Jan 2026

[rbell123]

Is the May NCEPT cancelled or what's happening here??

 

[CreepyPineapple]

Is the May NCEPT cancelled or what's happening here??

I’ve been wondering the same thing. It appears no one knows or they aren’t saying anything. I’m guessing there’s some changes coming. All the dates on the KSN site are X’d out. Then if you search 2152 on usajobs, there’s a weird thing that pops up saying 2152 err test search or something along those lines. I would hope that NATCA pushed back on them going back to 85% current staffed for the last panel cuz that was a disaster with only 26 pickups

 

[novemberyankee]

Does anyone know if the manager ranking list got posted for Jan ncept?

 

[Bandit117]

I’ve been wondering the same thing. It appears no one knows or they aren’t saying anything. I’m guessing there’s some changes coming. All the dates on the KSN site are X’d out. Then if you search 2152 on usajobs, there’s a weird thing that pops up saying 2152 err test search or something along those lines. I would hope that NATCA pushed back on them going back to 85% current staffed for the last panel cuz that was a disaster with only 26 pickups

The median current staffing of the 320 or so facilities is 71%. Means half are even worse. I’d have to look again but I think only a handful of facilities can release again. The ones that can release a lot have few outbound ERRs, I think ZMP can release like 30 for example but only has a few ERRs outbound. Meanwhile SUX is leading the nation with the number of outbound ERRs. Sux people
Have 97 ERRs on file. Palo Alto has 42.

I looked again, there’s maybe 45 facilities at most that can release, out of 320

 

[NightWatch]

I’ve been wondering the same thing. It appears no one knows or they aren’t saying anything. I’m guessing there’s some changes coming. All the dates on the KSN site are X’d out. Then if you search 2152 on usajobs, there’s a weird thing that pops up saying 2152 err test search or something along those lines. I would hope that NATCA pushed back on them going back to 85% current staffed for the last panel cuz that was a disaster with only 26 pickups

Unfortunately, returning to 85% staffed to target WITH the “expect to certify in 12 months” thing was planned out all along in the agreement reached between the union and FAA for the implementation of CRWG. Sad part is they told no one and having that extra box to check is going to leave so many stuck. I’d expect resignations to skyrocket with how bad they’ve fucked this up for everyone.

No you blamed your professional failures on your so called cucks like me. And yet I make none of these decisions.

No you claimed NCEPT reps have nothing to do with people’s careers and I explained why you’re wrong for saying that.

Or don’t idc

That really shocked us all

I’d assume the agency’s introduction of a contractor will be a massive setback towards whatever you’re trying to get out of this. Republicans are disgusting and viscous towards labor and without unions so is the private sector. So I’m sure day 1 was “what in the fuck are you guys doing letting all these people transfer?”

Yeah let’s spin this into a political thing. Save it for when the next super labor friendly Dem gets in office and we still don’t open the contract. You know… when it’s (D)ifferent.

I’ve never been to NIW but it sounds like you should tell your RVP that you don’t want more staffing and you’re mad they asked congress for it.

I’m not mad at what was done, just how.

Dont know why you can’t read English but I never said that. Just that it’s moved more.

No it hasn’t.

Try telling agency you think a better plan for what you consider to be ‘actual movement’ means pulling more people out of staffing triggers. Good luck.

OTS hires get 4,5,6s which lets their rotting CPCs move up to 7,8,9s and so on. It’s really not that fucking hard. Fosters movement while reducing ERR demand and also doesn’t deny true career progression unlike this miserable fucking corner NATCA let the FAA back us into.

Shitbags levy that same complaint against ‘good ol boy NCEPT’

You mean people who also know NCEPT is a scam but for the wrong reason(s)?

The union has successfully fought to retain cpc it training failures for years. Even after multiple washouts

I’ve been aware for years, I was more referencing your shit take on training failures.

Well they represent the controllers at the 8-9s as well and not enough people were applying.

So maybe we should do tier limited facility upgrades. Problem solved.

You sound like a spurned washout. Why don’t you get your head out of your ass and certify and you won’t have to stress about exploiting your failures to beat the cpc to where you both wanna go.

