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Facility Update April 16th

Greetings from the Northwest Mountain Regional meeting in Salt Lake City. When the meeting is done, I will ensure I disseminate notes for you to review.

Area Training Rep Solicitation

We are moving forward with developing Area Training Reps. Lindsay has created an extensive list of typical duties an Area Training Reps would do. If you are interested in the role, please peruse THIS and if it interests you, let me or your area rep know.

Sign up for the ZSE Step Challenge Drawing

So far, we’ve only had 3 people fill out the form to make them eligible for the ZSE step challenge drawing. The NCF Step challenge goes until May 3rd. As a reminder, here’s the previous update info:

The NATCA Charitable Foundation (NCF) Step Challenge started last week but you can still join at any time during the challenge. Your steps will backtrack to March 20th through your tracking app/device. We have a little ZSE teaming going but you may join another team, make up your own or do it alone.

As mentioned in the last update, your NATCA Events Committee will be offering 3 gift certificates for 1st ($50), 2nd ($35), and 3rd ($15) place to your choice of either Costco or REI. The Step Challenge ends on Fri, May 3rd and we will announce the winners the following week. In order to pick the winners, all the identified participants will have their name in bowl and we will randomly pick 3 names out. Just fill out the form to get your username matched with your real name, and you're in! Don't miss out on supporting the NCF—join in now!

Google Form to be eligible for the drawing HERE

Link to join the Step Challenge HERE

Southern Insurance Group (SIG) Visit Next Week

As most of you know, the Federal life insurance that people sign up for at the start of their careers loses its cost efficiency and  value the older you get. NATCA has negotiated this benefit to provide you with a cost savings avenue to ensure your family is protected. Please do yourself a favor and stop by their booth in the cafeteria on Tuesday, April 23rd or Friday April 26th from 10am - 4pm. Just to provide some more info, here’s an excerpt from the email the SIG Rep sent me:

 

To remind you of the benefits we offer, our primary focus is on individual life insurance policies. For those who have the FEGLI group life insurance (which is a horrible deal and skyrockets in price as you get older), we sit down with them and show them a no-obligation comparison between what they have with FEGLI and what we can do for them on an individual basis. Everyone is different, based on current health and medical history, but it’s not uncommon for us to save people $20-40k, or sometimes more over the course of their career and beyond. Over 6,000 NATCA members have switched over from FEGLI, and we have saved them millions!

We can also take a look at members’ survivor annuity, which retirees can pay into with their retirement income to provide a death benefit for their family if they pass away in retirement. We can look at an individual life insurance policy as a replacement for that, which could provide a similar benefit for your family at a much lower cost.

Lastly, we specialize in UNUM disability insurance for controllers, which can protect their income if they should lose their medical clearance and are unable to work. Open enrollment for this ended in October of 2023, but should be available again this fall. I’d be glad to educate members on this, so they know the benefits of signing up next time open enrollment comes around.

Construction

Please do not enter any of the construction zones. This is for safety and liability reasons. They are being very strict about it and are reporting people who violate the barriers.

Amy Sizemore

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FACILITY UPDATE MAR 25, 2024

Happy Spring! I mean..the rain won’t last forever, right? This is my first Facility Update, so please keep expectations low. Thanks!

4TH ANNUAL STEP CHALLENGE

The NATCA Charitable Foundation (NCF) Step Challenge started last week but you can still join at any time during the challenge. Your steps will backtrack to March 20th through your tracking app/device. We have a little ZSE teaming going but you may join another team, make up your own or do it alone.

As mentioned in the last update, your NATCA Events Committee will be offering 3 gift certificates for 1st ($50), 2nd ($35), and 3rd ($15) place to your choice of either Costco or REI. The Step Challenge ends on Fri, May 3rd and we will announce the winners the following week. In order to pick the winners, all the identified participants will have their name in bowl and we will randomly pick 3 names out. Just fill out the form to get your username matched with your real name, and you're in! Don't miss out on supporting the NCF—join in now!

Google Form to be eligible for the drawing HERE

Link to join the Step Challenge HERE

COOLANT PIPE REPAIR

It was discovered that one of the very large pipes in the basement that runs water through the HVAC for the building is failing. The contractor will be out on Wednesday to perform a test that involves briefly shutting down the water. This is to see what types of repairs will need to be done. They will return and do this work on Saturday unless the test shows that it needs to be done immediately. This work will start between 2 and 4 am, and the estimated completion time is 30 min. Let the OM know if it gets too hot in the control room. I don’t think it will affect the heat, but maybe bring a hoodie just in case.

CIC CADRE

You may remember they will require certified people to teach the CIC class. The class will be taught via Zoom and held on May 16th and 17th. If interested, please let me or your area rep know by April 16th.

