General Updates

Changes to Night Differential 

Due to the FAA needing to have someone recallable on our 3 shift starts times (0600, 1400, 2200).  Our WX shifts and RDOs will be changing in web schedule.  Your actual WX shift assignment will either be in the shift notes, remarks, or if you click on a “WX” under the schedule view, it should show the shift history/assignment for recall purposes.  This generally won’t effect how we operate with 5 and 5 per say, but you will see more or less night differential depending on what WX shifts you have that pay period for recall purposes.  We’ll make every effort to balance this out every few pay periods to equitably distribute the night differential as much as possible.

Changes to Canceling Bid Leave

Previously we have been reaching out to everyone with bid leave to see if they still want it before publishing.  Under this it was either “approved” or “denied.”  This was done to get everyone as much EA as possible since after publication (even if someone turned in leave) there is no re assignment of EA.

Moving forward all bid leave will either be approved per the contract or canceled at the employee’s request.  This includes leave you have on “5 off days.”  Meaning, if you don’t want to be charged leave on your “5 off days” you will have to cancel it.  We’re no longer able to “deny” it like it has been to keep the order of request correct in web schedule.

We still have an agreement in place that when we go back to 5 and 2 the bid books come back and previous bid leave will be honored if you canceled it under 5 and 5.

To be clear, we’ll still reach out to everyone if they want their bid leave but it will either be approved or canceled in web schedule and this will look different than before.

We’re still working on beginning of dayshift EA and additional EA days on slower shifts as we get into fall/winter traffic.  Expect more to follow on this once we get additional guidance.

If there are questions please feel free to call anytime.

James Darlington 

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

Trainee Recertification

C Area,

We've been tasked with getting trainees that have certifications recertified before 120 days from the last day they worked a position.

Schedule wise we have agreed to have no more than 2 trainees on a shift at one time.  Due to that and a lack of supe coverage it will take us 2 rotations to complete (10 days).

The plan is to get an over the shoulder recertification from any C or D Area supe, and 8 hours of currency for the month.  Once the trainee has their 8 hours they will be expected to go back on administrative leave until further notice.  Basically no need to stay the full 5 days.

Click here for a copy of the agreed upon schedule.

We made an effort to put trainees with their trainers or someone they've trained with in the past.  But, the reality is the driving force behind the schedule is the 120 day requirement and who had to be recertified first.  Since there are 3 trainees in total on Crew 3 dayshift, the plan is to have 2 trainees on 7-12, they will get their currency by the end of shift on 7-14 then back on administrative leave until further notice, after that a 3rd trainee will come in on 7-15 to get refertified and current before the end of that rotation.  This way we'll have no more than 2 trainees on a shift at one time.

All shifts in the above link are NF (No Flex) shifts, but for the official schedule please refer to webscheduler.

For the trainees that haven't been in the building in awhile I will be calling you directly over the next few days to cover some of the changes at work including

The schedule

Getting a parking pass

How and where to get your own chair for the shift

Where to find hand sanitizer, gloves, disinfecting wipes, masks etc

As always please feel free to give me a call if there are any questions or concerns

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

Day shift OT rebalancing

As many of you are already aware, starting Monday there will only be one 10 minute beginning of shift OT assignment on day shifts.  Due to that, starting Monday the OT on day shifts for pay period 13 and the following pay periods was rebalanced. Just a friendly reminder please double check web schedule for any changes. If there are any questions please feel free to give me a call.

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

General Updates

C Area,

A few notes on our 5 and 5 schedule

Due to no longer being able to cross isle supervisors and annual leave coverage there may be times we’re shift balanced to the day, swing, or mid.  Expect this to be handled similar to how we could get balanced to a 3rd swing for leave coverage on our normal schedule. If you get shift balanced for CIC coverage you can still swap out of it but will most likely need to swap with another CIC unless there’s a supe on the shift.

Airspace and Procedure Changes 

In the near future you will see pre arranged coordination between sector 1 and sector 9 in CEDAR. Also, expect to see some altitude changes with Vancouver Center’s airspace in a chart update briefing.  Both should be pretty straight forward but please let me know if there are any questions or concerns.