Been CPC’d at a Z for 13 years now but go off sis

Is the May NCEPT cancelled or what's happening here??

Last I saw they were still negotiating a panel date but that was a few weeks ago. Funny, you would think being an NCEPT rep Move78 would have something to say but he just spews bullshit NEB rhetoric.

 

[pedaNTIc]

In a regional team email I got, an NCEPT rep wrote “NCEPT has been undergoing a deep dive to streamline priorities and address some of its shortfalls. Unfortunately, this process takes time. Therefore, NCEPT will not take place this month. We hope to present all the changes, provide a detailed explanation, and outline the logic behind them late this month.”

Do people read their own emails? I mean I get there’s a lot of garbage that gets sent out, but seriously it is frustrating how many members of my local would refuse to use what was freely available to them in their inboxes and instead use that as a cudgel to harass reps as if it was their responsibility to personally provide every update.

Now maybe not everyone’s regions sent team updates like that out to their memberships, but seriously at a certain point you have to own your own shit and use what’s available to you.

Apologies for the preaching but I hope that was helpful.

 

[NightWatch]

Being a labor union that represents a workforce: It would be sort of nice if NATCA would give us a heads up that SOME kind of general change was coming instead of treating us all like mushrooms. Feeding us shit and keeping us in the dark.

 

[ajmezz]

In a regional team email I got, an NCEPT rep wrote “NCEPT has been undergoing a deep dive to streamline priorities and address some of its shortfalls. Unfortunately, this process takes time. Therefore, NCEPT will not take place this month. We hope to present all the changes, provide a detailed explanation, and outline the logic behind them late this month.”

Do people read their own emails? I mean I get there’s a lot of garbage that gets sent out, but seriously it is frustrating how many members of my local would refuse to use what was freely available to them in their inboxes and instead use that as a cudgel to harass reps as if it was their responsibility to personally provide every update.

Now maybe not everyone’s regions sent team updates like that out to their memberships, but seriously at a certain point you have to own your own shit and use what’s available to you.

Apologies for the preaching but I hope that was helpful.

I don’t have a dog in the fight but you could argue that an email should come from national when a program like ncept is being delayed and the reasons behind it. I agree with your point about people not reading their emails or whatever your local/regional uses. I see it pretty often locally when something is put out on slack and people act surprised or in the dark about a topic.

 

[CreepyPineapple]

In a regional team email I got, an NCEPT rep wrote “NCEPT has been undergoing a deep dive to streamline priorities and address some of its shortfalls. Unfortunately, this process takes time. Therefore, NCEPT will not take place this month. We hope to present all the changes, provide a detailed explanation, and outline the logic behind them late this month.”

Do people read their own emails? I mean I get there’s a lot of garbage that gets sent out, but seriously it is frustrating how many members of my local would refuse to use what was freely available to them in their inboxes and instead use that as a cudgel to harass reps as if it was their responsibility to personally provide every update.

Now maybe not everyone’s regions sent team updates like that out to their memberships, but seriously at a certain point you have to own your own shit and use what’s available to you.

Apologies for the preaching but I hope that was helpful.

Thanks for the information. My region did not send this out. I even asked my region’s ncept rep and he didn’t know anything. I scroll through every email (national, regional, local) for any info pertinent or interesting to me. I agree that many do not though

 

[Homsar]

In a regional team email I got, an NCEPT rep wrote “NCEPT has been undergoing a deep dive to streamline priorities and address some of its shortfalls. Unfortunately, this process takes time. Therefore, NCEPT will not take place this month. We hope to present all the changes, provide a detailed explanation, and outline the logic behind them late this month.”

Do people read their own emails? I mean I get there’s a lot of garbage that gets sent out, but seriously it is frustrating how many members of my local would refuse to use what was freely available to them in their inboxes and instead use that as a cudgel to harass reps as if it was their responsibility to personally provide every update.

Now maybe not everyone’s regions sent team updates like that out to their memberships, but seriously at a certain point you have to own your own shit and use what’s available to you.

Apologies for the preaching but I hope that was helpful.

