Welcome to the NWSEO Media Center
The goal of NWSEO Media Center is to assist you with your media needs and provide answers to questions you may have. Here you will find press releases, weather images, and an archive of NWSEO news articles. If you need to interview an expert source on national or local level or would like someone to talk to your group regarding weather, this is the place to find weather specialists. |
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If you need additional information, please contact Lisa Luciani, Director of Communiations at mediarelations@nwseo.org or call 202-907-3036. |
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Protect the ITO Position Press Kit
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HCHB Building Suite 6622 Room 5810
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President Obama’s 2013 Budget Plan Cuts Crucial Positions at Weather Forecast Offices,
Jeopardizing the Lifesaving Mission of the National Weather Service
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(February 13, 2012) Less than nine months after commenting that Republican-led budget cuts “might compromise the National Weather Service,” the President’s 2013 budget proposal calls for damaging cuts to the NWS, including cuts to positions critical to emergency responses at weather forecast offices (WFO).
The cuts would decrease the number of information technology officers at weather forecast offices across the nation. Currently, each WFO is staffed with one local programmer/IT specialist (ITO) who is critical to NWS operations. During an emergency response, ITOs are crucial to the WFO’s local ability to innovate immediate lifesaving products and services. Because ITOs are meteorologists with information technology skills, they are frequently used to cover shifts and assist WFOs during severe weather, in addition to their regular duties. Most WFOs are only fair weather staffed, meaning there are not enough meteorologists to cover shifts during severe weather outbreaks. The NWS service assessments on the historic 2011 tornados and the 2010 Nashville flood event commended offices for having ITOs on station during the event to help with weather and IT issues.
“The ITO position is crucial to the lifesaving work of weather forecast offices,” said NWSEO President Dan Sobien. “These are the guys who ensure our technology is working and our forecasts are accurate. Without an ITO on site, responses will be slower and lives will be lost during extreme weather events. This is an alarming move backwards when it comes to protecting the public.”
Additional 2013 budget cuts propose eliminating research on improving hurricane intensity forecasts and the air quality forecasts.
“Seriously, with all of the money government wastes, are we going to cut the people who are integral to the tornado warning process?” asked Sobien. “I think if the federal government can afford $39 million for the Blue Angels and $325 million for marching bands, it can afford $15 million to provide its citizens warnings of severe weather. It may not be this year or next, but if these cuts go through, the nation will see another Katrina-like event, and it could have been entirely preventable.”
The President’s FY 2013 budget calls for reduction of $39 million in funding for NWS operations.
-NWSEO-
Media Contact: Dan Sobien, President
National Weather Service Employees Organization
Phone: 202-420-1043
president@nwseo.org
www.nwseo.org
FLRA charges OPM with violation of labor law in capping Federal employee awards in case brought by NWS employees’ union
(January 17, 2012) In response to a charge filed by the National Weather Service Employees Organization, the General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority has issued an unfair labor practice complaint against the Office of Personnel Management, accusing it of violating federal labor laws when it and OMB issued a directive capping federal employee performance awards at 1 percent of an agency’s payroll. The complaint, issued on January 11, 2012 alleges that OPM failed to consult with NWSEO before issuing the June 10, 2011 directive, as required by the Federal Service Management Relations Statute. Under this law governing federal employee labor relations, OPM is required to notify and obtain the views and recommendations of federal employee unions before issuing any government-wide rules or regulations that make a substantive change in conditions of employment.
The June 2011 guidance was the first time that OPM or OMB has placed a cap on the amount that Federal agencies can allocate for employee performance awards.
A trial date of March 14, 2012 has been set before a Federal Administrative Law Judge. Although OPM did not consult with any union prior to issuing the June 2011 directive, NWSEO was the only Federal employee union that filed unfair labor practice charges against OPM. NWSEO represents the forecasters and other employees at the National Weather Service nationwide, as well as employees in four other line offices in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NOAA has traditionally set aside 1.5 percent of what it budgets for payroll for employee awards. “OPM’s actions were a patent violation of the basic principles and requirements of the federal labor statute,” said Richard Hirn, the Washington attorney who represents NWSEO and other federal employee unions. “OPM ignored its obligations to federal employee unions in a mad rush to appease the Tea Party and others by cutting federal employees’ paychecks,” Hirn said.