Hope everyone is doing well.

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

Quick Update

C Area,

Expect to see our 5 and 5 schedule updated in web schedule sometime this week with beginning of shift OT assignments, and any potential EA in there. As always, for your official schedule make sure to continue to check web schedule.  

For those on the swing shift YKM approach sector will be back to normal operating hours on May 18th.

MWH is still closing early at 8pm local. As soon as I hear something different I’ll be sure to let everyone know.

If there are any questions please feel free to call me anytime. 

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

5 and 5 Schedule

C Area,

As many of you are aware we will be transition to a 5 and 5 schedule starting May 28th. We’ve finalized the schedule based off everyone’s preferences, seniority, trying to keep the original bid crews together for when we eventually come out of this, etc.

The basics of the 5 and 5 schedule is listed below with the same shift start times.  With that said this is subject to change.

7 on the day shift

7 on the swing shift

3 on the mid shift

Click here for the schedule  

Regarding how EA will be applied the current process is as such.

1 person on the day shift

2 people on the swing shift

1 person on the mid shift 

EA will rotate on a daily basis during your 5 day work rotation and this would rotate in the shift the following day and so on.  This will be subject to traffic changes, bid leave, and sick hits.   When applying EA to the day shift there will be less opportunities when comparing to the mid shift.  The feedback I’ve received so far is that the majority of the area does not want to rotate shifts or redo preferences while still on a dynamic schedule, however if that has changed please let me know and we will look into it.  Taking that into consideration having 7 on the day, 7 on the swing, and 3 on the mid allows bid leave, sick hits, and EA to be applied among each shift without having to balance someone to a different shift.  This also helps with social distancing and not having someone exposed to others they wouldn’t normally see by being placed on different shifts.  With that said you are still be to able to swap your 5 days of shifts with someone else if you desire.  Also, in trying to balance out the EA on the mid compared to the day, if there is any interest to rotate from the day to the mid to get the opportunity for more EA please let me know and we will look into it.

I know there may be questions regarding going to a 5 and 5 schedule and how the EA works so please feel free to give me a call and I’d be happy to go into details.

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065 

MWH Hours of Operation

C Area,

MWH Hours of Operation

Many of you may have seen the email with facilities reducing their hours.  Starting Monday May 4th MWH will open at the normal time but close early at 8pm local.  Due to less staffing on C Area evening shifts, sector 9 already taking YKM approach in the afternoon, and the potential for late evening military ops we made every effort to keep MWH open at night with reduced hours in the morning instead.  Unfortunately, MWH port authority does not agree with us.  So, our next option is to reduce traffic/services into or around MWH if it’s an issue.  If anyone is curious about the details of the discussions I’ve had about MWHs hours of operations I’d be happy to go into it more for those that want to know.  Moving forward, McChord has been made aware of MWH closing early and that we may not be able to provide the same level of service.  If you see any issues with traffic at or around MWH after 8pm local please let me know so we can address it.  On Monday expect to see an update in CEDAR and in the area to include Drop Zone Information, IR Route Information, TAC Route Information, and Points of Contact among other things.  If there is something that’s not in the briefing that you think should be included please let me know.  The gist of it is we’ll have an updated TAC Route/Drop Zone flimsy in the area to reference.

Current Schedule Shift Preferences Feedback

We currently do not rotate any of our shifts and I wanted to put it out there that the feedback I have received so far regarding everyone’s shifts is that the majority of the area is happy with what they have and doesn’t want to redo preferences or rotate shifts.  If the majority of the area wants to either redo preferences or consider rotating shifts around please let me know and we can look into.  Also, don’t forget if you need to trade your week of Days, Swings, or Mids you can do so with someone else on your crew for the entire week.

Hope everyone is doing well, please call or text anytime if there are any questions.

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

Night Differential and Bid Leave

C Area,

Update on night differential while on admin.  Depending on the pay period and your work rotation the schedulers are generally coding everyone as 3 evening shifts, 2 day shifts, and 4 RDOs.  This is the most equitable way to code everyone to get some night differential while on admin.

