We have had years of inflation killing our buying power, and 2020 - Now finally woke up more people to how bad we've had it when it comes to pay raises. A "pay raise" that doesn't even beat inflation isn't a pay raise, its an inflation adjustment that has continually fallen short year after year. Another angle I think that makes for a good argument to higher pay is simply being able to live in the cummunity you work. We have facilities in extremly expensive cost of living areas, and people having to live with 1hr+ commutes if they don't want to live in a half fallen apart shoe box. If controllers don't make a salary that allows them to live within a 30 min commute to work, what are we even doing here?
The federal wage cap is there, but that could always be changed by our supreme overlords to accomodate us, and it should be.