POSITION ROTATION AND RELIEF PERIODS

Employees should not be required to spend more than two (2) consecutive hours performing operational duties without a break away from operational areas. The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that breaks are administered in accordance with this Article.

In any facility where employees routinely spend more than two (2) consecutive hours on position without a break, the NATCA Regional Vice President and the Service Area Director shall meet to develop a plan to address the issue.

The Parties recognize that air traffic controllers should have break periods away from their assigned duties during their shifts, based on staffing and workload, to recuperate. Breaks are defined as a period of time during which no duties are assigned, and offer employees opportunities to attend to personal needs and rejuvenate their mental acuity. However, employees are subject to recall. Requests for an employee leaving the facility for short periods of time shall not be unreasonably denied.

To the extent traffic volume and staffing levels within a facility on a given day permit, position assignments shall be rotated among the qualified employees. The Agency shall seek input from the Union with respect to the rotational plan that the facility will normally follow.

First priority for breaks shall be given to providing a reasonable amount of time away from the position of operation for meals. In the event the employee is required to work during the fourth (4th) hour through the sixth (6th) hour of his/her shift without a minimum thirty (30) minute uninterrupted meal break, he/she shall be compensated at the rate of fifty percent (50%) of one-half of the applicable hourly rate of Base Pay. If the employee requests and receives the meal break during some other period, he/she will not be eligible for the missed meal premium pay.

Since position rotation and breaks may be restricted or precluded during shifts with the majority of hours between 2330 and 0630 local time, breaks/assignments to less busy positions shall be accomplished in the last two (2) hours of the shift as soon as operational conditions permit.

Length of recuperative breaks on midnight shifts shall be longer than those normally provided during other shifts, to the maximum extent possible, staffing and workload permitting.