Just a reminder bid (pre approved) leave is still being processed per the contract.  If you have bid annual on an admin day and don’t want to be charged annual you will need to cancel your leave request more than 24 hours in advanced in order to get it converted to admin.  

If you want to be put on admin but still protect your bid leave in the event we go back to a normal schedule please contact Carly or myself, prior to publication if you can.  

If you have bid leave and don't want to be subject to being recalled then you will need to keep your leave.

Hope everyone is doing well, and as always please feel free to call me if you have any additional questions.

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

Additional Dynamic Scheduling Information

C Area,

How the OT assignments work and what to do when you get to work.

Mids - Both Mids have 10 minutes of OT beginning of shift and are expected to sign in, check weather, cedar, etc and relieve the Evening shift just like normal.

Days - 5 people on the day shift. 2 of the 5 will have 10 minutes of OT beginning of shift and are expected to sign in, check weather, cedar, etc and relieve the Mid shift. The other 3 people on the Day shift are to call the area before entering the control room and expect instructions from there. You could be told to go on break or could be told to come in, etc. The point of this is to limit as much exposure as possible.

Evenings - 4 people on the evening shift. 3 of the 4 will have 10 minutes of OT beginning of shift and are expected to sign in, check weather, cedar, etc and relieve the Day shift. The other person on the Evening shift is to call the area before entering the control room and expect instructions from there. My guess is you will be told to go on break. Again, the point of this is to limit as much exposure as possible.

I’m expecting OT assignment will be in accordance with our OT MOU.

If someone calls in sick/fatigued we will be running the area short and if there is a traffic situation TMIs will be used before an extra person is called in unless in an absolute emergency. As mentioned before this is to limit exposure of crews between each other. There is a chance you could go over 2 hours on position durning this Dynamic Schedule.

Lastly, I’m not expecting the YKM Tower LOA to be out before Sunday evening. I’m planing on calling/texting everyone that has the first Evening shift to touch base and see if there are any questions/concerns. For anyone else that’s not on Crew A Evenings that has questions please feel to call me anytime. My hope is we’ll have the LOA out sometime during the first week.

Thanks again for everyone’s understanding and patience with this. As mentioned before this is all subject to change. Also, sorry for the spelling and grammar errors in my last update. I have since fixed most of them on our local website.

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

YKM Approach Control Hours

C Area,

In order for Chinook Approach to have a dynamic staffing schedule they are not able to facilitate YKM Approach being open at the normal times. Right now expect YKM Approach to only be open from 0600L to 1400L.  All other times the Approach sector will be closed.  Basically it’ll be normal ops on the day shift but the evening shifts will be working YKM Approach.  With that said YKM Tower will still be open at normal times.  For us this means we’ll have to pass inbounds and YKM Tower will call us for releases.  We’re working on getting a temporary LOA made that should be out soon, and I’m expecting it to have reduced services such as no ODO, no practice approaches, etc.  YKM has an ATIS so expect some clarification in the LOA for them to call us with the new ATIS code.  We’re expecting significantly less traffic at YKM compared to normal so we’re not anticipating any changes to our dynamic schedule numbers.  To be clear PSC Approach will be open at normal times.  With how dynamic everything is right now there could be changes with all of this.

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

Dynamic Schedule Update

C Area,

Below is the link to the crews and the first 2 rotations of the schedule.  This is technically what to expect and not official, for the official schedule please refer to web schedule.

Crew A B C (click)

Schedule Grid A B C (click)

To figure out your schedule look for your initials under the Crew A B C link and take the crew letter and number next to your initials.  For example JI is C9.  Once you have your crew letter and number look for that in the schedule Grid A B C link.  For example C9 is a 1400 shift starting on 4-8-20.

There is some nuance to the overlap in regards to overtime and is subject to change.  Day shifts will have 2 people with 10 minutes of OT added to the beginning of their shift, evening shifts will have 3 people with 10 minutes added to the beginning of their shift, and both mids will have 10 minutes added at the beginning of their shift.  Basically this will work the same way the Saturday night to Sunday morning mid normally does.  The plan is to assign the OT in accordance with the OT MOU.  Again, please check web schedule for your official schedule and if you have the 10 minutes of OT beginning of shift.

