NATCA Bookshelf

Pay Freeze: • Proposal to institute a pay freeze for Federal civilian employees for F Y 2019. Labor Relations/Union "Influence": • Proposal to overhaul labor-management relations because "collective bargaining contracts can have a significant impact on agency performance, workplace productivity, and employee satisfaction." • On September 29, 2017, Executive Order 13812 rescinded the requirement for labor-management forums. Agencies were further instructed to remove any internal policies, programs, or guidelines related to existing forums. OFFICIAL TIME Finally, official time has also come under attack in recent years. At the FAA, official time is paid time that employee-representatives may use to resolve disputes, negotiate changes in working conditions, and collaborate on workgroups that implement new procedures, such as NextGen. It saves the FAA and taxpayers' time and money by allowing the parties to avoid costly arbitrations and other less-efficient means of dispute resolution. Official time is necessary for NATCA members to perform their representational duties owed to all bargaining unit employees, regardless of union membership status. It is an especially important tool now, as America's air traffic control system is being modernized. Yet, legislation continues to be introduced to limit or eliminate official time. The U.S. House of Representatives has had two recorded votes on the issue in the past five years. NATCA was successful at defeating these efforts both times as a direct result of NATCA's efforts to educate members of Congress and their staffs at the local and national levels. NATCA members do not engage in lobbying activities — such as this NATCA in Washington event — while on official time. 37

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