I mean, you said it yourself - there’s a lot of garbage in those emails. NCEPT is a very important thing, and an announcement to not have it should be at the very top of the email. I shouldn’t have to scroll halfway down what is usually a useless email to a short paragraph from the regional NCEPT rep to read this news.

 

[NightWatch]

Thanks for the information. My region did not send this out. I even asked my region’s ncept rep and he didn’t know anything. I scroll through every email (national, regional, local) for any info pertinent or interesting to me. I agree that many do not though

I too did not see anything about NCEPT revamps or delays and I read every regional update email I get.

 

[Gauff]

In a regional team email I got, an NCEPT rep wrote “NCEPT has been undergoing a deep dive to streamline priorities and address some of its shortfalls. Unfortunately, this process takes time. Therefore, NCEPT will not take place this month. We hope to present all the changes, provide a detailed explanation, and outline the logic behind them late this month.”

Do people read their own emails? I mean I get there’s a lot of garbage that gets sent out, but seriously it is frustrating how many members of my local would refuse to use what was freely available to them in their inboxes and instead use that as a cudgel to harass reps as if it was their responsibility to personally provide every update.

Now maybe not everyone’s regions sent team updates like that out to their memberships, but seriously at a certain point you have to own your own shit and use what’s available to you.

Apologies for the preaching but I hope that was helpful.

Yeah I see all the national NATCA emails and my regional emails. I never got any email from anyone talking about NCEPT being cancelled. They also should have addressed it nationally and not just in your region since it's a national issue

 

[PlasticBag12]

Yeah I see all the national NATCA emails and my regional emails. I never got any email from anyone talking about NCEPT being cancelled. They also should have addressed it nationally and not just in your region since it's a national issue

Yeah, I see all the national NATCA emails and my regional emails too. I never saw anything from anyone saying NCEPT was being canceled or delayed. If that’s actually happening, it should’ve been addressed nationally, not quietly within certain regions, because NCEPT impacts the entire NAS.

At this point, it’s hard not to feel like the process itself is fundamentally broken. NCEPT was sold as a staffing solution, but in practice it’s become more of a lottery system than an actual workforce strategy. A system that determines major life decisions based on constantly shifting numbers, release calculations, and timing luck isn’t sustainable for CPCs trying to build stable lives and careers.

The idea behind NCEPT probably made sense on paper in a fully staffed NAS; move people from higher staffed facilities to critically staffed ones. But the reality is the NAS has been understaffed almost everywhere for years. When everyone is short, the system stops feeling strategic and starts feeling punitive to the people already in the system.

What makes it even harder to defend is that the FAA now seems willing to place academy graduates near where they actually want to live from day one. Meanwhile, existing CPCs, the people who already sacrificed years getting certified, are still stuck playing transfer roulette with no predictability or transparency. That disconnect is what frustrates so many people.

The lack of transparency around this delay/cancellation just adds to the frustration. If leadership genuinely believed the current process was working, or had a better plan coming, you’d think they’d be communicating it clearly and nationally. Instead, it feels like information is being slow-rolled because they know people are already frustrated and morale is getting worse.

I hope I’m wrong, but right now it feels less like a staffing strategy and more like leadership trying to manage dissatisfaction while the system continues to crack under its own weight.

 

[NightWatch]

Yeah, I see all the national NATCA emails and my regional emails too. I never saw anything from anyone saying NCEPT was being canceled or delayed. If that’s actually happening, it should’ve been addressed nationally, not quietly within certain regions, because NCEPT impacts the entire NAS.

At this point, it’s hard not to feel like the process itself is fundamentally broken. NCEPT was sold as a staffing solution, but in practice it’s become more of a lottery system than an actual workforce strategy. A system that determines major life decisions based on constantly shifting numbers, release calculations, and timing luck isn’t sustainable for CPCs trying to build stable lives and careers.

The idea behind NCEPT probably made sense on paper in a fully staffed NAS; move people from higher staffed facilities to critically staffed ones. But the reality is the NAS has been understaffed almost everywhere for years. When everyone is short, the system stops feeling strategic and starts feeling punitive to the people already in the system.

