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*5 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER FOR NIW*
Wow is it December already? Amongst all the holidays and Christmas concerns that means I get to deal with one other … all NATCA in Washington registrations need to be completed on the website by the end of this week. There are actually a few facilities with no one registered yet and based on verbal conversations with some individuals who think they are going … you’d best get registered if you are partial to things like … oh I don’t know …. maybe a room in DC during the event ;-) If by chance you are a procrastinator extraordinaire (and sometimes I think that I am your King!) then congratulations, you have waited suitably long enough to make it interesting but it’s now crunch time. Go to www.natca.net and click on the NIW icon on the lower left of the page to complete the registration process. If you have roommate requests please include them and if you want a single room great … it’s on a first-come-first-served basis and you will be responsible for ½ of the room rate. If you’ve ever wanted to go, this year will arguably be the most important event ever as we take the fight against the FAA’s irresponsible tactics to Congress. If you’re new to this all don’t worry, in fact that’s perfect. You will receive a bunch of training and an eye-opening rewarding experience. Be forewarned though, I won’t take anyone who hasn’t at least participated in the Fly Us Safe campaign. There is a gentleman (and regular participant) out in eastern Missouri that is directed towards.
Speaking of Fly Us Safe;
We are doing much better on this campaign to get your concerns in front of Congress. Regionally it is a mixed bag with some facilities totally rocking and unfortunately some just being rocks. Below is a facility breakdown current as of Sunday morning listing percentages of members who have participated. Maybe those who have been conscientious enough to participate should commence to embarrassing their Brothers and Sisters who have not in to getting with the program. Oh and don’t forget, this is meant for non-members, other employees, friends, family etc. also so please have them visit the Fly Us Safe campaign center (linked also on www.natca.net ) and help us out. As a reminder, anyone who wants to know who in their facility has participated can get that by emailing me at ganderson@natca.org or calling 417-894-6887.
Here’s the dirty details;
ALO 75% (no movement recently … so close)
SGF 100% (got there early and I
appreciate the help) SUS 60% (big action for a while but slowing)
SUX 77% (close … no action recently) ZKC 36% (you gotta be kidding me) NCE 56% (we need at least 75% regionally)
The article below seems promising for that 3.1% pay raise we’ve been expecting. That is, if the FAA doesn’t manage to nix it for us with a pay freeze. It is quite possible you’ll never see a pay raise again. For more on this, see the copy of NATCA’s contract briefing to the Senate Commerce Committee that should be floating around your facility. Many have asked what is going on in the contract negotiations ans what the Agency is trying to do to us. This official document answers those and many other questions in great detail. If you don’t have a copy of this, email me at ganderson@natca.org and I can send you an electronic version of it.
Have a great week,
Grant
Washington
Post: Count On 3.1 Percent Pay Raise Come January President Bush locked in that figure yesterday when he signed into law the legislation that provides the raise—the $137.6 billion spending bill for the departments of Transportation, the Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development for fiscal 2006. One wrinkle still needs to be ironed out, however. The federal pay raise always varies by geographic location. Later this month, Bush will issue an executive order delineating how much of it next year will come as an across-the-board increase and how much will take the form of locality pay, which varies by region. If the White House follows the recommendation of the Federal Salary Council, an advisory group, federal workers in the Washington-Baltimore area would receive an average pay increase of 3.44 percent. Whatever the figure is, the raise takes effect in January. In approving the raise, Congress set aside Bush’s two-tiered pay proposal—which called for a 2.3 percent raise for federal civilian employees and a 3.1 percent increase for the military—and decided to award both groups the higher amount. Federal employees, on average, have received an annual pay raise of at least 2 percent in every year but two since 1969, according to the Congressional Research Service.
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