NATCA is pleased to announce an extension of the open enrollment period for Unum Long Term Disability (LTD) Insurance. Enrollment will now remain open until Friday, Oct. 7.
“For over twenty years NATCA’s LTD plan has protected our members' income and given participants peace of mind. We have seen it pay out over $21 million in claims. We have seen and heard from numerous members about how this coverage has saved homes, kept cars from being repossessed, and paid everyday bills,” Board of Trustee Chair John Bratcher said. “Many of our members don't realize what a catastrophic disability can do to their income. The one statement we hear most from our claimants is, 'I don't know what I would have done without it.'”
Don't delay your protection any longer. Sign up today at natcadisability.com
The #NATCACFS exhibit hall continues to expand as new technologies are put on display. For 2022, it features many current modernization programs. It is staffed by our NATCA Article 114 Reps and their FAA program management counterparts. CFS attendees will get to converse about and see firsthand some of the current and upcoming technologies that will affect the National Airspace System (NAS).
http://natca.org/cfs
NATCA leaders and representatives attended last month’s World ATM Congress in Madrid, the world’s largest international air traffic management (ATM) exhibition and conference.
NATCA President Rich Santa and former NATCA President Paul Rinaldi led our Union’s World ATM delegation, which included International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (IFATCA) Technical and Operations Committee (TOC) chair Jaymi Steinberg (Washington Center, ZDC), Professional & Legal Committee (PLC) member Michelle Trudeau (Indianapolis Center, ZID), and NATCA’s Deputy Director of Public Affairs Kelly Richardson.
Exhibiting at the conference, the Global Air Traffic Controllers Alliance, “The Alliance” for short, hosted a booth to build relationships and discuss issues vital to the air traffic profession globally. The Alliance is a coalition of labor unions representing aviation safety professionals from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States to speak with a collective voice on a range of subjects that have a common effect on the profession and the professionals they represent.
“The representation of The Alliance gives labor a greater voice in Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) initiatives and helps grow partnerships and alliances around the world to shape the future of global airspace and ensure our NATCA members and the professions we represent are heard,” Santa said.
On behalf of The Alliance, Rinaldi moderated a panel titled “ATC and You: Integrating the Workforce into Tomorrow's Vision,” discussing the role of the air traffic controller workforce making sure that future skies are efficient, clean and safe and can generate global economic prosperity and social welfare. Air traffic representatives from The Alliance and around the world spoke on the panel.
The New England (NNE) and Eastern (NEA) regions held a two-day joint regional meeting in Boston, May 5-6, with NNE Regional Vice President (RVP) Mick Devine and NEA RVP Brian Shallenberger.
President Rich Santa spoke in depth to the members for several hours about NCEPT, the NATCA Majority, the infrastructure bill, traffic management and information sharing, the pandemic and its effects, and much more.
“Regardless of the region, how big or small it is, or where it’s located, we all have similar issues and successes and can provide unique insight and solutions that others might not have thought of,” Devine said.
“We all left the meeting energized, knowledgeable, and well-prepared to serve our Union as we work to build the bench of leaders for the future,” Shallenberger said.
https://www.natca.org/2022/05/31/nne-nea-reps-leave-joint-regional-meeting-energized-knowledgeable-and-well-prepared-to-serve/
The NATCA Onboarding Committee welcomes and thanks all new NATCA leaders who have recently taken office for their terms as FacReps at their local facilities:
Central Region
Lincoln ATCT (LNK), Damon Cammarano
Eastern Region
Andrews ATCT (ADW), Mylan Watkins
Great Lakes Region
Lansing ATCT (LAN), Sean McNamara
Madison ATCT (MSN), Merrick Timbers
New England Region
Westfield, Mass., FCT (BAF), Laurie Addoms
Southern Region
Ocala, Fla., FCT (OCF), Bernadette Walker
Miami-Opa Locka FCT (OPF), Tammy Goldener
Southwest Region
Addison ATCT (ADS), Joshua Lunsford
Western Pacific Region
Palo Alto ATCT (PAO), George Davis
Urban Air Mobility (UAM) National Article 114 Representative Will Hutson (Denver ATCT, DEN) provided an update regarding UAM, describing our Union’s high level of involvement in protecting the integrity of the National Airspace System and the members who operate it regarding UAM. Hutson stated, “Over the last decade, the UAM industry has grown from a handful of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft start-ups to multiple new entrants, established companies, operators, infrastructure providers, regulators, and other stakeholders.”
