Report From the Field: The Effects of the IWRs
Alaskan Region
Rick Thompson, Region Vice President
The FAA’s implementation of their imposed work rules in Alaska has varied from wacky to demeaning. Controllers in Alaska as around the country are sick of management’s foolish and destructive antics. Controllers want the FAA to stop wasting our time and start acting in a responsible manner by doing their job which is to support controllers continuous efforts in providing a safe and expeditious ATC system. Below are a few of the bizarre and sometimes dangerous actions in Alaska since September 3:
-Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were cancelled at Anchorage Tower (ANC), Anchorage Center (ZAN) and Anchorage TRACON (A11) as well as Fairbanks Tower (FAI), and eventually replaced with something which was not briefed;
-A FAI controller saved a PA-31 from landing on a C-172. The acting manager called the controller into his office. Was it to say thanks or job well done? No, it was to give the controller a record of conversation (the first step to discipline) for having his shirt improperly buttoned;
-An ANC controller attempting to comply with the ever-shifting dress code wore shoes that caused the individual to slip on the tower’s unsafe metal staircase and was injured;
-All over the region, management has intentionally worked facilities short-staffed and intentionally left controllers on position for over two hours.
Central Region
Howard Blankenship, Region Vice President
The imposed work rules have negatively affected our region in so many ways. Because of the lowered salaries, at least four new employees have not shown up at two facilities. In the Omaha area, Union Pacific (UP) advertises for dispatcher positions by adding that prior air traffic control experience is a plus–UP must believe they can compete with the FAA for employees!
The FAA is currently working towards decombining numerous up/down facilities and consolidating the radar facility at another location. This will not only drastically affect the lives of those that will be forced to choose between moving to keep their job or quitting, but the salaries for everyone involved will be cut. Those towers that are left will not be able to maintain the same Classification Index and the FAA will move to downgrade them.
The men and women at MCI have been forced to come to work when ill, and they have been exposed to those that were so ordered. They have been advised that a basic watch schedule will be imposed on them, that their shift assignments and days off will be assigned by management, that management will put them on a rotating days off schedule, and that they will not be permitted to bid on any vacation leave.
The working conditions of all our members have eroded to disastrous levels, and unfortunately, will indirectly affect the safety of the flying public.
Eastern Region
Phil Barbarello, Region Vice President
Over the last few weeks, NATCA members in the Eastern Region have witnessed the very worst in our employer. For most of us, the antagonistic behaviors expressed by field managers toward us harkens back to a labor history unseen in our lifetime. Management’s attempts to break the spirit of a proud and intelligent workforce whose aggressiveness is a required trait in the safety sensitive work that we do is inexplicable and treacherous.
The catalogue of systematic assaults against us range from the absurd to the dangerous. Some of our managers have become so arrogant that they substitute their own judgment for that of written orders by physicians. Who could imagine that FAA managers would put policies in place that deny food to controllers rather than to allow them to leave their facilities for eating establishments literally a few feet away? It is hard to fathom that our supervisors are more focused on the color of our socks than in the integrity of the operation, but that is the cold reality that faces us.
This unrelenting harassment of controllers who stand between safe air travel and certain disaster is more than irresponsible; it is unlawful. NATCA Eastern Region is carefully documenting the lunacy that characterizes the management of the FAA today and sharing that knowledge with officials and lawmakers. I am confident that those responsible will be exposed and held accountable. We are doing all that we can do to bring an end to these dark days and we will not stop until we succeed.
Great Lakes Region
Bryan Zilonis, Region Vice President
The imposed work rules have had a significant impact on our facilities, members, and families. Just from my perspective at Chicago Center, I have seen a great change in the spirit of the employees.
Some managers believe that local negotiations are now subject to imposition simply because they do not reach agreement at the local level. Apparently, they no longer feel the need to follow the impasse procedures. Other managers have simply signed agreements themselves and declared negotiations complete. This is nothing more than misguided individuals drunk with power.
Our region has experienced the following: denials of sick leave, removal of NATCA vending machines, refusals to grant advanced sick leave, refusal to process hardship requests, imposition of watch schedules, not enough annual leave slots, limiting union representatives ability to delegate official time, closing union offices, refusing representation to employees during investigations, changing the terms of employees pay agreements, and escorting people from the facility and forbidding their return without informing them of their “violation.”
I am disappointed in our employer and I will work through every legal means to provide relief to our bargaining unit members. I feel your pain with you, as I have experienced many of these things as an employee myself. I ask for your continued support, and that no one lose sight of the fact that our employer is trying to divide us. Do not give them the pleasure of accomplishing that.
New England Region
Mike Robicheau, Region Vice President
I believe the Agency’s imposed work rules have been a distraction, caused frustration and are compromising the safety of the flying public. Controllers count on everyone working within the system to make the system efficient and safe. The FAA is concerned more with the color of controllers’ socks than making sure the radar positions are properly staffed.
One controller was prevented from wearing certain foot apparel, even after presenting medical documentation. Being threatened by disciplinary action for not meeting the IWRs, this controller had to wear uncomfortable and restricting shoes. Her feet began to swell on duty and she actually fell down a flight of stairs.
The FAA has failed to hire and staff many facilities in the New England Region. This has resulted in controllers being denied leave and not knowing their work schedules in a timely manner. One controller who was a tennis coach for 10 years at a local high school had to resign from performing those duties, because the FAA will not let him know his work schedule in a timely manner.