-NWSEO-
Media Contact:
Richard Hirn
NWSEO General Counsel
202-274-1812 (office)
202-255-3141 (mobile)
NWSEO in the Media
Recent Articles
Information Week Government
(January 10, 2012) The National Weather Service has decided not to expend any internal resources to develop device-specific mobile application for iPhones, Androids, or iPads, and the federal agency's union is not happy about it. (Full article)
IT Business Edge - Weather Service Puts App Development on Hold
(January 10, 2012) Feeling your work is on the cutting edge can be a big attraction for a job. So it's no wonder the National Weather Service Employees Union is up in arms about a agency directive not to be building weather apps for specific mobile devices.
Full Article
Washington Post - National Weather Service hold on mobile apps stirs controversy
(January 9, 2012) Weather apps. There are hundreds - perhaps thousands - of them, for mobile phones, tablet PCs, e-readers, and other portable electronic devices. The vast majority of these weather apps are made by private companies, using data provided by the National Weather Service and other sources. The Weather Service itself does not currently have an iPhone or an Android app, despite the explosive growth in the use of these devices, and the fact that many more people already rely on them for hazardous weather information than, say, NOAA Weather Radio. (Full article)
Nextgov - Technology and the Business of Government - The Great Gov Apps Debate Hits NOAA
(January 9, 2012) The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang has put together probably the best presentation to date of the ideological conflict between government-built mobile applications and industry-built apps that rely on government data.
According to the Weather Gang's report, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials put the kibosh on any government-built weather apps in a post-Christmas memo, citing the large number of high-quality and often-free industry-built apps that use National Weather Service data. (Full article)
Politico - Rick Santorum's Campaign could be clouded by 7-year-old attack on National Weather Service
(January 5, 2012) Will Rick Santorum’s lost crusade against the National Weather Service rain on his suddenly hot presidential campaign?
While a seemingly obscure issue next to abortion, gay marriage and tax cuts, weather forecasting inspired a defining controversy for the tail end of Santorum’s U.S. Senate career: his sponsorship of a 2005 bill aimed at hobbling the federal agency’s ability to compete with commercial forecasters like AccuWeather. (Full article)
Washington Post - Some things the Government got right in 2011
(December 29, 2011) The year set the record for the most billion dollar disasters. The National Weather Service and FEMA top the list in this article that highlights what the government did well. "The National Weather Service — often overlooked in conversations about federal disaster response — also deserves credit for once again providing reliable, accurate weather predictions. " (Full article)
(December 12, 2011) Houston Chronicle - NOAA Chief: On the Gulf, climate and future of weather forecasting
"The National Weather Service plays a key role both in providing weather forecasts as well as disaster warnings. We will always continue to do better and better, and often times with less and less, and that’s the direction we’re headed, but I don’t foresee any major restructuring." - Dr. Jane Lubchenco
(December 8, 2011) Associated Press - Billion-dollar Weather Disasters Smash US Record
This article emphasizes the importance of theNational Weather Service and it's mission to save lives and property. NWSEO is involved in numerous pilot programs in order to better prepare the public of extreme weather events.
President of Chile Sebastián Piñera thanks the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
(August 30, 201) NWSEO REJECTS FOX OP-ED: National Weather Service Employees Organization President Dan Sobien slammed a Fox News op-ed over the weekend by Iain Murray and David Bier of the Competitive Enterprise Institute arguing that the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center are “relics from America’s past that have actually outlived their usefulness.”
Sobien said he first thought it was a “spoof and that somebody had hacked into the Fox News system.” The union’s contract lobbyist, Richard Hirn, said that the NWS has full support of House Republicans and the Obama administration. “It does not to our knowledge represent the opinion from a single member of Congress,” Hirn said of the op-ed. House Republicans even put a few more “dollars in the pot” than the White House requested for FY12, according to Hirn.
(August 29, 2011) Politico - NWSEO Slams Fox News op-ed
NWSEO is following the news and forecasts related to the tornadoes in the South and Midwest. The victims and their families remain in our thoughts and prayers.
The Protect the National Weather Service Facebook page includes video clips and posts.
NWSEO News Releases
NWSEO Files Legal Action against OPM Cap on Federal Employee Awards
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(August 24, 2011) The National Weather Service Employees Organization has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the Office of Personnel Management alleging that OPM violated federal labor laws by unilaterally capping federal employee awards at 1 percent of the payroll for fiscal year 2012. On June 10, 2011, the OPM and the Office of Management and Budget issued guidance that directed all federal agencies to reduce the amount of monetary awards paid to their employees to no more than 1 percent of each agency’s aggregate salaries.