Initial UAM operations are projected to begin in 2024, if not sooner, Hutson says, with eventual large-scale operations taking place in the NAS as technology, and implementation efforts allow. “Integrating these groundbreaking activities into the NAS will require strong collaboration between stakeholders to ensure a safe, secure, and efficient outcome for our workforce and the flying public,” he said.
https://www.natca.org/2022/05/01/safety-and-technology-spotlight-uam/
The NATCA Onboarding Committee welcomes and thanks all new NATCA leaders who have recently taken office for their terms as FacReps at their local facilities:
Eastern Region
Northeast Philadelphia ATCT (PNE), Brandon Waldon
Great Lakes Region
Kalamazoo ATCT (AZO), Jeremy Bolin
Rochester, Minn. ATCT (RST), Samuel Schmitt
New England Region
Groton FCT (GON), Lloyd Felix
Southern Region
Asheville ATCT (AVL), William Curcie
Atlanta TRACON (A80), Christopher Phillips
https://www.natca.org/2022/04/29/congratulations-to-our-newest-facreps-8/
In a collaborative effort to simplify On the Job Training Instruction (OJTI) for air traffic controllers, NATCA and the FAA are moving toward nationwide implementation of Training Enterprise Application and Management (TEAM). TEAM is a cloud-based software program used to electronically track, document, and retain air traffic training records, including training forms, team meetings and plans. Las Vegas ATCT (LAS) member Adonna Prior serves on the collaborative group working on the launch of TEAM and looks forward to sharing information about TEAM with NATCA members across the country concurrently with the rollout. https://www.natca.org/2022/04/19/team-boosts-consistency-accessibility-for-tracking-ojti-records/
The National Finance Committee (NFC) would like to thank all FacReps and treasurers who have completed their 2021 LM forms so far. If you haven’t done so, please note that the IRS 990 EZ/e-postcards are due by May 15. If there are any questions or concerns, please contact your regional NFC member. Please visit the NFC webpage for more information. https://www.natca.org/2022/04/14/national-finance-committee-update/
The OSHA Committee met and hosted a briefing with the National Executive Board in which NATCA's Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Geoff Bacci, discussed the management of epidemic diseases. As a CIH and engineer, Bacci has a unique understanding of the processes and controls necessary for the mitigation of epidemic diseases. This briefing helped connect what the OSHA Committee already knows of epidemic diseases with what was learned from COVID-19 and how it might be applied toward future mitigations of pandemic diseases.
The OSHA Committee establishes and promotes an effective program aimed at improving labor-management cooperation and providing methods for employees to raise concerns related to occupational safety and health without fear of reprisal. For more information, please visit the OSHA Committee webpage https://www.natca.org/committees/osha/ or email [email protected].
https://www.natca.org/2022/04/14/osha-committee-update-4/
During the first quarter of 2022, NATCA members were involved with several positive steps for Time-Based Flow Management (TBFM). TBFM is a system of tools used to manage traffic flows based on time to maximize efficiency. Article 114 Rep Matt Gammon (Indianapolis Center, ZID) reports that in February, the TBFM Ops Team participated in Integrated Departure Arrival Capability (IDAC) installations at Islip (ISP) and Harrisburg (MDT), then returned to Harrisburg a couple of weeks later to conduct IDAC training at the facility. Ops Team members also worked together with MDT and New York Center (ZNY) to discuss operational use of the system, Gammon said. In other program news, the new TBFM 4.10.2 system was released to the field. “The previous system has been in the field for an extended period, and an update was essential,” Gammon said. “Additionally, the new 4.10.2 systems added functionality that was requested by the field.” https://www.natca.org/2022/04/08/safety-and-technology-spotlight-tbfm/
The minutes from the National Executive Board (NEB) meeting in San Diego on Feb. 28-March 1 are now available here on the NEB minutes page of the website. https://www.natca.org/neb-minutes/
The NATCA Onboarding Committee welcomes and thanks all new NATCA leaders who have recently taken office for their terms as FacReps at their local facilities:
Alaskan Region:
Flight Service Station ENA (FS1), Dustin Briggs
Eastern Region:
Poughkeepsie ATCT (POU), Albert Magbiro
Clarksburg ATCT (CKB), Charles Scott
Newport News ATCT (PHF), Sean Trapani
Southern Region:
San Juan ATCT (SJU), Michelle Dobao-Cedeno
Southwest Region:
Conroe-North Houston FCT (CXO), Terry Klagmann
https://www.natca.org/2022/04/08/congratulations-to-our-newest-facreps-7/
OSHA Committee Chair and National OSHECCOM (Occupational Safety, Health, and Environmental Compliance Committee) chair Karena Marinas, National OSHECCOM Vice Chair Austin Aurandt, the FAA's designated agency safety and health official (DASHO) Jeff Planty, and DASHO Support Group Manager Rene Filipowski briefed FAA Deputy Administrator Brad Mims on the status of the national OSHECCOM and the FAA occupational safety and health programs. These briefings take place twice a year. The topics discussed included COVID-19, the FAA's annual report to OSHA, the public access defibrillator (PAD) program, and OSHA inspections. Mims and the rest of the deputies thanked the team and the national OSHECCOM members for their collaborative work and successes in workplace safety. https://www.natca.org/2022/03/30/osha-committee-update-3/
Last week, the U.S. Senate passed the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Coordination and Leadership Act (S. 516). The bill — like legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2021 (H.R. 1339) — would establish a federal interagency working group consisting of the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other federal agency officials and aviation stakeholders to examine issues related to safety, operations, and infrastructure of AAM aircraft.
