LABOR RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
NATCA FILES NATIONAL GRIEVANCE REGARDING REFUSAL TO ALLOW BUE
UNION REPRESENTATION
NATCA filed a national grie vance on Feb. 12, 2016, regarding the Agency's
refusal to all ow a BUE union representation. On Jan . 26, 2016, the Agency informed the
BUE that he was being placed on administrative leave due to an ongoing investigation
by the Office of Security and Haz ardo us Materials Safety (ASH). The BUE was escorted
by management and security to a conference room to discuss the underlying reasons for
his placement on administrative leave. The BUE requested union representation, but t he
manager denied his request. NATCA's grievance alleges that the Agency's actions
constitute an unfair labor practice and a violation of the CBA, including but not limited to
Article 6; 5 U.S.C. Chapter 71; and other applicable laws, rules, regulations, and past
practice.
NATCA POCs: National ARC Representative Ken Slauson, Pat Raitano, and
Labor Relations Attorney Nicole Vitale .
SURVEYS
NATCA recommends participation in the NVS Key Site AT Familiarization Survey.
If you have any questions, please contact Kendal Manson, Labor Relations Coordi nator,
at kmanson@natcadc.org .
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE : The House and Senate are in recess the week of
February 15 following the President's Day holiday. Both chambers will be back in
s ession the week of February 22.
NATCA SUPPORTS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL REFORM PROPOSAL : On Wednesday,
February 3, Chairman Bill Shuster (R - PA) of the House Transportation & Infrastructure
(T&I) Committee unveiled his long - term FAA reauthorization legisla tion which includes
his air traffic reform proposal. Click here to view NATCA's press release and here to
view the message sent to NATCA membership from the National Executive Board.
NATCA President Paul Rinaldi and EVP Trish Gilbert, along with NATCA Government
Affairs (GA) staff, continue to work closely with House and Senate members of
Congress and staff to ensure NATCA's priorities are addressed in the FAA
reauthorization bill.
This past week, Chairman Shuster began the process of moving his proposal
through the legislative process by holding a hearing and then a markup of the legisl ation
in the House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee. The legislation was
approved by the committee and can now be considered for a vote on the House floor
should Speaker Ryan decide to bring up the bill for consideration. This legisla tion ha s
moved quickly since it s time of introduction. We were a bit surprised when the Chairman
indicated he would introduce the legislation followed by a swift hearing and markup last
week, but Paul and Trish, as well as the rest of the NATCA team, worked close ly with
Chairman Shuster and his staff, as well as Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D - OR) and
his st aff.
Committee Hearing: Last Tuesday, February 10, the House T&I Committee held
a hearing to review air traffic control reform proposals. Witnesses included NATCA
President Paul Rinaldi, Airlines for America President and CEO Nicholas Calio, National
