Credit Hours: Credit Hours must be approved by management or a CIC. When earning credit hours at the beginning of your shift, flex time is not intended to increase the length of your shift. For example if you have a 1600 shift and Credit Hours are approved and you flex in at 1430, then the end of your shift is 2330.

d.      Reminder, when overtime is assigned you will automatically have a request for your RDO published on the schedule. If you do not want the request, cancel it as soon as you can.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

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LINE BIDS

Sisters and Brothers,

 

1.       Schedule:

a.       PJ won the previous Crew 4 line bid.

b.      We are bidding two more lines, anticipating JG's and JR’s certification. The lines are a Crew 5 line and a Crew 3 CWS(Maxi Flex 40 with 10 hour shifts) line.

Crew 5 line:

SUN       MON       TUES      WED      THUR      FRI       SAT

 08          07           06        RDO       RDO       16          14

Crew 3 CWS line:

SUN       MON       TUES      WED      THUR         FRI       SAT

RDO     13(10hr)   13(10hr)  13(10hr)  13(10hr)   RDO     RDO

c.       Reminder, when overtime is assigned you will automatically have a request for your RDO published on the schedule. If you do not want the request cancel it as soon as you can.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

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ANOTHER CREW 4 LINE BID plus an AREA UPDATE

Sisters and Brothers,

1.       Schedule:

a.       RS won the Crew 4 line bid and her line is up for bid.

b.      Crew 4 line is available to bid:

       SUN       MON       TUES      WED      THUR      FRI       SAT

          07         06         RDO        RDO       15       1330NF    08

c.       The next line for bid after we add another CPC will be on Crew 5, MC’s old line.

d.      Reminder, when overtime is assigned you will automatically have a request for your RDO published on the schedule. If you do not want the request cancel it as soon as you can.

2.       Airspace and Procedures:

a.       S46: Sleepy time procedures will eventually be gone. We are going to have a trial of 3 miles increasing to 5 miles separation soon after they start using the ATOME RNAV SID.

3.       Training:

a.       Refresher Training: Refresher training is scheduled from October 30th to November 3rd.  Anyone interested in volunteering please let me know by July 31st. The goal is to allow plenty of time for the volunteers to prepare the course.

b.      IST Training: IST Cadre training is scheduled on September 6th and 7th. IST Training is scheduled from December 3rd through December 16th. If you’re interested in volunteering please let me know by July 20th.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

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CREW 4 LINE BID and AREA UPDATE

Sisters and Brothers,

1.       Schedule:

a.       MM won the Crew 1 line bid and his line is up for bid.

b.      Crew 4 line is available to bid:

         SUN       MON       TUES      WED      THUR      FRI       SAT

          07         06         RDO        RDO       16       1330NF    08

c.       The next line for bid will be on Crew 5, MC’s old line.

d.      Reminder: when overtime is assigned, you will automatically have a request for your RDO published on the schedule. If you do not want the request, cancel it as soon as you can.

2.       Airspace and Procedures:

a.       Sector 04: Our area assuming Sector 04 is on hold!!! I asked the B Area to add Sector 35 and then gather data to determine if they still need our area assume Sector 04. This idea was originally presented to me as a need but is now being reconsidered. I will update you as things progress.

b.      The Sector 04 Collaborative Work Group is also on hold.

3.       Training:

a.       Volunteers are needed to be area refresher training cadre and IST training cadre.

b.      Refresher Training: Refresher training is scheduled from October 30th to November 3rd.  Anyone interested in volunteering, please let me know by July 31st. The goal is to allow plenty of time for the volunteers to prepare the course.

c.       IST Training: IST cadre training is scheduled on September 6th and 7th. IST training is scheduled from December 3rd through December 16th. If you’re interested in volunteering, please let me know by July 20th.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakof

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AREA UPDATE

Sisters and Brothers,

1.       Schedule:

a.       QX is bidding us farewell and his line is up for bid. We wish him all the best!!!

b.      Crew 1 mid line is available to bid:

SUN    MON    TUES    WED    THUR    FRI    SAT

RDO     16     1330NF   08        06       23    RDO

 

c.       Reminder, when overtime is assigned you will automatically have a request for your RDO published on the schedule. If you do not want the request cancel it as soon as you can.

