Leaving NATCA outside January

It’s almost time again who’s filing 1188’s this next month?!!


What has NATCA been doing? Haven’t seen any significant changes since the slate book originally came out…..in 2016 and we’re left with it for a few more years. Why didn’t they negotiate.
Increasing the workforce by 2000-3000 controllers, and kicking faa finance out of the room for hiring decisions isn’t a significant change?
 
Increasing the workforce by 2000-3000 controllers, and kicking faa finance out of the room for hiring decisions isn’t a significant change?
That's kind of TBD. Yes they say they've agreed to hire 3300 more controllers over the next few years but until hiring materially picks up, I'm not buying it. In FY2023, the academy is scheduled to have 28 initial tower classes, with a max enrollment of 18 each. Let's be generous and say they average 16 people in each class. That's 448 people with a roughly 70% pass rate is 314 new hire AGs sent to terminal facilities over the next year. On this last NCEPT panel alone, I counted 116 out of 143 selections were made from level 7 and below terminal facilities. So there aren't enough AGs to even come close to replacing all the transfers through ncept. According to ksn, between 2016-2018 an average of 350 prior experience controllers were hired. In FY22 they only hires 266 prior exp guys. Those numbers aren't nearly enough to keep up when you factor in attrition through quits, retirements, supe bids, etc.

The FAA needs to seriously ramp up hiring, especially when you consider how poorly the level 10-12s are staffed and now the facilities that feed them are hurting too. Just anecdotally, we released last panel to take us down below 85% but we're above 80% still. We won't be able to release on this upcoming panel if nothing changes because the academy is graduating them so slowly, that we basically stay in place on the new hire list in the 40-60 range. It varies weekly but their are a lot more places hurting worse than us which is kind of unprecedented. I remember when I was hired 5 years ago, they were keeping the low level terminal places staffed well above 90%, routinely having places above 100%. Now it's like as soon as you release below 85%, you're not getting anyone else for a long time and the releases at your facilities are halted UFN. The top 31 facilities on the terminal academy list are all projected below 80%. There will be a lot of places that can't release on the upcoming panel if they keep the 85% projected rule simply for the fact the FAA is incompetent at hiring.

That doesn't even take into account what will happen when the CRWG update takes place and the numbers change. I've heard most places will get an increase to their target, resulting in us being ever shorter staffed on paper. All hearsay of course but we'll have to see what happens over the next few years before we can make any determinations as to whether things are actually getting better or not.
 
Increasing the workforce by 2000-3000 controllers, and kicking faa finance out of the room for hiring decisions isn’t a significant change?
NATCA doesn’t hire or pay the workforce they have been talking about staffing numbers for 10+ years. And another retirement wave about to get started and come faster than the last. Then put shitty transfer policies in place. No other incentive for seniority besides BWS and Leave.
 
NATCA doesn’t hire or pay the workforce they have been talking about staffing numbers for 10+ years. And another retirement wave about to get started and come faster than the last. Then put shitty transfer policies in place. No other incentive for seniority besides BWS and Leave.

The staffing numbers are changing soon. Theyve had large zoom meetings for the regions explaining. I forget the timeline but every facility submitted what positions needed to be open and what times back at the start of December. I believe by the end of January is when NATCA wanted the new numbers. The FAA was trying to delay for at least a year supposedly. But this will just make those that want to transfer mad, because I doubt anyone did any decent planning for NCEPT (ie: grandfather people with ERRs in to the old number). And those that are lifers at their facility will just bitch that they have to train more.

Also there is the 20% training pay, but I realize most of you view that as too little/too late.

But yes, NATCA did nothing. FAA would manage us well without them. White book this, doom and gloom that.
 
The staffing numbers are changing soon. Theyve had large zoom meetings for the regions explaining. I forget the timeline but every facility submitted what positions needed to be open and what times back at the start of December. I believe by the end of January is when NATCA wanted the new numbers. The FAA was trying to delay for at least a year supposedly. But this will just make those that want to transfer mad, because I doubt anyone did any decent planning for NCEPT (ie: grandfather people with ERRs in to the old number). And those that are lifers at their facility will just bitch that they have to train more.

Also there is the 20% training pay, but I realize most of you view that as too little/too late.

But yes, NATCA did nothing. FAA would manage us well without them. White book this, doom and gloom that.
You got that right. I came in during the white book and knew no different. Just out of the military so white book was what it was and an improvement from the military. But they will talk about the white book til they blue in the face 20 years from now to justify staying with the status quo slate book.

I agree the writing on the wall for these new numbers, it’s going to slow everything way down and halt movement so can see why the agency ok with it. I guess the 20% is one positive but for people training their replacement it gets old and no money fixes the bad cycles. I guess there might be some extra spot leave while we sit below the new numbers at 84% so can’t release lol still.

It’s all one big joke at this point how can they be taken seriously on any issues anymore.
 
The staffing numbers are changing soon. Theyve had large zoom meetings for the regions explaining. I forget the timeline but every facility submitted what positions needed to be open and what times back at the start of December. I believe by the end of January is when NATCA wanted the new numbers. The FAA was trying to delay for at least a year supposedly. But this will just make those that want to transfer mad, because I doubt anyone did any decent planning for NCEPT (ie: grandfather people with ERRs in to the old number). And those that are lifers at their facility will just bitch that they have to train more.

Also there is the 20% training pay, but I realize most of you view that as too little/too late.

But yes, NATCA did nothing. FAA would manage us well without them. White book this, doom and gloom that.
These things just prove that there were things that could have been negotiated into the contract. They gave us 20% training pay for literally no reason? There is no way 20% training pay is going to increase the amount of training going on. But we still got it. So it makes you think what else.
 
We certified 90 cpcs across the nas this year, good job folks. That definitely will keep up with attrition
 
It's a case of: Many will talk, very few will act.

Honestly, I'd say likely less than that. It doesn't seem that the rumblings are as strong now as they were in Nov/Dec of the last year or two.
The new thing is quietly quitting. No sense
In being part of the union that’s not making positive changes for members.
Be interesting to see if they run another campaign rejoin for free no initiation ?
 
I quit last year. I'm treated well honestly. People even ask me to swap shifts. I guess they didn't see Micks email rant on NONNERS. One guy asked me to design the local natca t.shirt hahaha.

But it takes nuts to quit if your not at your forever facility. That's why most won't do it.
 
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