Facility Update June 4th

Happy June all, hopefully this nice weather has been a welcome reprieve from all the rain and storms lately. Between annual leave and general life stuff it’s been a while since we have sent out an email so let’s get back into it.

Covid Updates

The mask MOU has been updated to allow for vaccinated people to go mask-less in the building. If you’re not vaccinated, you are required to still wear a mask. Lying or lack of candor is something the agency will definitely follow up on. 

This coming Monday marks the end of Covid scheduling. Here’s what that means for us:

• Return to pre-covid negotiated schedules/guide numbers

• People back in the building

• No more (Covid) EA 

• The OSHA committee is working on opening the gym fully 

• Building safety plan (closed off bathroom stalls, separated tables, etc) is still in effect

Election Committee Volunteer Request

Every other year our facility holds a local election and is an integral part of our organization. Our Election Committee is soliciting for volunteers to help with this year’s election. No experience necessary, it’s just a lot of little work that is made so much easier with lots of help. Nominations will be accepted between August 1-15 and elections will be completed by September 15th. 

*If you have moved in the last 2-3 years, please let your area rep know so that we have your current mailing address. The Department of Labor stipulates that these elections be done via mail in ballot.

BWS/OT/CIC MOUs

We will be beginning negotiations for the 2022 MOUs shortly. If you have any suggestions or requests for changes, please let your rep know.

Building Water Shut Off

On Tuesday, June 8th at 6pm the entire building water will need to be shut off for many hours for maintenance/repairs and then to fully flush the system. Bottled water will be provided and portable toilets will be outside.

Have a great night!

Derek Adams and Amy Sizemore

Facility Update April 23rd

Not much to update tonight, just a quick solicitation of interest.

Tech Refresh 2 (TR2 or ERAM Sustainability)

TR2 will be starting back up again soon. One part of the upgrades that will be happening are installing the newer, larger monitors (43”), replacing our current scopes. Since these monitors are much wider, we will no longer be able to have the laminated papers on the side with all the sectors/frequencies. They will be replaced with electronic versions called “horse collars.” Prior to covid, we had asked for a volunteer from each area to help develop their area’s horse collar but we didn’t get too far before the pandemic closed everything so we’re looking for volunteers again. The proposed start date is July 5th. If you’re interested or would like more information, please let your area rep know.

Here are a couple of slides for a little more information:

Thank you all for continued hard work.

Derek and Amy

Facility Update April 15

Good Afternoon All! Hopefully you’re out enjoying the sun!

Covid shot procedure

As with all things during the past year, procedures have shifted again to request covid vaccine EA. There have been some issues and confusion on the supervisory level as to when a shift can be converted to EA or when it needs to stay as SL. The process should be as follows:

• When you make your appointment, put in a request for EA with “COVID shot” in the remarks. Also, please write whether it’s dose #1 or dose #2. You should probably let someone in management know the request is in there so it can be addressed.

• If that is denied, put in a SL request for the same dates with COVID shot in the remarks.

Derek and Don will review all denied EA requests on the Monday after each pay period has ended to see what can be converted from SL to EA. Right now, if no OT is triggered for the shift, EA should be allowed. If SL is converted to EA, management does have the right to ask for proof of vaccination.

As a reminder, you are not required to report your vaccination to management unless you’re requesting EA. The flight surgeon does not need to know either unless you experience symptoms more than 48 hours after your shot.

Magellan Employee Assistance Program

This pandemic era has been an incredibly stressful time for the vast majority of people. It has been affecting everyone in different ways but so many of us are reluctant to seek help for a variety of reasons but a common one is that some are concerned about affecting their medical clearance. We wanted to ensure people are informed of the EAP so they know the avenues available to pursue help. EAP is a free benefit and you are afforded 8 free sessions with a counselor per issue. That is not limited to per year so if you have another issue after your first 8, the next 8 is free as well. If you would like confidential help navigating the system safely, email worklife@natca.net. If you would like to see what type of help is available, please look through https://www.magellanascend.com. You don’t need to wait until things are at a breaking point either, no issue is too small.

NCEPT

As it stands, there will be an NCEPT panel this quarter. Here is the timeline if anyone is interested:

2021 NCEPT Timeline

The Parties at the national level have agreed to conduct an NCEPT using the following timeline:

23 April ERR Submission Deadline

30 April HR Staffing Workbook entries completed

5 May Facility Priority Placement Tool (Weekly Run)

6 May NCEPT data executed

10 May HR resume upload begins

14 May HR resume upload complete

17 May Manager Ranking List published (Opened)

21 May Manager Rankings completed (Closed)

25 May P21 prepares data for NCEPT board

27 May NCEPT convenes/adjourns

With our world getting closer and closer to returning to normal, a lot of programs are getting up and running again. A lot of volunteer requests are going out on both the national and regional emails so keep your eyes out for anything that might pique your interests.

Derek Adams and Amy Sizemore

Facility Update April 2nd

The entire facility is now back on BWS and it seems like it is just in time. The weather has been great and more people have been out flying every day. Covid vaccines seem to be very available and a return to normal life appears to be just around the corner.

SGET

Prior to covid, we solicited for people that are interested in learning the SGET (Scenario Generation and Editing Tool) role but of course everything was put on hold. While there are no classes currently scheduled, we’d like to start gathering a list of people interested so we’ll be ready when things get going again. Normally, this person deals a lot with designing and maintaining simulator scenarios used for training but this role will be integral when our facility starts Data Comm. Ideally, we’d like at least two people per area that SGET qualified. Please reply to this email or let your Area Rep know if you are interested or would just like more information. Also, if you had submitted your name before and are still interested, please let us know again so we can ensure we’ve got the most accurate list.

Gym Reopening

As of April 1st, the gym has been reopened. There are some details that still need to be ironed out though, mainly the use of the weight section. There are curtains up to split the room into quarters and occupancy is limited to one person per quarter. Additionally, some equipment will be moved and some will remain off limits, please do not remove any signs or move any machines, etc. The NATCA OSHA reps have been working with the Employee’s Association and the agency to ensure the gym is now included in the regular cleanings, three times a day. The memo with further information is in CEDAR.

National Elections

With the nomination period closed, our new National Executive Board is already nearly set. All positions went unopposed except for Region X, which encompasses the union’s other bargaining units including engineers, aircraft certification and legal professionals. Rich Santa will be the new President, Andrew Lebovidge will be the new Executive Vice President and the Northwest Mountain Region will continue to be led by our own Alex Navarro! They, along with the rest of the National Executive Board, have all dedicated a huge portion of their lives to the future of this union and it will be exciting to see them in action for another 3 years. Congratulations all!

Have a wonderful evening,

Derek Adams and Amy Sizemore

Facility Update March 12

Just a short update this week.

Vaccine

As far as we can tell, air traffic controllers fall into the next tier, Phase 1 Tier B2, estimated to start on Wednesday March 17th. 

1B2 is defined as: critical workers who work in certain congregate settings: Agriculture; fishing vessel crews; food processing; grocery stores; corrections; prisons, jails or detention centers; public transit; remaining first responders.

Basically, we make up such a small specialized section of essential workers that we’ll more than likely never be mentioned specifically. We definitely want everyone that wants it to be vaccinated but try and work with your crew when possible to limit overlap.

If you are a veteran, you can go through the VA to get a vaccine regardless of job, co-morbidities. Puget Sound VA link for more info.

If you find out any useful covid vaccine leads, tips, tricks, etc. that you want to share with everyone else, please let us know so we can spread the word.

Thank you,

Derek Adams and Amy Sizemore