September 2022 New England Bi-Monthly Regional Update #1
From Mick Devine, NATCA New England Regional Vice President
Last month, we talked exclusively about NATCA’s strategy on staffing going forward. NATCA is doing a lot of the legwork with current Congress and Senate members. We have been met with tons of support to fix the data that Congress receives yearly from FAA Finance.
This is where campaign 2022 comes into play. NATCA’s full steam ahead plan requires we get involved with those candidates on both sides of the aisle who support issues near and dear to the hearts of all NATCA members. Right now, that is staffing. We must ensure that those making the decisions on staffing (along with many other essential topics) get elected or reelected.
We need you! Get involved with Campaign 2022 in one aspect or another. Our IT committee created a robust website that enables members to decide what type of campaign works best. Don’t like republicans—you can filter them out. You don’t like democrats—you don’t have to help a single one. Do you only want to text bank or hold signs at an event—you can filter to see only those opportunities.
NATCA is asking that every member volunteer one hour per week. Only one hour of your time for something essential to all of us. President Rich Santa is meeting with many Congress and Senate members to lay the foundation and groundwork for the FAA Reauthorization Bill. While he has received support, nothing guarantees those legislators will be here when the bill is voted upon next year. That’s what makes Campaign 2022 so invaluable to us as federal employees in a critically understaffed profession.
We hear each and every one of you regarding your building’s staffing during our visits to your facilities. Now is the time to fix it. It is a long journey but an admirable one that President Santa has put on top of his priority list. Let’s join him in fixing this problem by getting this into law by helping to reelect or elect those that vote with NATCA. If you need assistance getting involved, reach out to your Facrep, your local legislative rep, or New England Legislative chair Jamie Green and alternate chair Andre Jean.
While Campaign 2022 is important, there will also be many ways to assist in getting our staffing fixed. Please consider helping where and when you can. NATCA in Washington next year will be focused on our staffing, and we will probably do a rolling lobby week or two to get this thing over the finish line.
From Scott Robillard, NATCA New England ARVP
In the background, NATCA New England has been working on preparing for this quarter’s Pre-Arbitration Review. Currently, we have 4 cases to be heard. Also, the regional leadership team has been assisting your Facrep with preparations for the annual negotiations for basic watch schedule (BWS) (Article 32/34), annual leave (Article 24), overtime (Article 38), and CIC MOU (Article 18).
On Monday, September 5th, please join us at the Milford Labor Day parade. NATCA New England will be marching! We will meet at Milford High School at 12:00 pm for a parade starting at 1:00 pm. After the parade, we will meet at the Milford VFW for a catered lunch.
New England is knee-deep in the 2022 mid-term election. We encourage you to get involved and support the “NATCA Majority” candidates. What is a NATCA Majority candidate? Those are the individuals running for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate supporting NATCA’s Union and aviation positions. Those are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents!
Click here to read about the myths surrounding the NATCA PAC!
Why is a NATCA Majority so important? Just five years after passage, FAA Reauthorization expires on October 4, 2023. What does FAA reauthorization do? It funds the FAA, allows the FAA to collect taxes from users, directs where the FAA spends money and directs policy. So, it matters! And, if you want your career interests protected, I suggest you pay attention and be active. The current political environment is very polarized. Without it, you might find the other issues a little less polarizing. I suggest you vote for your career first.
Contract question of the month: Are facilities required to have Controllers In Charge (CICs)?
The simple answer is no, but it is more complicated than that. Article 18, Section 1 is clear when it says the intent of the CIC is to provide continuous watch supervision. Section 7 states that at facilities where CIC duties are performed, CPCs shall be trained. FAAO 7210.3, 2-6-1, requires the position but allows for it to be combined to an operational position. So no, a facility is not required to have a single CPC certified as a CIC. But if they don’t, they would be required to cover all 7210.3 2-6-1 duties with Operational Supervisors (OS).
Legislative
From Jamie Green, NATCA Legislative Committee, New England Chair, PVD
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 expires at the end of September 2023. Legislators have already started discussing the next FAA Reauthorization act, but that is no guarantee of a completed authorization bill becoming law in time. A new authorization bill is also a chance for us to get positive legislative changes and prevent other groups from inserting detrimental language.
NATCA has voiced concerns about the FAA’s unstable, unpredictable funding stream for years.
The NAS requires and deserves a stable, predictable funding stream.
This is one of the primary reasons why we must remain involved and engaged in this process. NATCA continues to push for funding stability to end the stop-and-go funding uncertainty, which has been problematic for the workforce and the NAS.