2.       Airspace and Procedures:

a.       S46 LOA: The ATOME 1 RNAV SID will be in effect on June 22nd. The new SID is designed for noise abatement and will only be used after 2200L in a north flow. Sleepy time procedures will be removed from the LOA. The SID has restrictions published and aircraft will check on with a climb via clearance. When aircraft check on frequency with a climb via clearance they are not required to say their assigned altitude, as long as they are climbing to the top altitude of the SID. Also, be aware if you assign a climb and maintain clearance you are removing all of the published crossing restrictions.

b.      Route Channelization: A and B Area procedure changes. We are adding additional transfer of control between our area and the B Area high altitude sectors. Also, aircraft on the OLM STAR and the HAWKZ STAR may be on parallel/adjacent courses without coordination.

c.       Volunteer: Last call for volunteers to be on the Sector 04 Collaborative Work Group; let me know if you’re interested by June 8th.

3.       Training:

a.       RD and SD are now on the floor. They are training on Sectors 02 and 32.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

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SECTOR 04

Sisters and Brothers,

It's official: Sector 04 is moving to our area! After listening to the B Area Collaborative Work Group's research and reasoning, it became apparent that our area is the best option to help the facility balance the amount of sectors per area. The B Area CWG researched moving sector 34 to the C Area and moving all or parts of Sector 06 to the D Area. The C and D Area's mid shift sector ranges were the deal breaker. Neither area could effectively add airspace and maintain a workable range on the mid shift.

We are forming a Collaborative Work Group to ensure that the transition of Sector 04 goes smoothly. The work group will be responsible for everything involved in moving the sector to our area. I'm looking for at least 3 people to be in this group. The goal is to get the CWG started as soon as possible because we hope to assume the airspace next spring. 

If you are interested in participating in this Collaborative Work Group, please let me know no later than June 8th. Thanks in advance for volunteering. Thanks also to everyone who gave feedback about Sector 04 from the last area update. I hope you will continue to do this.

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

253-332-2066

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LINE BID

Brothers and Sisters,

Crew 5 mid line is up for bidding. The line is a temporary line that may become permanent. Any interested bidders please call or talk to me about the details of the temporary line before bidding.

SUN    MON    TUES    WED    THUR    FRI    SAT

08      06     2230     RDO     RDO      15      14
 

In Solidarity

Paul Skorniakoff

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AREA UPDATE

Sisters and Brothers,

1.       Pre-Approved Leave Slots and Schedule:

a.       SC is moving on to another opportunity outside of the FAA. We wish her the best in her new endeavor! As a result, adding a new line to the schedule has been delayed.

b.      We ended up with 31 pre-approved leave slots available after Round 6 of the vacation bid. The dates of the pre-approved slots available are between June 4th and September 9th, December 31st, and January 1st. Only days with less than three leave slots filled are available because that is the maximum number of CPCs that can be off the schedule.  I’m negotiating how to make those slots available in a fair way and we haven’t come to an agreement. Until then, anyone wishing to get pre-approved leave should submit a Web Scheduler request and we will try to work it out.

c.       Canceling pre-approved leave: If the leave is canceled more than 58 days in advance, the leave slot may be filled by someone else. Please let me know if you cancel pre-approved leave in advance so that we can make sure that the leave slot does not go unfilled if someone else is requesting leave. You may cancel pre-approved leave and then request XTU but the credit hour request gets in line with all other requests. Credit hours taken have the same priority as spot leave. You may not substitute credit hours for pre-approved leave.

d.      When a schedule request is approved, it is management that approves the request. It does not matter who the controller is. If you think management made a mistake, please bring it to my attention. Most of the time there is a solution and everyone gets what they want. If you are harmed by a mistake on the schedule, ask for an Article 8 meeting. I’ve had several Article 8 meetings with management about schedule issues. Anyone can ask for an Article 8 meeting.

e.      Reminder, when overtime is assigned you will automatically have a request for your RDO published on the schedule. If you do not want the request cancel it as soon as you can.

