NCPASS

Chapter Officer Elections

As per Article VIII, Section 1 of the NC3 By Laws.  This is NC3's Election Nomination Notice and shall be posted on Union bulletin boards throughout the Chapter.  Any member in good standing of the Chapter may submit his/her name for nomination.  Nominations must be in writing and must be received by the Chapter President no later than 45 days prior to the end of the term of the existing officers.  No member shall be nominated for more than one Chapter officer position.

FAA Air Traffic Procedures Transportation Department (DOT); Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

November 4 and 5, 2008

FAA Air Traffic Procedures Transportation Department (DOT); Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (F.R. Page 51334)

Meeting of the Air Traffic Procedures Advisory Committee to review present air traffic control procedures and practices for standardization, clarification, and upgrading of terminology and procedures, November 4-5.

Location: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW, Washington, D.C.. 9 a.m. (November 4, 2008)

Contact: Richard Jehlen, 202-493-4527

Sick Leave Slowdown

Legislation that would have allowed federal employees hired since 1984 to cash out their unused sick leave at retirement appears to have stalled this year in Congress. But those eligible for the benefit would be wise to hoard that sick leave a little longer since the measure's supporters are gunning for success in 2009.

"We're going to push hard for it [in 2009]," Austin Durrer, a Moran spokesman, said on Tuesday. "We should have a lot of opportunities to get it through the House again, and hopefully, with a robust majority in the Senate, we'll get to see some action."

Durrer said Moran would pursue all opportunities to enact the sick leave legislation through a stand-alone bill or language attached to an appropriations bill or other legislation next year.

The question is what shape the sick leave benefit would take. The provision that passed the House as part of the tobacco bill was more generous than the stand-alone bill Moran originally proposed. That measure (H.R. 5573), introduced in March, would have granted FERS retirees a one-time payment of up to $10,000 for any sick leave balance of more than 500 hours. Many federal employees argued that the original benefit did not go far enough.

The House-passed legislation, however, would have provided FERS employees retiring during the first three years credit for 75 percent of their sick leave, while those retiring later would have been able to count all their unused leave. The cost of this enhanced benefit -- estimated at $70 million for five years and $337 million for 10 years -- would have been offset by another provision of the tobacco bill that would have added a Roth 401(k) option for participants in the Thrift Savings Plan.

Jessica Klement, legislative director of the Federal Managers Association, said on Tuesday that granting FERS employees credit for unused sick leave would be the top priority for FMA and the Government Managers Coalition in the next Congress. "We'll have to figure out where we want to go ... but any sort of credit is better than none," she said.

Klement said it may be possible to grant FERS employees full credit for unused sick leave in a stand-alone bill, but noted that first it would require a discussion with Moran's staff.

"We're really encouraged by the action of the 110th Congress, but we believe we can go even further in the 111th," Klement said.

Highlights of candidates' differences on federal employee issues

Sens. Barack Obama (info) and John McCain (info) may not be talking extensively about federal employee issues on the campaign trail, but two issues that affect government workers show the differences between the presidential candidates: Collective Bargaining Rights and Outsourcing of government work.

Senators try a new tactic to reopen FAA's negotiations with controllers

Two senators have introduced a bill to address an issue that has stalled along with legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration: the collective bargaining rights of FAA employees.

The Federal Aviation Administration Employee Retention Act (S. 3416), introduced last week by Sens. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and James Inhofe, R-Okla., would require FAA and its unions to work with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service if contract negotiations reach an impasse, or adopt a mutually agreed-upon process to break the deadlock. If those methods failed, then the negotiations would go to binding arbitration and the bargaining unit could require that union members ratify the resulting agreement.

Click Here for full Article

GSA raises mileage reimbursement rate for federal employees

The General Services Administration on Monday followed a recent Internal Revenue Service announcement by raising the mileage reimbursement rate for government employees using their personal vehicles on the job to 58.5 cents per mile.

Article Here

Senate appropriators pass 3.9 percent civilian pay hike

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved a spending bill that would boost civilian federal employees' pay by 3.9 percent in 2009.

That adjustment would be 1 percentage point higher than the 2.9 percent raise proposed by President Bush in February, but it is identical to the civilian pay hike passed last month by House appropriators.

Federal employee groups praised the Senate panel for exceeding Bush's request. "Congressional support for a fair and reasonable pay raise is a clear message for the federal employees who perform the work of the American people every day that their efforts and commitment to excellence are recognized and appreciated," said National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley.

A portion of the 3.9 percent civilian pay hike would be allocated for locality pay; the rest would go toward an across-the-board increase.

North Carolina House of Representatives

Budget talks have gotten as hot as the temperature at high noon.  House and Senate negotiators have been meeting this week and during weekends for several hours each day to work toward a compromise.  While these talks continue, the House has continued to work on issues important to the people in our communities, such as annexation, health and education.

More info Here

Air traffic controllers say FAA is undermining safety agreement

A subsequent memorandum FAA's Office of Human Resource Management issued on April 14 clarified the agency's approach.

"FAA will not be able to take nondisciplinary removal actions for unacceptable performance," the memorandum read. "Instead, the current and successful long-standing practice of removing unsatisfactory [air traffic controllers] will continue to be taken for cause using negligent or careless performance or inattention to duty."

The memorandum warned that NATCA might object to removal proceedings on the grounds that the memorandum of understanding that set up the Air Traffic Safety Action Program created a nonpunitive environment.

"NATCA was put on notice that the FAA will continue to take removal actions for negligent/careless performance or inattention to duty," the HR memorandum continued.

NATCA President Pat Forrey said he objected to the suggestion that controllers were intentionally negligent.

"The FAA intentionally misled Congress when it said it would implement [a safety program] that protected controllers coming forward to report safety concerns," he said. "Controllers do not maliciously or intentionally make errors on the job. Quite the contrary; our daily efforts to keep the system as safe as it is despite unprecedented pressures ... show our dedication to safety."

Story Here

Union calls for midyear adjustment of mileage reimbursement rate

The National Treasury Employees Union has asked the Internal Revenue Service to make a midyear adjustment to the federal government's mileage reimbursement limit, already at a record high.

The mileage reimbursement rate, currently at 50.5 cents per mile, is used to calculate the deductible costs of operating a personal vehicle for business purposes. The IRS determines, usually annually, the maximum rate allowed as a business deduction. The General Services Administration sets the reimbursement rate for federal employees, which cannot exceed the IRS limit.

In a letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, NTEU President Colleen Kelley said current record-high gas prices are "placing an especially heavy burden on those who must travel to perform their work duties." While not requesting a specific reimbursement rate, she asked that a midyear adjustment be made so the rate "accurately reflects the actual cost traveling employees pay."

Kelley noted that legislation (S. 3032) is pending in the Senate that would raise the rate to 70 cents per mile for both private sector and federal employees. The bill was introduced by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., in May and awaits consideration by the Senate Finance Committee.

Action by the IRS, however, "would provide much more timely relief than depending on the slow pace of the legislative process," Kelley wrote.

NTEU has called for midyear adjustments of reimbursement rates each of the past three years. While such adjustments are unusual, the IRS did respond to high gas prices by changing the rate in September 2005 from 40.5 cents a mile to 48.5.

A GSA spokeswoman said the agency would likely reevaluate the reimbursement rate for federal employees if the IRS raised the deductible limit. The IRS did not respond to a request for comment.