Post by TCU 2U2 on Mar 4, 2013 18:15:05 GMT -5
Note ... many of the links do not work from this posting:
Sequestration
The non-discretionary, mandated, government-wide cuts known as sequestration took effect on March 1st because another agreement was not in place to reduce the debt by $85 billion. The FAA will now be forced to cut $483 million – 5% - from the ops budget (other budgets lines will also take the 5% cuts). As a result, in order to meet the cuts required by sequestration, the FAA will be issuing furlough notices this week to the workforce. It is important to note that unlike previous furloughs, which occurred due to a lapse in appropriations, these furloughs are “save money” furloughs. Therefore we do not expect that any wages lost as a result of these furloughs will be repaid.
There are those that do not fully understand how the sequester works and believe that the FAA can just move money from one budget to another to avoid the furloughs. Unfortunately this is not the case. For example, if there was a budget line that was “FRAUD, WASTE and ABUSE,” only 5% would be cut from it as well as the other budgets. The FAA has four budgets lines: Airport Improvement Program (which is exempt), Facilities and Equipment, Research and Development and the largest, which is the Operations budget. More than 60% of the FAA budget is operations, and 70% of the operations budget is PC&B (Personnel Compensation and Benefits); 70% of that is the frontline workforce (Controllers, Technicians and Supervisors).
As we stated in the last update, we are not negotiating the decision to furlough, as that is a decision made by the Agency and is not subject to negotiations. We are also not negotiating the amount of time we are to be furloughed, as that is also a decision made by the Agency. We are negotiating the procedures that are to be used when a decision is made to furlough employees. In addition to furloughs within the FAA, we are dealing with the DOD on the potential impacts as a result of furloughs within that department.
We are continuing to work on the additional procedural MOUs for the actual implementation of a furlough at the facility/office level. The FAA is still looking at where else in the Ops budget they can cut to avoid as many furlough days as possible. When we know the number of days, the MOUs and Q&A documents should be out. We expect that to be this week. The furlough notices will come from the FAA this week too. The soonest anyone will have to take a furlough day would be the pay period beginning April 7th.
We hope that Congress will use the Continuing Resolution (CR; spending bill) which expires on March 27th as the legislative vehicle to replace the sequester. While that seemed to be very likely a week ago, unfortunately it now seems as though they may not use the CR to replace the sequester. Since the impacts of the furloughs across government won’t go into effect until mid to late April, the pressure to fix or replace the sequester won’t be there. The good news is that the threats of doing nothing with the CR, thus shutting the government down, are no longer there. We are constantly working this issue and remain hopeful that this fiscal crisis created by the policy makers is resolved before it is too late to reverse the harm it will cause.
In addition to the furloughs we expect we may also see the following:
- - reduction in facility operating hours/services (see attached list)
- - facility closures (see attached list)
- - the potential cancellation of annual leave
- - training delays
- - a hiring freeze
- - a host of yet-to-be-determined cost-saving measures that would also have a dramatic impact on our workforce.
As far as the FAA Tower potential closures, there are CBA protections in place for the members at those facilities and language that addresses the negotiations that will need to take place on appropriate arrangements.
For weeks, we have been in contact with the reps at the contract towers we represent in order to assure them that we are capably addressing their employer, as well as the many entities they serve, in order to properly advocate for them. The fact that their employer has a contract with the FAA, and the FAA is not their employer, makes addressing contract tower concerns a bit more difficult. So far, their employers have not received official notice of the closures.
In addition to the grassroots email campaign we launched for all members, their families and friends to send, urging Congress to resolve the sequester, we also launched a more specific one for the Contract Towers. Please click on the link below to send this message too. If you have a Contract Tower in your Congressman’s district or Senator’s state, please add it to the text of the email (see the attached list for potential contract towers to be closed).
afl.salsalabs.com/o/5893/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5779
While the conversations/divergence on this has been a part of the Congressional agenda and our legislative advocacy for the last two years, the effects to the membership, the national airspace and the country are more real than ever before.
We have given briefings on the specific effect to both Senate and House committee staff and leadership. We have also reached out to aviation industry groups like AOPA, A4A, NBAA, AAAE and AIA to name a few. We are also working with labor organizations (TTD, ALPA, SWAPA, other Federal Labor Unions and also Federal employee associations, etc.). They, as well as the Administration, are all now weighing in on the issue.
This week, Paul gave a speech at the Aero Club of Washington to more than 100 attendees from the aviation industry on the devastating and potentially irreversible negative impacts sequestration will have on the nation’s aviation system and economy if Congress does not act. To read the full text of the speech click here.
This week NATCA also released an updated, detailed report on the impacts of sequestration. View the full report here. To see more information about our public campaign, including our radio and print ads and Trish’s interview with Ed Schultz, click here.
We continue to urge each and every member to contact their Congressional representatives by participating in our grassroots activism efforts. Members, their families and their friends can use the following link to have their voices heard:
afl.salsalabs.com/o/5893/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5541#http://afl.salsalabs.com/o/5893/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5541
We are working diligently on your behalf to avoid tower closures and furloughs. More information in the days and weeks to come.