ALL MEMBERS MEETING 3/20/24

Thank you to all those who came in person and online to the All Members meeting! We had a packed room with many new faces. Chico will send out the meeting minutes soon.

DRUG & ALCOHOL TESTING

The testers have been in the building a lot over the last 2 weeks. Please always ask for a NATCA Rep if you don’t see one. We are here to protect the process for you.

I will be at Parents Weekend at WSU next weekend for my oldest and away for spring break with my youngest April 8-14. I come back in time to attend the Northwest Mountain Region Meeting in SLC on April 15-17. We will send out meeting notes after we return.

If you have any questions/concerns please contact any of your Eboard members.

With Warm Regards,

your Veep

Ligaya Corbitt

312-952-3191

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Facility Update March 17th

Hopefully you’re finding a way to enjoy this wonderful weather. These are the days that help make you forget that unending gray winter. It’ll be back but that’s a Wednesday problem.

4th Annual Step Challenge

Wednesday marks the beginning of the NATCA Charitable Foundation (NCF) step challenge. We had a bunch of ZSE participants last year, but the eboard wanted to make it a little more interesting for individual participants at ZSE. So, this year, we will be offering 3 gift certificates (store TBD) for 1st ($50), 2nd ($35), and 3rd ($15) place. The challenge starts this Wednesday, so register HERE quickly!

All Members Meeting

I’m sure you’ve seen the flyers up on the bulletin board, but just as a reminder, the next all-member’s meeting is on Wednesday. Alex Navarro will be there to give a regional update so bring any questions you may have. As always, lunch will be provided, we’re planning on Jersey Mike’s this time. Please show up around 12:30 for lunch, the meeting starts at 1pm in the East / West Conference room.

Agenda Items:

  • Local Constitution

  • Finance

  • Committee Updates

  • Regional Updates

Just a quick heads up: I'll be teleworking until at least the end of April due to a detail I got selected for. It is to completely redesign the Initial Qualification Training in Oklahoma City. Considering the course has not had a major overhaul in 24 years, I’d say this is majorly overdue. Originally, it was supposed to be just a week of occasional work, but turns out we're released for 60 days. It was a huge surprise to everyone on the team, no one was prepared for that.

I've sorted things out with Ligaya to cover the FacRep duties at the facility three days a week so that everything runs smoothly. Even though I won't be physically there, I'm still reachable via text and email for anything you need.

Just want to reassure you all that I'm still fully committed to serving our membership, even if it means working from home for a while. If you've got any questions or need to chat, don't hesitate to shoot me a message.

Amy Sizemore

2538806414

asizemore@natca.net

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Facility Update February 17th

Varda Space Operations

Welp, they’re back again. The last time we prepared for this, it never happened. The story we heard last time was that the mission was no longer viable and that the Space Force used it as a practice target. Not sure how much truth is to that, but I like that story, so I’m going to stick with it. Most of you got to the briefing this week, but if not, they will try again on February 21st or 28th from about 1-2 pm.

Pizza and Coffee

Alex Navarro will be in the facility for Presidents Day on Monday and will bring coffee in the morning and pizza for lunch. This is an excellent opportunity to have your questions and concerns addressed.

Turn Off Tune In

NATCA has been committed to this policy since it began in 2013. Keeping distractions to a minimum is paramount to maintaining the public trust. Remember that all use of cell phones and smart watches inside the control room is prohibited. Recently, more focus has been on ensuring we stay committed to safety by keeping those devices out. Please do your part and shut ‘em down.

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Facility Update February 9th

NATCA in Washington (NiW) May 1-3

Every year, NATCA hosts its NATCA in Washington (NIW) legislative conference, where NATCA member activists meet with Members of Congress to further our relationships and educate those Congressional Members and their staff on issues important to our Union. The opportunity to speak to our elected officials and their staff to adequately explain how they can help us is invaluable.

Two common concerns:

  • I don’t know enough about the issues

  • I don’t want to talk about the issues by myself

Great news: the first day of NiW is dedicated to educating you on the issues and the procedures. Secondly, as a first-timer, you will always be with at least one other veteran NiW participant. Registration is open now until March 8th, feel free to register but please let me know if you do. This is slightly different from other NATCA events, space is very limited.

Controller in Charge (CIC) Cadre Class

A last-minute class has opened up to be trained to teach the CIC class. This is a change from how we normally do it, where any CIC could teach the class. The hours of this class are a little different than usual, and that’s because it’s a class made for Guam, but they’ve got extra space. It’s March 5-6 from noon to 8 pm. If you’re interested, please let me know right away.

Have a wonderful and safe Superbowl weekend,

Amy

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