Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congress has approved a 1.9 percent federal pay raise. However, before the federal pay raise becomes official, the President must first sign an executive order (EO) that provides a 1.4 percent across-the-board increase with an additional 0.5 percent on average in adjusted locality pay. OPM will issue new pay tables for statutory pay systems including the General Schedule (GS) and adjust locality pay areas. NATCA's negotiated pay increases are equivalent to the GS increase, and our Collective Bargaining Agreements provide the government-wide locality areas.

We recently became aware that the Department of Interior (DOI) and the FAA have placed a hold on processing SF-50 actions with an effective date of 1/6/19 or later that includes contractually obligated pay increases as a result of training progression (e.g., D1-D2, D3-CPC) or transfers to a higher level facility. The hold was put in place to allow for the programming of the general pay raise for DOI and Agency payroll systems. They did not anticipate a six-week delay in signing the EO. As a result, the Agency decided to hold the processing of increases to allow for the automated processing of the 1.9 percent pay raise, as well as the contractual pay raises. We have been advised that processing the contractual pay increases before the EO is signed would delay the application of the 1.9 percent increase as it would require manual processing and could lead to payroll errors.

Although we would have preferred to have been consulted before this determination was made, we believe that at this point the most prudent path is to wait for the EO to be signed and have the federal pay raise and contractual pay raises implemented retroactively to the respective applicable effective date.

In solidarity,

 

Paul and Trish

There is limited time left to nominate a deserving aviation safety professional for the 15th Annual Archie League Medal of Safety Award.  The award  highlights a variety of aviation "saves," some which involve a team of professionals working together, while others are the result of just one person's efforts.  Below are two saves that were recently recognized by other organizations:

The NTSB recently released a statement about its report of the March 18, 2017 rejected takeoff incident in Ypsilanti, Mich., that involved the University of Michigan men's basketball team's chartered aircraft. The report noted that the 1,000-foot runway safety area, added to Willow Run Airport during upgrades between 2006 and 2009, likely contributed to the lack of serious injuries.  In 1999, in response to an NTSB recommendation, the FAA began a national program to add runway safety areas to many commercial airports. NATCA ARP members Irene Porter and Ernest Gubry (pictured below, with Region X RVP Curt Howe) were in charge of overseeing and managing the Runway Safety Improvement Area Program at the airport. Had this work not been implemented and completed to the standard of excellence required, this would have been a much different incident. Because of their commitment to runway safety, they were awarded the Region X Commitment to Safety Award at Communicating For Safety (CFS) last October.

Additionally, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Air Safety Institute (ASI) released "Powerless Over Paris," the latest video installment in its popular Real Pilot Story series. During this video reenactment, the pilot, Dr. Peter Edenhoffer, is interviewed and relives the moment his aircraft suffered a complete electrical failure in heavy instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) at night. As he speaks about the flight, he shares his thoughts and actions, including a fleeting moment of doubt about his chances for surviving the dilemma. But with a little luck and creativity, he and the team from Fort Worth Center (ZFW) finally established contact. ZFW members Phil Enis, Thomas Herd, and Hugh Hunton were awarded the Archie League Medal of Safety Award, representing the Southwest Region, as well as the President's Award for their innovative and quick thinking, and resourcefulness.

Any NATCA member can nominate another member in good standing, but the deadline is April 30.  The awards will be presented on Sept. 18, 2019 at Communicating For Safety. Click here for more information. 

Left to right: NATCA members Jennifer Malloy (ZOB), Lydia Baune (GEG), Trish, Marilou Scherer (ZAN), Megan Seidman (National Office), Garth Koleszar (ZLA), Jamie Nuss (SFO), and Billy Kisseadoo (MIA)

Professional Women Controllers Inc (PWC) hosted its 2019 National Training Conference titled "Reaching New Horizons Together." Trish moderated a panel with Professional Standards member Garth Koleszar and Potomac TRACON (PCT) Acting Air Traffic Manager and Professional Standards Workgroup member Haven Melton about the RESPECT initiative. RESPECT is a collaborative effort between NATCA and the Agency to maintain a workplace where all employees are supportive of their peers, treated with dignity and respect, tolerant of differences, and demonstrate empathy and compassion towards one another. 

Left to right: Trish Gilbert (NATCA Executive Vice President), Patti Wilson (PWC President), Garth Koleszar (ZLA), and Haven Melton

"The goal of RESPECT is to create a workplace environment where we can work together in a way to reduce conflict and ultimately make the system safer," Koleszar said. "While we may not always get along, or like each other, it's important that we be able to work together for safety."

 

To begin the panel, Gilbert discussed how the Union and the Agency began the RESPECT initiative. She talked about why it remains important and also about diversity and the importance of understanding each other's differences.

 

"How do we improve workplace relationships to improve and maintain safety?" Gilbert asked the two panelists. Koleszar replied, "If we tell people what they should and shouldn't do, we get pushback. If we can convince people there is a greater goal that we can achieve together, then we have a greater likelihood of being successful. Organizationally we have matured and are ready to collaborate for the benefit of safety all around." 

 

Melton added, "From the management side, anything that poses a risk to safety needs to be eliminated. A distracted controller is a dangerous controller. We have to create the environment where a controller can be their best." 

PWC Conference attendees listening to the RESPECT panel

Koleszar also explained the professional standards program, of which RESPECT is a part of. "What should we be embracing and striving for?" he said. "As we work to achieve those goals, we must make sure we have tools in place to be able to fix issues that come up."

 

Gilbert asked the panelists what success in achieving professional standards goals would look like. Melton replied, "Conflict will always be there. But how we handle it collaboratively is how we will measure success." Koleszar added, "Collaboration is a process, and RESPECT is an attitude. If you look at the concept of the Foundations of Professionalism, those things fall under that umbrella partnership, like Turn Off Tune In, ATSAP, and more. Those are all part of a system that says, 'How do we understand each other's dynamics in a way that continues to move the National Airspace System forward?'"

 

Learn more about the RESPECT initiative and the Professional Standards program here.

On March 19, President Trump announced his intention to nominate Steve Dickson to be the next administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). We have worked with Steve on a number of occasions over the years and we are supportive of his nomination. We recently offered our congratulations to him in a press release.

 

This is a well-deserved appointment for Steve, who has had an accomplished career, including his serving as an F-15 fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, and his 27 years at Delta Air Lines where he has been a respected leader in the aviation community. Paul has served with Steve on the FAA's Management Advisory Committee and the NextGen Advisory Committee.

 

Steve attended our Communicating For Safety (CFS) conference in 2007 in Atlanta, participating in a panel discussion.

 

Throughout his career, Steve has been a staunch advocate for aviation safety, and we share that commitment for the safety of our National Airspace System. NATCA and the FAA have a successful working relationship that has enabled notable progress on modernizing the National Airspace System and building a stronger workforce. If he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, we will look forward to working with Steve to continue this relationship.