As a (very late) companion update to Troy's Convention letter, here are a few of my notes and observations from the Philly convention.
A18-03 National Conventions
ZSE came to this convention with the intention of trying to see Las Vegas every 2 years pass. That being said, the body seemed to want the oversight but keep absolute flexibility as far as venue location. Before the convention was officially underway the reps from all facilities were able to get together to discuss some of these amendments. Given the feedback with the reps of all of NATCA (Center, Tracon and Core 30 Tower) there was almost no appetite for LV every 2 years. A18-03 was the best chance to accomplish oversight on a financial and logistical level. Although this was not the amendment that our local wanted, we did support this because we felt that our local would want some oversight rather than status quo.
Legislative Update
o 43% Membership donate to the NATCA PAC up from 40% since San Diego Convention in 2016
o The goal we are striving for is 50% nation wide.
o At the San Diego Convention we were at 7.4 mil and now just under 8.5 mil in PAC dollars per cycle.
o Our latest threat may be ending our ability to deduct contributions directly through our paychecks. We are finalizing a method to outsource that deduction out of our employers hands so they can’t use it against us.
Staffing
o Working for years to come up with a model that considers traffic and staffing and gives a total number of staffing needed to run the operation.
o Finance has determined that the number is 12.896. No more than that.
o We believe that the average number should be 6 hours position and 2 hours non-position (including breaks and additional duties) for a shift and finance believes the metric should be 6.5 hours and 1.5 hours.
o With 6/2 that would equate to 13100 people and finance's 6.5/1.5 would reduce to 12100. Their number would mean that we are currently overstaffed nationally. When pressed, Finance could not show us where we could lose 800 bodies and not cripple facilities. Despite that, they still don’t want to budge off of their formula.
o At this time, we have not had very much luck convincing finance to reasonably consider our position as they are stuck on raw numbers and money savings. They don’t consider the practical implementation of deploying their number.
o We are currently gathering data to support our number of 6/2 and plan to try and pursue a legislative avenue with our connections on Capital Hill to maybe craft a bill and make a law to fix this and bypass finance.
o Clearly, staffing is an issue beyond the scope of any local and can only be solved on a national level.
NATCA Benefits
o CORE is a retirement program offered by NATCA benefits that is targeting members that are 15 or more years out from retirement. They want to help prepare us for the time that we can hang up the head-set by educating us now. You can sign up via the member portal on the natca.org website and we will try and set up a local seminar soon.
o Please visit natcadisability.com to protect your pay. Up to 50% of your income for 5 years if you lose your medical long-term.
o AMAS Aviation Medicine Advisory Service is a quick way to find info on all things related to your medical status. They can be reached at (720) 857-6117
o www.fordpartner.com known as the Ford X plan. Use the code BOFVJ and get a vehicle at dealer cost plus 10%. Some exceptions.
World Controllers Cup (Soccer)
o Nov 4-10, 2018 in Las Vegas, NV
o Looking for controllers to participate
o Search ATCTeamUSA on Facebook for more info
Please forgive the tardiness of this update and thank you for allowing us to represent you. Before I conclude this email I would like to give Drew Stewert, Brian Spencer, and Denise Spencer a big thanks for the additional work they put in during convention with the Constitution Committee (Drew) and Credentials/Set-Up (Spencers).
Alex Navarro III, ZSE VP