As of right now we are currently not planning on rotating any shifts in the C Area.  However, you will be able to swap your entire week of shifts with someone else on your crew before the week starts if desired.  For example, if you have 5 straight mids coming up and find someone that wants to work them you can swap your entire week of mids for their entire week of days or swings.  The swap has to be completed before your work week starts.  Once you’re work week has started you’re locked into those shifts.  Expect more detail on this as we move forward.  We currently don’t know how long this schedule will last but after a while if the area wants to we can consider looking into redoing preferences to switch it up.

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

Dynamic Scheduling. What we know so far...

C Area,

How this all will work is, you will have 5 shifts in a row of either straight days, evenings, or mids, then have 10 days off.  After those 10 days off, you will be back on 5 shifts of straight days, evenings, or mids (These could be different than the previous 5 days you were working, but we will attempt to keep it the same) The big thing here is the RDOs that you’re use to will now be 10 days of RDOs that are changing/rotating. Until we move back to normal ops, no OT, XTE, spot leave, or daily shift swaps will be approved. The contract in many respects is suspended.

Bid leave is unaffected, we will try to put you on EA for those dates, but it may not be possible to get all of it on your EA dates. You would be charged leave on days you’re scheduled to work. If you want to turn in your leave, please make that request asap.

The changeover will begin this coming Sunday, (3/29) The first group to work 5 days will come from current F/S, S/Su. The subsequent crews will be assembled based on bid leave and any other special circumstances.

Expect to see the dynamic schedule in the next two days. It will be emailed as soon as management agrees. The final agreed upon staffing will be 5 on the day, 4 on the swing, and 2 on the mid. Keep in mind that sick leave will not be filled with overtime. In the event of a staffing shortage TMIs will be used to address the traffic. In an emergency situation some can be called in, but changes to the schedule will be largely avoided.

I know this might not be popular, but we have to remember this will facilitate the maximum number of people off work while limiting one's exposure to others at work. Again, I appreciate everyone’s understanding in this unique situation. More info will follow as it is available. If you have questions, ask any rep and we’ll tell you what we know. We will also try to get a Q&A out in the next 24 hrs and do regular updates based on questions received from all of you.

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

Major Update

C Area,

We've been tasked to come up with a bare bones schedule for the area to be able to have 3 different crews.  The plan is to have the 3 no flex shifts listed below with 10 minutes of OT overlap for the relief briefing to be explained in detail later.

4 0600s

4 1400s

2 2200s

Right now we need to get everyone’s preference if you’d prefer straight days, straight evenings, or straight mids as soon as possible.  To be clear this is a preference at best and the schedule will be based on schedule need first but we’ll try our best to accommodate what we can.  If you don’t fill out the preference form you will be subject to the schedule need.  Please click the link below to fill out your preference.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIc0dvRhLP5B1EzOQXHB4dLBTpggfmpndym3Yxa5X6-lI4zA/viewform

I appreciate everyone’s understanding in this unique situation we’re all in together.  I’ll have more to follow soon.

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

Quick Update

C Area,

C Area LSC additions

EW and TD are our new additions to the Local Safety Council. 

Diablo Hoodoo Airspace Issues

This past week there was multiple issues with OMEGA’s flight plan not having the correct airspace in the remakes.  Moving forward this has been addressed and you should see Diablo and/or Hoodoo in the remarks.  If you still see issues with OMEGA’s remakes please let me know.

AWS/Shift Swap Requests 

Unfortunately due to everything going on AWS/Shift Swap Requests are currently on hold.  Once we’re able to negotiate these in the future I’ll keep everyone updated.  Thanks again for your patience.

James Darlington

NATCA C Area Rep

904-347-3065

General Updates

C Area,

ZLC LOA change ideas
Right now we’re working with the airspace office to see if it’s feasible to have ZLC clear aircraft no further west of PDT on the CHINS arrival and no further west of GEG on the GLASR arrival with control for speeds. To be clear nothing is official yet on this. Just ideas to help alleviate those aircraft cutting across 48 direct TEMPL or SUNED and have a better stream/flow into each arrival sector. I’d like input on this positive or negative so please reach out to me if you have any.

