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Hello All,
There have been some important things going on in the House and Senate these last two weeks. But by important I mean to the next four years in public retirement programs, foreign policy and other areas which don’t directly include the professions of our bargaining units, at least overtly. So while Congress gets around to reconvening with debate, confirmation hearings and the Presidential inauguration, I have little to report.
So I’ll stick to two items this week. One is that the FAA has finally relaxed the eligibility requirements for CTI students after completion of their schooling. This is an issue that the Union has been fighting with lobbying at NATCA in Washington and elsewhere. The Agency’s policy was that a CTI student’s eligibility was only good for a mere two years and if that student could not secure FAA employment within that time their many years of schooling was essentially for naught. This naturally flew in the face of the current and upcoming staffing issues, made no sense, and was exacerbated by the Agency’s unwillingness or inability to actually hire any significant number of these folks in the last couple of years. So after getting hit over the head with a hammer enough (the actual level of hammering required does vary widely from issue to issue unfortunately) the Agency relented by expanding the eligibility period. Hopefully enough of these folks, who spent a lot of time and money getting these degrees (and many student loans I’m sure), can now be brought on board.
The next item is more of a heads up than an event. If you have been on natca.net or read the FAA Intercom or perhaps even these updates you have seen the FAA’s plan to “solve” the ATC staffing crisis. Coupled with no funding, the plan states they intend to finance much of this by labor concessions and other “efficiencies”. These “efficiencies” include streamlined hiring and training, reductions in actual training time including new training technologies to amaze us all, reductions in sick leave and COP (what’s going on in New York TRACON right now seems to be a preview), facility closures on the mids, “right staffing” facilities (this is read as less staffing and perhaps involuntary transfers) and more adaptive shift staffing to include split shifts amongst other methods and plans. I know, I know, this all sounds awful fun to me too.
You can expect these and other issues to crop up in the next couple of years in contract negotiations and other initiatives. On are side we have public safety, a large volume of law and past practice supporting us, excellent consultants, a tremendous legislative reputation on Capitol Hill, and some of the finest negotiators, researchers and employees in the business. On their side they have a White House willing to slash funding in a willy-nilly fashion, a Congress which is populated with many non-labor friendly members whose first instinct in a controversy will be to act against us or not act at all, and governmental authorities (FLRA, FSIP etc.) that are stacked with ideological ringers who, if they hear a case at all, usually busy themselves with reversing 40+ years of case law.
So back to the heads up; since we can’t necessarily depend on the law or good faith bargaining to be enforced, we will probably be forced in to grassroots activity at some point. This may be in the form of phone calls, faxes, informational picketing or other activity. We will need you to motivate yourself, your coworkers and possibly friends, neighbors, relatives etc. to participate. Be ready for this because it’s only your future that depends on it.
As a special act of mercy, I have included no articles this week J
Enjoy,
Grant Anderson |