BACKGROUND
An authorization bill is legislation to establish or continue federal agencies, programs, policies, projects, or activities. It may establish policies and restrictions and deal with organizational and administrative matters. An authorization bill is the first step in the regular funding process for a federal agency.
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 authorizes the FAA to continue operating while establishing, continuing, and modifying FAA programs, activities, and policy priorities through the Fiscal Year 2023. The bill also gives the FAA the legal authority to collect taxes and approve expenditures from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (Aviation Trust Fund). The legislation sets the foundation for a stable, predictable funding stream for the NAS.
Before the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, there were five short-term extensions to FAA authorization in the three years between the expiration of the last long-term extension and this current authorization. Before that, the previous reauthorization bill, which was in effect from February 2012 through October 2015, was delayed more than five years and faced 23 short-term extensions and a partial FAA shutdown in 2011 before a new authorization bill was signed into law.
Two government shutdowns in 2018 further illustrated that the status quo is broken. The stop-and-go funding crisis caused by continuing resolutions – punctuated by shutdowns – and short-term extensions to FAA authorization slow the hiring and training process for air traffic controllers. These funding crises perpetuate the current controller staffing crisis, which has resulted in a 29-year low of certified professional controllers.
The reauthorization bill is also a chance to pass legislative fixes in a “must pass” bill. Two examples of these fixes found in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 are the extension of Veteran’s Preference provisions to FAA employees, and access to DOD facilities for FAA employees stationed in Guam.
HOW THIS ISSUE AFFECTS NATCA MEMBERS
The current aviation system has served us well until recent years. Unfortunately, the FAA no longer has a stable, predictable funding stream, and this uncertainty has caused many serious problems for the National Airspace System (NAS) and NATCA members. Although the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 was a step in the right direction, NATCA is continuing to advocate for a comprehensive, long-term solution that will improve the status quo, which is unacceptable, and fully address the stop-and-go funding issue. NATCA also uses FAA reauthorization legislation as a vehicle to advance policy provisions critical to the system and our workforce.
With the FAA bill process looming in the background, we are in the middle of our Campaign 2022 volunteer program. At first glance, these two activities seem to have no relation. Passing an FAA bill through Congress is a legislative process. Campaign work is political activity. It is fair to ask what campaign work has to do with the legislative process.
Campaign work is one of the most powerful relationship-building tools and is a big part of the relationship-building process that ensures our voice is heard. Our Campaign 2022 volunteers are working on the campaigns of a group we call our NATCA Majority. Our NATCA Majority are members of Congress – regardless of party – who have worked or shown a willingness to work with NATCA on issues important to us and the safety of the National Airspace System. We continually strive to build and improve our relationships with these members of Congress. Through these relationship-building efforts, we become trusted subject matter experts to these elected officials, ensuring our voices are heard on important legislative actions such as the FAA bill.
We encourage each member to sign up and volunteer for a few hours for NATCA. Our work helps ensure the future of our professions and our union.
Upcoming Events
Labor Day is next week and New England will once again be marching in the annual Milford Labor Day Parade! We will meet at Milford High School at 12pm for a parade start at 1pm. After the parade, we will meet at the Milford VFW for a catered lunch. We look forward to having you march along-side us!
New England Region will be hosting a Safety Advocacy Training (SAT) class September 28th – 29th at the DoubleTree in Nashua, New Hampshire.
We encourage all FacReps, Facility Safety Reps, and Local Safety Council members to take the class if they have not already. The class is open to all NATCA members interested in attending.
Click here to register via the NATCA Portal.
Once signed in, click on “Events” and scroll to the bottom.
The class is listed as “2022 NNE Safety Advocacy Training”.
You can also click here to sign up for the Cornhole Tournament!
Save the date for NATCA’s new Activism and Training Expo!
This new expo will be held on the years opposite Convention and will include stand-alone classes and modules from NATCA Academy classes. There will also be presentations on different ways to get involved with NATCA! During down times, you can meet with all the different NATCA committees at their booths in the Expo area.
If you can’t make the whole week, that’s okay! Try to attend one or two days. Classes, modules, and presentations will be held multiple times throughout the week. You can build your schedule to attend classes that pique your interest!
This new Expo will be held December 12-16th at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, NV. Contact your FacRep for more information!
Communicating for Safety is right around the corner! Many members from New England will be in attendance. After the conference is over, we will be sending out a CFS Recap email shortly thereafter.
Members who were in attendance will provide summaries of all the different speakers and presentations to share with the region. Keep an eye out for that email later this month!
Also, make sure you follow our Facebook and Instagram for live updates and photos from the conference!