NUW meeting
Discussed the new LOA and some growing pain issues on both sides. All in all we should see less issues with flight plan remakes and aircraft shouldn’t be asking what their airspace end time is moving forward. If anyone wants me to discuss the meeting in further detail I’d be happy to. Just let me know.

AWS/Maxi Flex 40/Shift Swap
Unfortunately due to some conflicts management has pushed back negotiations until 3-11-20 so I won’t have an update until then at the earliest. I apologize for the delay on this and once I have an answer yes or no on the requests I’ll reach out to everyone that had one on the status.

James Darlington
NATCA C Area Rep
904-347-3065

General Updates

C Area,

T-Routes will be added to the tear-offs under MAPC on the scope by the end of February or early March.

At the request of multiple members we are trying to move the PUW Stadium TFR from the EAT/SZT ILS tear-off to one or both of the SAA tear-off(s) under MAPC on the scope.  This will give the added benefit of being able to pull up the TFR on the scope using the SAA button on the VIK rather than just the tear-off.  Doing it this way will also give the ability to turn it on in EDST to make it orange on the scope.  I’m hoping this will be changed at the same time as the T-Routes because it’s my understand when there is an update to the scope you may have to save your settings again if you want either of these on or off when you sign into the sector.  Thus getting these updates at the same time should reduce the number of times you may have to resave your settings. 

This past week you may have seen some issues where aircraft exiting Okanogan/Molson didn’t have individual return flight plans exiting the airspace.  We are currently working to get this resolved but if it’s still an issue next week or so please let me know.

On the note of Okanogan/Molson I am working with management and the airspace office to get verbal briefings for everyone that wasn’t able to attend the most recent briefing that included some major LOA changes.  

Lastly, if you filled out an AWS/Maxi Flex 40/Shift Swap request form I am hoping to have an update on those in the next few weeks.  I will contact everyone that filled out a form individually to follow up on what was or wasn’t approved after meeting with management.  Thanks for everyone’s patience on these.

If there are any questions on the stuff above I’d be happy to go over it in more detail.  Please feel free to call/text/email me or stop me at work anytime.  Thanks

James Darlington

NATCA ZSE C Area Rep

904-347-3065

General Updates

C Area,

Hope everyone had a Happy New Year.  I would like to take the time to thank everyone for the opportunity to represent you and the C Area again.  Moving forward I wanted to give an update on where we’re at with some issues that have come up and what I’d like to look into.  No guarantees on the stuff below, just an update on what’s being looked at. And, by all means if there’s anything I didn’t mention below that needs attention please let me know.

-AWS/Maxi Flex 40/Shift Swap request forms.  I want to take a look at the schedule with CW to see what requests can be supported and work with management to get as many approved as we can.  Unfortunately I don’t have a time frame when this will be addressed but wanted to let everyone know it hasn’t been forgotten.

-Route Channelization Order.  We’ll need to clean up some of the language regarding what altitudes are assigned to aircraft on the Cranbrook transition. Also, consider having all Seattle terminal turbojet aircraft assigned pilot’s discretion to FL260 when not metering (instead of FL240 or FL250 when there’s turboprop traffic like today).  This would streamline our operation and alleviate any DH8D conflicts, altitude readback issues, etc.  I’d like to get opinions on this and can get into the finer details on what this would look like, so please let me know if you like or hate this idea.

-ZSE/ZLC LOA.  Request to add control for speeds from Salt Lake Center to our LOA. 

-See what can be done to fix the Roosevelt return route conflicting with Molson South at and above FL240 when a standard flight returns to base.

-PSC/YKM consolidation into GEG.  Under Section 804 (basically the facility consolidation and realignment process) I’d like to see if we can get PSC/YKM to stay open later and open earlier.  As of right now I don’t have an update on the exact time frame for when they will be consolidated, probably still well over a year out.  But, if PSC/YKMs hours of operation can be extended it seems worth looking into. Again, if anyone has concerns with this idea please let me know.