AAM is a newly developing form of aviation to move people and cargo between places not currently or easily served by surface transportation or existing aviation. Sometimes AAM is also called urban air mobility (UAM), although potential applications for this form of transportation could extend beyond high-density urban centers to local and regional transportation. These aircraft will likely range in size from single-passenger aircraft to shuttles carrying multiple people.
Read more here: https://www.natca.org/2022/03/30/senate-passes-advanced-air-mobility-coordination-and-leadership-act-with-natca-amendment/
Election Support Committee (ESC) Co-Chair Elijah McDonald is assisting the National Training Committee with remaking the NATCA Academy Secretary/Treasurer Training (STT) modules to bring them up to date with election rules and procedures. McDonald met with STT instructors Devin Carlisto, Dontae Siders, and Jen Malloy to redesign the program to get the most information to attendees within the course timeframe. ESC will hold its annual meeting in Washington, D.C., after NATCA in Washington to gather the information requested by the instructors. For more information, visit the ESC webpage at https://www.natca.org/committees/election-support-esc/ or email [email protected].
The NATCA Onboarding Committee welcomes and thanks all new NATCA leaders who have recently taken office for their terms as FacReps at their local facilities:
Eastern Region
Caldwell ATCT (CDW), Jermaine London
Great Lakes Region
Dayton ATCT (DAY), Daniel Miller
Youngstown ATCT (YNG), Ryan McHaffie
Southern Region
Key West FCT (EYW), Dennis Hayes
Southwest Region
Fort Worth Meacham ATCT (FTW), Adam Golob
New Orleans Lakefront ATCT (NEW), Lawrence Pharr
Western Pacific Region
San Jose Reid Hillview ATCT (RHV), Kyle Swany
https://www.natca.org/2022/03/18/congratulations-to-our-newest-facreps-6/
The National Centralized Employee Requested Reassignment (ERR) Process Team has released the timeline leading up to the next panel on May 17:
• April 18 | ERR submission deadline
• April 22 | Facility Update to SWB
• April 26 | HR Staffing Workbook entries completed
• April 27 | Facility Priority Placement Tool
• April 28 | NCEPT data executed
• May 2 | HR resume upload begins
• May 6 | HR resume upload complete
• May 9 | Manager Ranking List published (Opened)
• May 13 | Manager Rankings completed (Closed)
May 16 | AJG-P21 prepares data for NCEPT board
May 17 | NCEPT convenes/adjourns
Note that the temp rules are still being worked on. For more information, please visit https://www.natca.org/ncept/.
https://www.natca.org/2022/03/18/ncept-update-may-17-2022-panel-timeline-set/
The Disaster Response Committee (DRC) is focusing on spring cleaning and reorganizing their inventory. The DRC now has supplies in three locations in the Southern Region and is making sure their inventory is up to date. The goal is to expand to other locations.
Please consider donating to the disaster relief fund. The fund aids NATCA members who have experienced catastrophic losses of property and helps provide a lifeline during those most desperate times. NATCA works directly with affected members to help them purchase food, gasoline, or any other supplies that might be required. Volunteers are ready to deliver supplies as soon as the need is known.
How to help:
Sign up for automatic payroll deduction here: https://secure.rightsignature.com/templates/28173abc-5acb-45b1-a6f4-94f337cf44eb/template-signer-link/d5eb581e8ac01e06d0b65244621ccfce
PayPal your donation to [email protected].
Donate online here https://www.gofundme.com/f5r6u-natca-disaster-relief-fund
Mail personal checks, payable to “Disaster Relief Fund”:
NATCA
Attn: Accounting Department
1325 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, D.C., 20005
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who passed away suddenly this month, invigorated the labor movement and working people across the country with his passion. He fought for all union members with vigor and stood arm-in-arm with them every single day. NATCA members got a first-hand view of that passion on many occasions, most notably at two of NATCA’s past four biennial conventions. https://www.natca.org/2021/08/10/remembering-afl-cio-president-richard-trumka/
Happy National Aviation Day! In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established National Aviation Day to honor the country’s history, ingenuity, and advancement of aviation, on the birthday of civil aviation pioneer Orville Wright. As we look to the future and maintain our nation’s global leadership in aviation and technology, we must instill in the next generation a passion and wonder for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The FAA’s Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy has fun resources to get kids of all age groups interested in STEM experiences. Check it out and inspire a young aviator in your life to reach for the skies: https://www.faa.gov/education/students/activities/
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