NAGE Local R3-10's Email Reponse

Below is the Union's response to the FAA's email regarding the career level review questionnaire.

Tom,

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. We have several additional concerns regarding the questionnaire:

The FAA’s questionnaire appears to be detrimental to the spirit or fairness of the career level review process. The FAA is trying to force the bargaining unit members to express in an essay form answers to performance elements that are strictly and solely related to a firsthand evaluation of the bargaining unit member’s current performance and the harm is

1) that if the bargaining unit member is not able to articulate their answers to these firsthand performance evaluation elements to the satisfaction of someone who is completely removed from the bargaining unit member’s work unit (that is, someone in Headquarters, DC reviewing the response of someone in Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center) and who has no firsthand knowledge of the bargaining unit member’s actual performance, other than what the bargaining unit member is able to articulate in the essay, then the bargaining unit member could be denied promotion solely on the basis of their unsatisfactory essay answers and not on a firsthand evaluation of their actual performance and

2)that the FAA could establish this essay process and review by someone completely removed from the work unit as the norm for future promotion considerations of the bargaining unit members instead of using the current established process, as is done with every one else in the FAA, of firsthand performance evaluations by the bargaining unit member’s immediate supervisor using the current performance standards and career level definitions as outlined and defined the FAA’s performance based Core Compensation Plan.

The Union is requesting that the employees’ first level supervisors be immediately incorporated as a component of the career level review process. This would provide an LOB entity with firsthand knowledge.

Rufino Sanchez Jr.

Recommend that Bargaining Unit Employees Complete the Career Level Review Questionnaire

As previously stated, the FAA has amended their instructions for completing the career level review questionnaire; there is no longer a mandatory requirement for employees to answer the FAA's career level review questionnaire. However, the FAA has advised that the information (answers) provided by employees would be used to fully develop the facts surrounding each employee’s request for a career level review.

The Union still has several concerns regarding the career level review questionnaire. Nevertheless, at this time, in an attempt to improve our chances and/or to aid in supporting our requests for banding into Pay Band G, NAGE Local R3-10 is recommending that bargaining unit employees fill out the FAA's career level review questionnaire.

Additionally, the FAA has advised that should any employee choose not to provide information in support of the request then a decision will be made based upon what is currently available.

FAA's Response Regarding the Career Level Review Questionnaire

Below is the FAA's email response regarding the career level review questionnaire.

Rufino,

You are correct that there is no requirement for employees to fill out a questionnaire as part of the career level review process.

Management is soliciting information in order to fully develop the facts surrounding each employee’s request for a career level review. Should any employee choose not to provide information in support of the request then a decision will be made based upon what is currently available.


Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.


Thomas R Wachter

Career Level Review Questionnaire

Below is a copy of the email message that NAGE Local R3-10 sent to the FAA regarding the career level review questionnaire.

Hi Tom,

It has come to the Union's attention that the FAA is now requiring bargaining unit employees to fill out a questionnaire as part of the career level review process specified in Article 51 of the CBA. The requirement for a questionnaire is not a requisite, nor a necessitated provision, in any of the FAA's directives regarding career level review. A career level review is simply a performance-based review as described by the career level definitions conducted by the immediate supervisor, not a Q&A.

And, most important, the issue of a questionnaire being embedded as part of the career level review process in accordance with the provisions specified in Article 51 of the CBA has never been negotiated with the Union.

The FAA must immediately rescind this requirement for bargaining unit employees to fill out a questionnaire as part of Article 51's career level review process. If the Agency desires to establish a questionnaire in the career level review process, this embedment must be negotiated with the Union.

Rufino Sanchez Jr.
President, NAGE Local R3-10
925 Columbus Ave. #2FS
New York, NY 10025-3760
NAGE Office: 631-468-4320
NAGE Fax: 631-777-6889
Work: 631-468-1425
Email: nagelocalr310@aol.com
CCmail: Rufino.Sanchez@faa.gov