Paul Rinaldi- NATCA President
Trish Gilbert - NATCA EVP
Team Update March 3rd
Sequestration
The non-discretionary, mandated, government-wide cuts known as sequestration took effect on March 1st because another agreement was not in place to reduce the debt by $85 billion. The FAA will now be forced to cut $483 million – 5% - from the ops budget (other budgets lines will also take the 5% cuts). As a result, in order to meet the cuts required by sequestration, the FAA will be issuing furlough notices this week to the workforce. It is important to note that unlike previous furloughs, which occurred due to a lapse in appropriations, these furloughs are “save money” furloughs. Therefore we do not expect that any wages lost as a result of these furloughs will be repaid.
There are those that do not fully understand how the sequester works and believe that the FAA can just move money from one budget to another to avoid the furloughs. Unfortunately this is not the case. For example, if there was a budget line that was “FRAUD, WASTE and ABUSE,” only 5% would be cut from it as well as the other budgets. The FAA has four budgets lines: Airport Improvement Program (which is exempt), Facilities and Equipment, Research and Development and the largest, which is the Operations budget. More than 60% of the FAA budget is operations, and 70% of the operations budget is PC&B (Personnel Compensation and Benefits); 70% of that is the frontline workforce (Controllers, Technicians and Supervisors).
As we stated in the last update, we are not negotiating the decision to furlough, as that is a decision made by the Agency and is not subject to negotiations. We are also not negotiating the amount of time we are to be furloughed, as that is also a decision made by the Agency. We are negotiating the procedures that are to be used when a decision is made to furlough employees. In addition to furloughs within the FAA, we are dealing with the DOD on the potential impacts as a result of furloughs within that department.
We are continuing to work on the additional procedural MOUs for the actual implementation of a furlough at the facility/office level. The FAA is still looking at where else in the Ops budget they can cut to avoid as many furlough days as possible. When we know the number of days, the MOUs and Q&A documents should be out. We expect that to be this week. The furlough notices will come from the FAA this week too. The soonest anyone will have to take a furlough day would be the pay period beginning April 7th.
We hope that Congress will use the Continuing Resolution (CR; spending bill) which expires on March 27th as the legislative vehicle to replace the sequester. While that seemed to be very likely a week ago, unfortunately it now seems as though they may not use the CR to replace the sequester. Since the impacts of the furloughs across government won’t go into effect until mid to late April, the pressure to fix or replace the sequester won’t be there. The good news is that the threats of doing nothing with the CR, thus shutting the government down, are no longer there. We are constantly working this issue and remain hopeful that this fiscal crisis created by the policy makers is resolved before it is too late to reverse the harm it will cause.
In addition to the furloughs we expect we may also see the following:
- - reduction in facility operating hours/services (see attached list)
- - facility closures (see attached list)
- - the potential cancellation of annual leave
- - training delays
- - a hiring freeze
- - a host of yet-to-be-determined cost-saving measures that would also have a dramatic impact on our workforce.
As far as the FAA Tower potential closures, there are CBA protections in place for the members at those facilities and language that addresses the negotiations that will need to take place on appropriate arrangements.
For weeks, we have been in contact with the reps at the contract towers we represent in order to assure them that we are capably addressing their employer, as well as the many entities they serve, in order to properly advocate for them. The fact that their employer has a contract with the FAA, and the FAA is not their employer, makes addressing contract tower concerns a bit more difficult. So far, their employers have not received official notice of the closures.
In addition to the grassroots email campaign we launched for all members, their families and friends to send, urging Congress to resolve the sequester, we also launched a more specific one for the Contract Towers. Please click on the link below to send this message too. If you have a Contract Tower in your Congressman’s district or Senator’s state, please add it to the text of the email (see the attached list for potential contract towers to be closed).
afl.salsalabs.com/o/5893/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5779
While the conversations/divergence on this has been a part of the Congressional agenda and our legislative advocacy for the last two years, the effects to the membership, the national airspace and the country are more real than ever before.
We have given briefings on the specific effect to both Senate and House committee staff and leadership. We have also reached out to aviation industry groups like AOPA, A4A, NBAA, AAAE and AIA to name a few. We are also working with labor organizations (TTD, ALPA, SWAPA, other Federal Labor Unions and also Federal employee associations, etc.). They, as well as the Administration, are all now weighing in on the issue.
This week, Paul gave a speech at the Aero Club of Washington to more than 100 attendees from the aviation industry on the devastating and potentially irreversible negative impacts sequestration will have on the nation’s aviation system and economy if Congress does not act. To read the full text of the speech click here.
This week NATCA also released an updated, detailed report on the impacts of sequestration. View the full report here. To see more information about our public campaign, including our radio and print ads and Trish’s interview with Ed Schultz, click here.
We continue to urge each and every member to contact their Congressional representatives by participating in our grassroots activism efforts. Members, their families and their friends can use the following link to have their voices heard:
afl.salsalabs.com/o/5893/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5541#http://afl.salsalabs.com/o/5893/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5541
We are working diligently on your behalf to avoid tower closures and furloughs. More information in the days and weeks to come.
Paul Rinaldi- NATCA President
Trish Gilbert - NATCA EVP
Team Update March 3rd