Under the Federal Service Labor Management Relations Statute, OPM is required to notify and consult with federal employee unions who have been granted national consultation rights prior to issuing any government-wide rule or regulation that constitutes an official declaration of policy which apply to the federal civilian workforce as a whole. OPM is required to consider the views and recommendations of unions with consultation rights before issuing such policies. Federal employee unions that represent at least 3,500 employees may be granted national consultation rights. The National Weather Service Employees Organization, which represents forecasters, technicians and other employees of the National Weather Service nationwide, as well as employees in four other organizations in NOAA, was granted national consultation rights in 1987.
The unfair labor practice charge was filed with the Regional Director of the Federal Labor Relations Authority in Washington, DC. The Regional Director will investigate the charge and issue an unfair labor practice complaint against OPM if the FLRA’s General Counsel makes a preliminary determination that the Federal labor statute has been violated by OPM’s failure to consult with NWSEO.
- NWSEO-
New York Times: Unions Launch Campaigns to Protect Government Employees in Debt Deal
(July 21, 2011) NWSEO President Dan Sobien is quoted in Friday’s New York Times article, “Unions Launch Campaigns to Protect Government Employees in Debt Deal.”
From the article:
Several union groups this week said they have not been privy to any contingency plans in case the debt ceiling is not raised.
"It's almost like nobody believes it's actually going to happen, that this is all political posturing," said Dan Sobien, president of the National Weather Service employees union. "You know it's not the subject they should be playing politics with. There are plenty of other things they can play with they don't need to put the nation's integrity on the line."
But Sobien said he remains worried about how federal employees will fare in any deal that is achieved.
"It's just inherently unfair that because of spending on two wars and huge tax cuts for hugely wealthy people that we're going to balance budget on the backs of federal employees," he said. "Federal employees are willing to come to the table and make some sacrifices. But it seems like every time something like this happens, they are the scapegoat."
Internal National Weather Service Report Reveals Dangerous Understaffing as
President Obama Cites Threats to Agency Funding
(June 30, 2011) President Obama warned that Congressional funding cuts could compromise the ability of the National Weather Service to protect American's safety during his June 29 news conference. However, the National Weather Service Employees Organization has obtained an internal report prepared for the Director of the National Weather Service that found that there are already "significant staff deficits" at the seven Weather Forecast Offices that issued warnings of the April 27 tornado outbreaks across the southeastern states.
The forecast offices involved are in Memphis, Nashville, and Morristown, Tennessee; Jackson, Mississippi; Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama and Peachtree City, Georgia. The attached report, titled "WFO Staffing Shortfall Verified" concludes that three to six additional meteorologists are needed at each of the National Weather Service's 122 forecast offices nationwide in order to be properly staffed during severe weather. According to the report, forecast offices are currently staffed only for "fair weather."
“Most of the forecasters responsible for working the radar and tornado watches and warnings worked consecutive days of extended shifts leaving little time for more than 5 or 6 hours of sleep before they returned to the stressful responsibility of saving lives the following day,” said Dan Sobien, President of the National Weather Service Employees Organization. “These meteorologists are directly responsible for sounding those lifesaving watches and warnings.” Sobien is a Lead Forecaster at the Tampa, FL, Forecast Office.
“In light of recent issues with air traffic controllers falling asleep on the job after a 10 hour shift turn around, this information shows that National Weather Service meteorologists had to work similar shifts during recent tornado outbreaks due to the staffing deficit,” Sobien said.
The Obama Administration acknowledges the need to fully fund the National Weather Service. Early in the June 29 news conference on the budget, President Obama included the National Weather Service among the essential government services, “We can’t get to the four trillion dollars in savings that we need by just cutting the 12 percent of the budget that pays for things like medical research, and education funding, and food inspectors, and the Weather Service. . .”
The President continued, “If we do not have those revenues then the kinds of cuts that would be required might compromise the National Weather Service; it means we would not be funding critical medical research; it means that food inspection might be compromised ."
Early in the June 27 White House press briefing, Press Secretary Jay Carney said, "Because we have a choice here. For example, on the issue of revenues, do we perpetuate a system that allows for subsidies in revenues for oil and gas, for example, or owners of corporate private jets, and then call for cuts in things like food safety or weather services -- things that the federal government really does need to do on behalf of American citizens -- or do we look at everything and we take a balanced approach.”
