Your Supe Wants to Talk to You In the Office? Know your rights!

All,

I will try to keep this as brief as possible so I can get the information across without losing anyone. There have been more and more instances of Supervisors having little chit-chats with controllers about things like showing up late or using sick leave in a manner the agency may not agree with. These conversations are absolutely fine for them to be having with you (preferably away from the operation). If you believe it could lead to discipline, you are entitled to representation. If you ask for a rep, they should give you the chance to get one. We pick the reps, not them. If you get any resistance to this, please let us know immediately.

LOCODs

“What is that fun new acronym?” You may be asking yourself. Well, it’s not new and it’s not exactly fun either. LOCOD stands for Letter of Confirmation of Discussion. This can be found in Article 10 Section 12 of the Slate Book. Which reads as follows:

Letters of confirmation of discussion shall not be considered disciplinary in nature, but may be used to document future disciplinary actions, provided the employee has been given a copy upon completion. If a letter of confirmation of discussion is prepared, a copy will be provided to the employee as soon as practicable after the discussion.

These are basically records that show a conversation was had. An example of the agency doing this would be if they believed you to be abusing sick leave, they would have a discussion with you about what the proper use of sick leave is. They would then document this discussion and have you sign it. Then if you continue to abuse sick leave (allegedly), they would have to give you a counseling for it. For the counseling, they would be required to notify you in advance and offer you a rep. THEN, only after that counseling happens, could they put you on a sick leave restriction letter. They are not required to offer you a rep for a LOCOD, but I would always ask for one. Your default setting for every time a supe wants to speak to you about somethign other than performance (especially if it is one on one in the offices) should be to ask for a rep.

I have reason to believe that more and more of these documented conversations will be happening in the future around here. Don’t live in fear of these, just ask for a rep.

TL;DR: Ask for a rep.

Hope everyone is having a good holiday season and staying safe!

Drew

Snow Leave Refresher/Out of Office Notice

All,

I just wanted to send a quick update to wish everyone a happy holiday season and to let everyone know that both Amy and I are on annual leave for the next week. I will be back in the building on Wednesday, December 28th, and Amy will be back on Monday, January 2nd. As always, we are available in case of emergency and to the best of my knowledge, all of your area reps are still going to be around as well.

There is potential for some hazardous weather conditions in the coming weeks as well, so here is a quick refresher on how Article 19 is to be utilized. First, here is the exact wording:

Section 1. Given the essential nature of FAA responsibilities, employees are expected to make a reasonable effort to report for work during hazardous geological/weather conditions between the employee's home and their duty location; however, they are not expected to disregard their personal safety or that of their family. All employees who are unable to report for duty shall notify their facility as soon as possible. Employees who are unable to report for duty shall be granted excused absence at the time of their request, subject to the review process in Section 2. If requested, employees shall provide information that supports their request for excused absence as soon as feasible after returning to duty.

Examples of information are:

a. oral or written statements;

b. conditions that the employee encountered;

c. a synopsis of efforts made;

d. other information which provides an explanation or which shows hazardous geological/weather conditions prevented the employee from reporting to the facility or compelled the employee to safeguard his or her family against such phenomena.

Section 2. When deciding to sustain or rescind excused absence(s) granted in Section 1, the Agency, during joint review with the Union, shall consider reports from the employee, civil authorities, current meteorological information, news media, official road reports, leave approvals, reduced staffing, or closings at other area government facilities.

Section 3. When the Agency at the local level, after consulting with the Union, determines that hazardous geological/weather conditions exist or are imminent, on-duty bargaining unit employees shall be released as soon as possible, as staffing and workload permit. Volunteers to remain on duty shall be utilized to the extent possible.

Section 4. The Agency retains the right to determine the opening, closing, and use of its facilities during periods of hazardous geological/weather conditions. Subject to security and operational needs, the Parties at the facility may review existing facility emergency readiness plans and, to the extent appropriate, negotiate supplemental procedures addressing the work and family safety concerns of employees during such hazardous conditions.

Section 5. At facilities not in continuous operation, the Parties at that level shall negotiate procedures that employees shall use to notify the Agency in the event that they are unable to report on the opening shift. The procedures shall also establish the method the Agency will use to notify employees in the event that they are not required to report for duty due to hazardous geological/weather conditions.

Section 6. Issues arising from employees who chronically are unable to report to work during these conditions will be addressed utilizing the provisions of Articles 8 and/or 52 of this Agreement prior to more formal measures being initiated.

Ok so now let’s dig in on a few key points there. First off, it says you are required to make A REASONABLE EFFORT. Notice that is not plural and it does not say “every” reasonable effort. That means you are not required to keep trying every hour to see if you can make it. You give it a reasonable effort and then you make the call. The agency tends to read this differently so be prepared for some resistance but know that you are right and contact your rep if necessary. Next, notice that the excused absence SHALL BE GRANTED. If later they choose to conduct a JOINT REVIEW WITH THE UNION then it is possible it could be rescinded. However, as long as you are being reasonable and responsible, we will be able to make that argument on your behalf. The agency does not have the right to make unilateral denials of this request. And lastly, Section 3 gives the agency the ability to cut you loose earlier if conditions are worsening and it would be prudent to send you home. Remind them that while the early release provision is staffing and workload permitting, the approval is a “shall.” If you make a request and you feel it is unreasonably denied, contact your rep immediately. I will add that in the past, the agency has been pretty reasonable with early release in the case of heavy snow/ice.