-LAVAA departure off of PDX currently going over YKM is projected to be moved to SUNED in September of 2020.  This should help reduce conflictions at YKM. 

Please feel free to call/text/email me anytime if you have any questions, comments, concerns on the stuff above or about anything else.  I’ll do my best to provide more updates as things develop and get addressed. 

James Darlington

NATCA ZSE C Area Rep

James.Darlington@natca.net

904-347-3065

C Area 2020 Leave Slot Redistribution

As some of you may have already noticed we’re starting round 2 for 2020 bid leave. Just a heads up CW and I were able to finalize the redistribution of leave slots per the MOU. We had to reduce to 2 slots per day for IST, and refresher training. Additionally, there are 7 Sundays in July and August that don’t support 3 slots a day with the number of people we have. We also took away a few days in January to increase opportunities around Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, spring break, and President’s Day. All of the exact dates are below, and if there are any questions please feel free to reach out to me or CW.

-James Darlington

Dates reduced

1-13-20

1-14-20

1-15-20

1-16-20

1-17-20

4-26-20

4-27-20

4-28-20

4-29-20

4-30-20

5-1-20

5-2-20

5-3-20

5-4-20

5-5-20

5-6-20

5-7-20

5-8-20

5-9-20

7-12-20

7-19-20

7-26-20

8-2-20

8-9-20

8-16-20

8-23-20

9-21-20

9-22-20

9-23-20

9-24-20

9-25-20

12-6-20

12-7-20

12-8-20

12-9-20

12-10-20

12-11-20

12-12-20

12-13-20

12-14-20

12-15-20

12-16-20

12-17-20

12-18-20

12-19-20

Dates increased

2-16-20

2-17-20

2-18-20

2-19-20

2-20-20

2-21-20

2-22-20

4-2-20

4-3-20

4-4-20

4-5-20

4-6-20

4-7-20

4-8-20

4-9-20

4-10-20

4-11-20

4-12-20

4-13-20

4-14-20

4-15-20

9-7-20

9-8-20

9-9-20

9-10-20

9-11-20

9-12-20

11-22-20

11-23-20

11-24-20

11-25-20

11-27-20

11-28-20

12-20-20

12-21-20

12-22-20

12-23-20

12-24-20

12-26-20

12-27-20

12-28-20

12-29-20

12-30-20

12-31-20

1-2-21

Moving into the New Year

Things to expect or look out for in the New Year but are subject to change.

AWS/Swap forms should be posted on this upcoming pay period or the one after.

Expect some changes to the ZLC LOA involving routing restrictions for SEA/BFI/RNT arrivals due to metering and the amount of delay we'll see next year changing.  And, a minor update to IR routes involving data block only handoffs between ZLC and ZSE.

Expect to see GEG's airspace increase a little to the Northeast to better accommodate COE traffic or at the very least that to still be discussed.

I want to thank everyone for the opportunity to be your area rep over the last 2 years.  It really has been a great experience for me.  Hope everyone has a Happy New Year and congrats to JRod on being elected the new area rep.

James Darlington  

Recurring Shift Swap and AWS Request

If you have a request for recurring shift swaps or AWS please use the form linked below.  Due to staffing I don't see us being able to truly "dream" into a specific shift unless someone else wants the shift you are vacating and you go to a shift another employee is vacating (in other words a swap with someone specifically).  With that said still make a shift swap and/or AWS request if you have one and we'll take a look at it.  If you have multiple requests that you are unsure which one can be approved fill out multiple sheets, label them as your number 1 choice, number 2 choice, etc and staple them together.  When you have completed your request form please put it in the NATCA box by the employee’s mail boxes before close of business on Tuesday December 5th 2017.  The plan is to transition to the 2017 BWS with the swaps/AWS completed by pay period 3, but if there are any unforeseen issues the swaps/AWS requests could get pushed back.  If you have any questions contact me.

Shift Swap and AWS Request Form For 2018

James Darlington