The June 2 internal NWS report was prepared by the Southern region Headquarters of the NWS in Fort Worth, Texas, and is attached.
-NWSEO-
Related Articles
Washington Post June 29, 2011 - Don't Gut the Weather Service: Obama warns against cutting too much
Houston Chronicle, June 30, 2011 - President: Budget cuts might compromise the National Weather Service
Satellite Gap Could Put Hurricane Forecasts at Risk
Herald Tribune, Kate Spinner (June 9, 2011)
Advancing the Mission of Saving Lives –
Investments in the National Weather Service Could Improve Tornado Warnings
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(May 23, 2011) National Weather Service forecasters provided a 24-minute lead time for tornado warnings in Joplin, Missouri, almost twice the national average. However, the National Weather Service Employees Organization says that investments in weather service forecasting technology could provide even more time for residents to prepare and take cover during severe weather events.
“The 24-minute lead time is a great improvement over the average lead time of 13 minutes for tornado warnings. The meteorologists in the Springfield Weather Forecast Office are commended for their lifesaving work,” said Dan Sobien, NWSEO President. “But in our age of advanced technology and communication, when new radars and modeling opportunities exist that can provide more lead time to get people out of the path of a storm, hundreds of people do not have to die because of a tornado event.”
Sobien says the Joplin and Tuscaloosa tornadoes are examples of how the government's neglect to invest in NWS related infrastructure over the last 10 to 15 years has failed to provide the tools necessary to protect lives and property. He says that the tools forecasters use to issue tornado warnings are woefully inadequate and that the technology exists to provide lead times so far in advance of the storm that it would make the need for tornado warnings as we know them obsolete.
The much touted Doppler Weather Radar, also known as the Weather Service Radar or WSR-88D, was developed in 1988. Since that time, technological advances, including phased array radars developed by the Department of Defense, have been shown to increase the current lead time on tornado warnings by almost 50 percent. The much touted Warn on Forecast process utilizes Meso-scale modeling and has the potential to let forecasters know hours in advance where a thunderstorm would form and if it is likely to contain strong winds, hail, or even a tornado. With adequate staffing, local National Weather Service forecasters who understand local terrain and the model output, could be embedded with emergency managers and decision makers. In the event of a storm, the forecaster could provide emergency managers with the tornado track with some margin of error and people in the way of the storm could be evacuated hours before the tornado hits. This technology is being developed and tested right now, however without funding it will never be available.
The art and science of severe weather warnings made considerable progress during the 1980s and 90s, going from almost zero lead time to average of about 13 minutes for tornado warnings. However, in recent years, that progress has stalled, even while the technological advancements have accelerated. If the country made the type of investment in the National Weather Service that it did in the 1980s, scenes like the ones in Missouri this week and in Alabama and Mississippi last month could be a thing of the past.
“I am very proud of my co-workers at the National Weather Service this tornado season. They saved many lives and having been there myself, I can assure you, they feel personally about every lost life,” said Sobien. “I know that budgets are tight and there are many priorities, but if you put investing in the National Weather Service up to a vote today in tornado alley, I think the approval would be a landslide.”
For more information visit www.nwseo.org.
- NWSEO-
Media contact:
National Weather Service Employees Organization
Dan Sobien, President NWSEO, 202-420-1043
(April 7, 2011) Government offices are bracing for a possible shutdown on April 9 due to a budget impasse in Congress. All National Weather Service forecasts, watches and warnings will continue on a 24 hours a day - 7 days a week basis while the financial matters of the FY11 budget are resolved. printable copy
Related News Articles
Related News Articles
(February 15, 2011) As hurricane and tornado seasons approach, funding for the NWS will be nearly 30 percent less than the first half of 2011, if the Continuing Resolution proposed by the House majority is enacted. Congress’s move will necessitate work furloughs and force rolling closures of Weather Warning Offices across the country. printable copy
National Weather Service’s Catastrophic Failure to Communicate
Jeopardizes Emergency Responders during Blizzard
(February 1, 2011) Large scale communication problems at the National Weather Service are hampering the agency’s ability to relay information to emergency responders, the media, and the general public. “The National Weather Service is experiencing catastrophic failures concerning internet Decision Support Services at a time when the mission of protecting lives and property is most needed,” said Dan Sobien, President of the National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO)
2011 News Release Archives
January 2011 Deepwater Horizon Cleanup; Budget holdup will delay NOAA weather satellites
February 2011 NWS Internet Communication Failure; Continuing resolution HR1 proposed budget cuts
April 2011 House Fiscal 11 Budget Proposal could devastate
NWS
life-saving warnings and forecasts
May 2011 Advancing the mission of saving lives– Investments in the NWS could improve tornado warnings
June 2011 NWS report reveals dangerous understaffing as
President Obama cites threats to agency funding;
Satellite gap could put hurricane forecasts at risk
2010 News Release Archives
Congressman Wu Supports NWSEO's Stand Against Eliminating Positions at Wallops Island Station
(June 25, 2010) Congressman David Wu (D-OR) wrote a letter to Department of Congress Secretary Gary Locke expressing concerns over NOAA's plans to base the tracking station for the next generation of polar tracking satellites to Spitzenbergen Island. Read Congressman Wu's letter here.