Any questions on this, please don’t hesitate to contact your reps.

Happy Holidays and stay safe out there!

Drew

Facility Update December 6th

Food Drive

One of the things I love about this facility is our long tradition of supporting our local communities during times of need. The holiday season is always a larger burden on many families and with food prices having gone up substantially, that burden is even greater. The NATCA Charitable Foundation (NCF) is partnering with us to run a food drive benefiting the Multi-Service Center in Federal Way. The NCF is starting us out with $1000 but I would love to see us bring in as much extra food and funds as possible. We are working on a time crunch but please go through your pantries and bring in some supplies to help fill their shelves. If you prefer, there is a QR code on each barrel that goes to a Venmo, please just label it “Food Drive” and it will be added to the final tally. The food drive ends December 13th so please don’t delay! 

ATX

If you are attending ATX, can you please fill out this FORM? This will help us with bookkeeping later on.

In solidarity,

Amy

NNM/NCF Holiday Food Drive

Merry Happy Everybody!

Northwest Mountain & NATCA Charitable Foundation are teaming up for a holiday food drive! Multi-Service Center in Federal Way, helps strengthen communities throughout South King County. Multi-Service Center addresses the causes and barriers of poverty and homelessness with comprehensive services that help lift individuals and families from crisis and vulnerability to self-sufficiency and stability.

There will be flyers up in the facility soon containing information about the specific items that Multi-Service Center is requesting. If monetary donations are more your thing, then great! Additional options include sending Dan Rasmussen in the A Area a Venmo @danbrasmussen, which we will include with the rest of the donated items.

Donation bins will arrive in the facility soon. Until then, we can all get started looking through cupboards, or adding items to the weekly grocery list. Collections will continue until Thursday, the 15th of December. Plenty of time for us to do some good!

Thanks!

Loren

Facility Update November 28th

From Amy: 

Datacomm classes are in full swing now so it’s been really great to get that show on the road. There has been a lot of work behind the scenes to get us to this point from building scenarios and testing them to scheduling and training the cadre. The last puzzle piece and arguably the most important part of this is that you show up for your scheduled class. We understand that life happens but if there is any chance of informing us (Matt Braunstein, Mike Sellman, any of the NATCA reps or area schedulers) of a planned absence, please do so as soon as possible. Those class dates are in extremely high demand and we need to ensure every class is full. Missing this class is not like missing IST or something like that, if you miss any part of the three day class you will not be certified to work live traffic when this is turned on. The schedule is tentatively figured out all the way through the end of March so if you don’t know when your class is just talk to your area scheduler, they should be able to tell you (though it is subject to change). 

From Drew:

A Quick Note about Shift Assignments

Many of you (particularly those who have worked at other facilities) are already aware of this but I wanted to take a minute to explain how shift assignments work. This has come up because as staffing gets worse and worse, especially throughout DATACOMM training, the schedule is getting tighter and tighter. When you bid a line, there are shifts associated with that line. If those shifts are 15, 1330, 08, 07, 06 then you have bid a S/S/D/D/D line with a request for those shifts to be 15, 1330, 08, 07, 06. However, it is possible that a need arises for you to be placed on a different swing or a different day shift. The agency is limited to the cores and ancillaries listed in the MOU for the facility and your specific area. So if your area has a 1000 listed as an ancillary of a day shift then you can be assigned that shift if needed. There are still protections for the cascading line and obviously for the required time off between swings and days and days and mids. The same goes for if you have a 1500 and coverage is needed later and you get assigned a 1600. Article 32 Section 6 also still applies:

Section 6. The Parties recognize that changing an employee's posted watch schedule is undesirable. The Agency will normally give no less than seven (7) days notice of its intention to modify a posted watch schedule. In such case, it shall attempt to avoid the change by soliciting qualified volunteers for forty-eight (48) hours. If the Agency determines it is necessary to modify a posted watch schedule with less than seven (7) days notice, it will make reasonable efforts to secure qualified volunteers. Changes with less than seven (7) days notice shall not be made for the purpose of avoiding payment of overtime, holiday, or other premium pay. If an employee's shift is involuntarily changed with less than seven (7) days notice, the affected employee shall be paid any night time differentials to which he/she would otherwise have been entitled had they worked that shift.

The main point I am trying to drive home is that if you bid a shift, that is a request, not an entitlement. It is more often than not a request that will be accommodated, but it is not a guarantee.

From NNM:

“Looking ahead, we will have our 3rd Annual Wellness Briefing that will be open to all members on Friday, Dec 2 @ 12pm MT/11am PT. This year we have commitments from NATCA EVP Andrew LeBovidge, NATCA EAP Chair Martin Ramirez, CISM Chair Sarah Gramp, and other guests. This discussion is so important and is in honor of Justin Van Iwarden (out of COS) who we lost in 2019. No one should suffer in silence and this all-members briefing can show you the tools and support that are available for all of us. Look for an email with link to join.”