NATCA member question

Roddy_Piper Resident Knucklehead Vegas baby

Alright...

i know u can be an associate NATCA member if you wanted to pay the dues. i'm not sure what associate rates are but i would guess somewhere around $20/month.

my question is: has anyone thought about becoming an associate NATCA member? i just thought of something that might be pretty lame but it could also mean a lot. if you became an associate NATCA member you would start accumulating NATCA time. for seniority purposes it goes:
1. NATCA time
2. other NATCA time
3. military time
4. blah blah
even if u only did the associate thing one month prior to going to OKC you would show up with more seniority than anyone in your class, except for maybe someone with prior FAA/NATCA time. by the time you got to your facility you went from being tied with everyone in your class for the rest of your career, to being ahead of them by one month for the rest of your career. could be lame and i'm not 100% sure this would work. but, it could be well worth $20 if NATCA would recognize it. which i believe they would.

my silly pea brain was just thinking about stuff and i might've strained my brain thinking about this. anybody have any thoughts??

Centerpuke Junior Member ZTL

Roddy, good to see those wheels turning, haha.

I don't think that time would count here is why. Your senority is based on your entry into the Natca bargaining unit which, as an associate member, you are not. Associate members only receive the newsletter and some services. Also, the primary determinate for seniority is based on your hire date, not your NATCA joining date. Some people never join the union but still accumulate seniority. When you get to your facility you will be able to access the webscheduler which has a link to the seniority page. The seniority is completely based on when the individual was hired. Now, in the event of a tie, the next factor is your SCD (Service Computation Date-Military time). I believe you said you had some military time. You will beat the other guys that went to the academy the same date as you based on that.

I still think becoming an associate member in the mean time is a great idea. You will get access to the members area and be able to keep abreast of all of the issues.

Roddy_Piper Resident Knucklehead Vegas baby

so the associate member is not considered "NATCA time" or even "other NATCA time"? i don't know the answer.

there are going to be some peeved people when i get to L30 and jump a lot of people in seniority. i have 4 years of NATCA time and 8 years of military time. so most of the developmentals and recent CPCs don't have that much seniority.

Centerpuke Junior Member ZTL

So, you were already a controller with the FAA and you are about to be again?? I'll ask my area rep tomorrow and see what he says about that.

Roddy_Piper Resident Knucklehead Vegas baby

yes

i'm interested to hear. just thought i might've found a small loophole for the newer peeps.

sooneratc Rookie

Actually, Roddy...at the Academy, NATCA allows you to become an associate member for free for the duration of your time at the Academy. Of course once you show up at your facility, you can become a rank and file member.

ColtsATC Trusted Contributor Indy

Talked to my Facrep today about seniority ironically. It starts when u arrive at ur facility, not ur hire date. Taking leave between OKC and ur facility doesn't count either. Dunno about prior NATCA time though.

archie_league Junior Member Chicago

My only thought is...if you want to read all the wonderfulness on the BBS you can have my login. I will find the password for you if you want.

Hell, someone should get something out of my $150 a month!

Roddy_Piper Resident Knucklehead Vegas baby

by the time u find your password i'll be back in the FAA.

ATC HD Junior Member

Unless I'm missing something, military time doesn't count for anything unfortunately