(April 6, 2010) By the end of April, nearly 200 NWS employees should receive overtime pay as a result of NWSEO grievances. Last fall, NWSEO filed two grievances challenging the FLSA exempt status of met interns, GS-12 regional maintenance specialists, GS-11 facilities engineering technicians, and approximately 80 other positions.
NWS Submits new plan to FAA to Enhance Aviation Safety
(March 26, 2010) The NWS delivered a plan to the FAA last week, designed to enhance aviation safety by providing 24/7 coverage to FAA Air Traffic Controllers for flight assists while maintaining face to face contact between NWS Meteorologists and Controllers during the busiest hours of the day.
NWS Quality of Work Life Team Commends NWSEO Fair Pay efforts for ASAs
(March 26, 2010) The NWS Quality of Work Life Team commends NWSEO on their efforts to secure fair pay for ASAs and acknowledges the difficulty of retaining quality ASAs when other agencies pay more money for similar work.
Federal Employees to Receive Retirement Credit in for Unused Sick Leave
(March 26, 2010) Federal employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System will receive credit for their unused sick leave in their retirement calculations. President Barack Obama signed the provision, which is part of the 2010 Defense Authorization Act, into law last week.
NWSEO Wins Appeal - NWSEO to Bargain to Increase Staffing at Anchorage WFO by 10 Positions
( March 23, 2010) The Federal Labor Relations Authority reversed its earlier decision and sustained NWSEO's negotiability appeal in the Anchorage WFO case. This directs the National Weather Service to bargain with NWSEO over a proposal that would increase staffing at the Anchorage WFO by ten positions.
NWSEO Supports Bill to Lower Prescription Drug Costs
((March 23, 2010) NWSEO is joining other federal unions in support of a bill designed to ensure that federal employees receive the best benefits at the most affordable prices.
NWSEO President Co-Chairs New DOC National Labor Management Forum
(March 5, 2010) NWSEO President Dan Sobien spent the first week of March in Washington DC as co-chair of the Department of Commerce Labor Management Forum.
NWSEO’s Diligent Work Pays Off: Department of Commerce Puts the Brakes on Plans to Consolidate CWSUs
(February 8, 2010) The Department of Commerce has decided it will not accede to the FAA’s request to close and consolidate the NWS Center Weather Service Units located at 21 ARTCCs. Secretary Gary Locke made the decision after meeting personally with NWSEO President Dan Sobien, Vice President Bill Hopkins and General Counsel Richard Hirn to discuss the issue. New political appointees at NOAA, including Under Secretary Dr. Jane Lubchenco and her staff helped facilitate the decision.
NWSEO Endorses the National Climate Service Roll Out
February 8, 2010) NWSEO President Dan Sobien and Vice President Bill Hopkins participated in the unveiling of the National Climate Service on Monday February 8, 2010. NWSEO's collaboration on the design of the NCS secured that the products, services and the role of the National Weather Service will be preserved as will our jobs.
CWSU Update - New Concept Test at Three Cities
(February 8, 2010) NWSEO's diligent work to prevent the consolidation of CWSU is showing results. The NWS delivery of DemVal has been put on hold and NWSEO has a commitment that new resources (including FTEs) will be placed at the CWSUs or otherwise used in the aviation program. NWSEO and NWS are working together to develop solutions to weather related aviation problems. This includes special projects with increased NWS personnel at the CWSU and WFOs in New York City, Atlanta, and Chicago.
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