What makes it even harder to defend is that the FAA now seems willing to place academy graduates near where they actually want to live from day one. Meanwhile, existing CPCs, the people who already sacrificed years getting certified, are still stuck playing transfer roulette with no predictability or transparency. That disconnect is what frustrates so many people.

The lack of transparency around this delay/cancellation just adds to the frustration. If leadership genuinely believed the current process was working, or had a better plan coming, you’d think they’d be communicating it clearly and nationally. Instead, it feels like information is being slow-rolled because they know people are already frustrated and morale is getting worse.

I hope I’m wrong, but right now it feels less like a staffing strategy and more like leadership trying to manage dissatisfaction while the system continues to crack under its own weight.

I couldn’t say that better. And I believe the same sly motive carried along with how CRWG was executed. NATCA and FAA reach an agreement, it gets rolled out slowly changing like a Ponzi scheme that bones every CPC in the NAS and then when members are pissed NATCA reps with their sweet salaries from member dues or level 12 facilities go “well this is how it was negotiated from the beginning a few years ago idk what to tell you guys.”

As if a single fucking controller had ANY say in how CRWG (for example) was agreed upon, studied locally/regionally, or executed. It’s all national level schemes. Let alone anyone hearing anything about it until reps and ATMs were following shady guidance at best from national. First it was “we are collaboratively determining how many more people we need to raise target numbers because now we have the law to do so.” (Even though the academy cannot get a single additional AG through selection to a facility so what a great fucking start we were off to) Then it was, “well we are going to tack on a few extra CPCs to everyone’s target number because CIC coverage (Which is management’s job at the end of the day), and tanked everyone’s staffing percentages that much more. Then it’s “we are going to make things a bit easier to release” so they changed the NRP to 80% and someone expected to certify in 12 months. Then they change it back to 85% with the same expect to cert in 12 months requirement effectively almost freezing NCEPT movement in the March panel. If this is how things are negotiated from the beginning then this union is out to lunch, should be decertified and removed from AFL-CIO and we (as controllers seeking career opportunities) are fucking cooked…

Oh and by the way NATCA signed MOUs effectively gutting reinstatements by locking applicants to same level or below from their former facility but will place an OTS hire in an 8 or 9. If someone wants to sacrifice a year from clocking NATCA/FERS time to get somewhere I say leave them the fuck alone, let them have another spin at a facility list and hopefully let them be at a facility where they want to be and reduce ERR demand. Especially when you could have a prior exp get offered 7s and below, get offered a shitty staffed undesirable 5, they certify there, quit to seek reinstatement and are offered 4s and 5s when they were offered 7s and down to start… The fact that the parties want to mess with people who don’t even work for the agency (even temporarily) is seriously mind boggling and I don’t know how you could describe that other than being vindictive for not “shutting up and coloring” as we all rot in a clearly broken system.

If NATCA has done anything it’s willfully negotiated in favor of agency wants/needs, ignored the clear and present grievances of its members and then gaslit the fuck out of anyone who opposes.

 

[Dontbotherme]

Rumor mill here is that the union and agency agree there is too much movement currently so the May panel is/will be postponed. They want to only allow movements to higher level facilities (10/11/12s) not from them.

 

[Spoony90]

So with these new made up staffing numbers, it put my facility above 70 percent. That mean I can ERR to D10 under that staffing surge MOU now?

 

[Phillytroll69]

So with these new made up staffing numbers, it put my facility above 70 percent. That mean I can ERR to D10 under that staffing surge MOU now?

No because ncept is being redone. The email said they are working on a new team. Type 2152 err into usajobs

 

[Spoony90]

No because ncept is being redone. The email said they are working on a new team. Type 2152 err into usajobs

Sounds about right. Such a tease

 

[the inquirer]

So with these new made up staffing numbers, it put my facility above 70 percent. That mean I can ERR to D10 under that staffing surge MOU now?

I would definitely put the paperwork in and try. You might just have a month or two window for it to happen.

 

[Pickle Switch]

No because ncept is being redone. The email said they are working on a new team. Type 2152 err into usajobs

SSR is not part of NCEPT and is still running in June as per my RVP