2.       Airspace and Procedures:

a.       S46 LOA: A Collaborative Work Group (CWG) is forming to establish a new LOA. JM, OD, and I will represent ZSE/NATCA with the possibility of adding one more person to that group.

b.      The B Area is in the process of adding a sector in the vicinity of Redmond, OR. They have asked us to take some or all of Sector 04. It appears that we are the best option to help out the B Area. I have insisted we take all of Sector 04 as its own sector (not part of Sector 02). A Collaborative Work Group will be formed to figure out what we need and the best way to accomplish this, including training and certification. I have told Airspace and Procedures we need one more controller for every shift, except the mid, to make it work out. That adds up to 14 shifts that need to be covered, so ideally we would need three more controllers to cover the 14 shifts.

c.       I’ll be looking for volunteers to be on the CWGs; let me know if you’re interested.

3.       Training:

a.       Congratulations, Patrick Long, our newest CPC!

b.      AA and DK are now on the floor. AA is training on Sectors 01 and 31 and DK is training on Sectors 02 and 32.

c.       Ryan and Steve have started in the DYSIM.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

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SOLICITING VOLUNTEERS

Sisters and Brothers,

 

Management is soliciting volunteers for an Article 5 detail to Training. The detail begins February 19, 2017 and ends on April 1, 2017. Please let your Supervisor know by January 4, 2017 if you are interested in this detail. Also NATCA is soliciting volunteers to be CADRE facilitators for the IST training during March, CADRE training runs February 28, 2017 to March 1, 2017. Let me know if you are interested in this before January 4, 2017.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

 

In Solidarity,

 

Paul Skorniakoff

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SHIFT SWAP and AWS REQUESTS

Sisters and Brothers,

 

Now that the schedule bid is complete, it’s time to make shift swap and AWS requests. The deadline for making requests is December 2nd. The forms are available in the area. Please use the same form for shift swap and AWS requests.

 

The schedule was built with very little flexibility to change bid lines. The Guideline/Ancillary shift MOU gives us very little flexibility to change our bid lines. The Guideline MOU states the schedule will be published to minimums in the mornings and evenings. The schedule was designed to accommodate the MOU. The most likely scenario to have a shift swap approved is to have two people with requests that line up, one person wants to swap from a 15 to a 16 and some else wants to go from a 16 to 15. The most likely way to have an AWS request approved is add and delete hours in the middle of the day. For example, if you want to make your 1500 shift a 9 hour day request a 9 hour 1400 shift. Also, if you want make your 0700 shift a 7 hour day request a 7 hour 0700 shift. I hope that makes sense and helps.

 

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

 

In Solidarity,

 

Paul Skorniakoff

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Article 5 Detail to Training

Sisters and Brothers,

Management is soliciting volunteers for an Article 5 detail to Training. The detail is from January 9, 2017 to February 17, 2017 . Please let your Supervisor know by November 30, 2016 if you are interested in this detail.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

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Procedures for the Equitable Distribution of CIC Duties

Brothers and Sisters,

There are two agreements that affect how CIC assignments are distributed. The new CBA and a new local MOU. Please follow the rules outlined below when working or being assigned to work the CIC position.

