Hey Everyone,
Here's what's been happening this week...
Training - Training is back on, effective immediately. Each trainee will be allowed up to five initial days of spool up. After those five days there will be a training team meeting to determine if more is needed. The intent isn't to limit anyone's spool up time, it's to ensure that the team is communicating and everyone is on the same page.
Article 67, Section 2:
"If an employee's developmental training is interrupted for thirty (30) days or more, the employee shall be granted sufficient training time to attain the level of proficiency he/she had at the time of the interruption, prior to the resumption of the remaining allotted training hours. The employee's evaluations and/or training reports shall be used by the Agency to determine when the employee's former level of proficiency has been re- attained."
Vaccine Mandate - We've been advised by NATCA national leadership that there should be no forward movement on the vaccine mandate for the time being, although they expect this to change several times as this progresses through the legal system.
GovExec Article regarding this news.
Contact Tracing - There have been some changes to the process that NATCA and management follow for contact tracing and facility cleaning, most of it will be transparent to the workforce. There is a new contact tracing form that they will be following, so expect those questions to change a bit.
We've gotten a lot of questions regarding why we contact trace, especially if most of us are vaccinated and symptom free. Most of the time contact tracing won't make a huge difference, but it's extremely important for the OWCP process. It's also a way to ensure individual employees are notified that they may have been exposed. We understand that it's annoying and incovenient, but it is necessary. If someone gets seriously ill after being exposed at work, the contact tracing form is the documentation that will be used to ensure they are compensated appropriately.
Use or Lose - If you were in a use or lose status and lost leave last pay period, please let LM know (if you haven't already). We're checking to see if there will be any avenues to get your leave returned.
NATCA Bourbon - If you would like to buy any, Lee will bring it to you. This is for sale as a fundraiser for the NATCA Charitable Foundation.
NATCA Crawfish Boil will be 3/12. More info is in the google drive and on the app. Feel free to save the link to the drive. It is available on the app but if you save it you will be able to access it without going to the app/website also.
There is a section in the app/website for groups. There are a couple groups already there. If you have any interests that you would like to add feel free to do so. e.g. Sports, sewing, movies, or whatever you want to talk about that isn't work related. This is a good spot to connect with other people at work about.
New RNP transitions - will be live at the end of May (to runways 8L and 27). There will be lab problems available on request and everyone will recieve classroom training.
5G - We haven't heard mch so far, but if a pilot reports interference please tell the SUP and fill out an ATSAP.
The NATCA Breakroom - We'll be making some big updates. If there is anything you would like to see in the NATCA breakroom please let IA or EX know (and fill out this survey).
January Survey - We'd like to hear from you regarding our NATCA communications and what you'd like to see in the NATCA Break Room. Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey
Thanks! LM & IA