A controller who was hired by the FAA with knowledge that if she passed all her certifications to become a controller, she would be paid a certain amount per year. But after graduating and reporting to her control facility, the Agency instructed her that her new pay scale would be $32,000 less to begin and that she would never make the money that controllers at her facility currently make. The particular manager told her if she didn’t like it, she could quit and that’s exactly what she did.
Northwest Mountain Region
Scott Farrow, Region Vice President
The impact of the imposed work rules for the Northwest Mountain Region has varied from facility to facility; some managers are more willing to stick their necks out to minimize the impact on the workforce while others are taking great pleasure in turning the screws to their employees.
Members used to enjoy coming to work and took pride in the jobs they do, now they hate their employer and can’t wait until they are eligible to retire. One of the most egregious situations is happening at Denver Tower. To access the tower employees must go through security. The new TSA regulations do not allow any food or beverages to be brought through the security check point, and FAA management refuses to allow employees to walk 15 yards across the hallway of the terminal to get food while on duty. Even the prison system allows food!
The staffing crisis is upon us and potential new hires are looking at the imposed pay bands and turning down job offers from the FAA or not even showing up for classes in Oklahoma City because the pay is not worth the stress, nights, weekends and holidays spent away from their families. Meanwhile the dedicated professionals in the trenches keep doing what they do best, moving airplanes while doing more and more with less and less.
Southern Region
Victor Santore, Region Vice President
The difference from September 2, 2006 to September 3, 2006 was like going through a time warp. As a fan of the Rocky Horror Picture Show a time warp can be a good thing, but this was no movie. This was the FAA turning back the hands of time to the mid 1980s.
The Southern region, the largest of all the regions, has come together as never before. Our PAC contributions are up and solidarity is at an all-time high. Not since NATCA’s earliest days have the membership responded in such a positive way. Fac reps all across the region have stepped up to the challenge and are putting in more time then ever in the fight against a hostile employer. We understand that the wheels of government turn slowly, especially during an election year, but support on Capitol Hill has increased immensely over the past twelve months. This is in large part due to the many legislative activists in the Southern Region that have risen to the call of our elected leaders.
It may seem like there is nothing but minefields ahead, but the truth has always been on our side. Facility changes, co-locations, privatization, staffing and modernization will be hot topics in 2007. Safety has always been the issue and that is why we are so respected by the media and a vast majority of our legislators. I’m confident that the Southern region is ready for whatever the future holds because of the people that have dedicated their lives for NATCA.
Southwest Region
Darrell Meachum, Region Vice President
In my 24 years, I have never heard so many members use the word “hate” to describe their reaction to the agency’s complete ruination of the air traffic control profession.
The more controllers see of the agency’s newly imposed work rules, the angrier and more vocal they become. NSW members continue to file more grievances than any other region while facility representatives are learning techniques and labor relation skills in days and weeks which previously took months or even years to master. The agency’s actions have actually made NATCA stronger.
The most revealing decision the agency made when imposing its work rules was the new dress code. Most members have correctly determined the agency’s dress code is just one of the more inane annoyances caused by the agency’s actions, but the idiocy behind the agency’s dress code plus their inconsistent and ever-changing rules make it a daily reminder of how the agency holds hard-working air traffic controllers in contempt. Of all the FAA’s actions, their dress code has been the most telling, the most arrogant, and the most stupid.
The absolute worst aspect of the agency’s actions is the fact air traffic controllers finally feel the same way about their employer as their employer has long felt about them.
Western Pacific Region
Hamid Ghaffari, Region Vice President
New trainees are discouraged and confused about their new profession. Many had to take out large loans to pay for their college education thinking that they would be making good money with the FAA. Instead they have to worry about how to pay their bills.
Certified controllers are discouraged since they are subjected to more than two hours on position with little to no help, and little to no opportunities for time off with their families.
Controllers with more than 19 years are counting the days until they are eligible for retirement; some are even tracking the exact minutes, hours, and days until they can leave.
What is ironic about these imposed work rules is the fact that many supervisors and managers hate them even more than we do. Never did the Agency realize that their imposed work rules would cause many of their quality supervisors and managers to abandon ship. Some examples:
-You shall take your meal break between the fourth and sixth hour. If you don’t take your meal break during those hours you cannot eat.
-You can’t stay in the tower cab on your break. If you return from your break early then you will be counseled. If you are late to the tower from your break then you will be counseled.
-You are approved to be on the leave donor program since your wife is seriously ill, but you can’t accept any donations since you don’t have a leave balance of 80 hours!
Region X
Michael MacDonald, Region Vice President
The Federal Aviation Administration attacked us on July 10, 2005. The agency unilaterally imposed illegal working rules on several of our NATCA Bargaining Units, including the Aircraft Certification Bargaining Unit. This immoral, as well as illegal, action was specifically directed against us and our families.
The only one that helped us was, and still is, NATCA. Our union set up web sites to document the various legal action/suits that were filed against the agency and created generic grievance templates that any NATCA BUE could use. The result has been an almost 400% increase in the number of grievances filed to address the harm caused by the illegal work rules.
NATCA members have been more than patient waiting for the courts and the FLRA to uphold our rights. They understand that our strength lies in being a NATCA member, the continuing growth in membership, and our union, standing up for us and fighting to combat these immoral actions by the agency.
At the same time, NATCA members continue to sincerely perform their safety-related jobs with the highest professionalism, which has resulted in the safest aircraft system in the world. It is clear that we must continue to stand together in the face of adversity and fight for our rights and freedoms.