CBA

Article 18, section 8; Procedures for the equitable distribution of CIC duties;

a.       The agency shall maintain a roster of qualified CIC bargaining unit employees for each area.

b.      Upon request the agency shall provide the Union a copy of the current CIC roster.

c.       CIC rosters shall be updated on a daily basis. CIC duties shall be tracked in hour and minute increments.

d.      Whenever practical, assignment of CIC duties shall be made to the BUE with lowest cumulative time. All ties shall be resolved by seniority.

e.      Once annually, the Parties shall jointly develop the process to be used when a CIC is required for a full shift.

f.        Effective the first full pay period in January, CIC balances shall be set to zero.

g.       CICs added to the roster shall have their cumulative time set to one minute more than the highest total on the roster for their area.

MOU

When full shifts of CIC duties are required, the expectation for the CIC is to maintain shift continuity and integrity. Frequent rotation through the CIC position impact operation awareness and is therefore undesirable. When full shift CIC assignment is required, in addition to the lowest cumulative time, qualification and experience may be considered as a condition of assignment, and consultation with the Union will occur accordingly.

Effective October 10, 2016 CIC time will be tracked by using the Currency Dashboard Automated Tool located in CEDAR for the purpose of the equitable distribution of assignment to the CIC position. For the remainder of 2016, the cumulative CIC time from the beginning of the year will be utilized in the assignment of CIC duties as outlined in Article 18, Section 8 of the CBA.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

In Solidarity,

Paul Skorniakoff

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SCHEDULE AND VACATION LEAVE UPDATE

Schedule and vacation leave bidding is going great! There was an oversite in leave slots when vacation bidding began. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day should have had two extra leave slots. We have added two more leave slots to Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. We are going to add the two leave slots to Christmas day after CV bids. The reason for adding the slots after CV bids is because he was the last one who had an opportunity to bid Christmas day in round one. I know this isn’t a perfect solution for adding leave slots to Christmas day, but I think it’s as fair as we it can be. Round two will start as soon as management and I ensure that all the bids are in compliance with the CBA. This process will continue after each round. There is also a change in the way we tally days bid this year. Every day bid counts against the accrued leave you will earn for the year. This means, holidays and “days in lieu of holidays” will count against your accrued leave you will earn for the year.

 

The CPC-IT/Dev bid will begin next week. Management and I will determine how many lines are available per crew. That includes how many r-side and d-side lines per crew. There will be one vacation leave slot per day.

 

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

 

In Solidarity,

 

Paul Skorniakoff

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AREA UPDATE

Brothers and Sisters,


Schedule and vacation leave bidding begins Monday! NATCA is running this year’s bid and will continue to do so for the duration of the contract. I am responsible for this bid. The area designees for this bid are the same as last year: Tony Germann, Brooke Dawson, and Derek Adams. The bid must only be run by an area rep (or designee), or current supervisor/CIC on position.

 

The bid rules are similar to years past. Days off and round one of the vacation bid will be conducted together. The Basic Watch Schedule MOU states: “Employees scheduled to be away from the facility/area have the option of providing their bid requests via written proxy to the NATCA designated representative for submission.” If you are going to be away from work, please leave a proxy with me for your schedule and vacation bid or some way to contact you. Round one of the vacation bid is one or two consecutive or non-consecutive work weeks. Rounds two through five are up to five days within a work week. A work week is defined as seven consecutive days. In round six, you may bid the rest of your accrued leave for the year in individual daily increments.

 

S46 LOA: The LOA is not going to change to the extent that was previously discussed. On November 10, the northern boundary between ZSE and S46 will change to accommodate the up numbered MADEE arrival and the future RNAV arrival to KPAE from the east. These changes will be discussed in briefings the week of October 31.

 

Route Channelization: The transfer of control between our area and the C Area is expanding. We will have control for altitude changes, 30 degree turns, and speed adjustments from the high altitude sectors. The C Area high altitude sectors will have the same control from us. Within our area, the transfer of control between Sectors 31 and 03/12 will be simplified. These changes also take effect on November 10 and will be discussed in briefings the week of October 31. Please try to attend!

 

If you have any questions or suggestions, please come find me, email at skorniakoff@comcast.net, or call/text me at 253-332-2066

 

In Solidarity,

 

Paul Skorniakoff

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