Actual Pay Increase

[EightTwoSierra]

Since literally every single controller I know is begging for a pay increase, and I've known a handful of people who have quit due to no movement and the lack of pay and low level facilities, what is actually feasible for a raise with negotiations coming up. What does history say could be possible? I'd love 30%, I think it's about where we need to be, but I also think that's laughable due to the lack of union strength. I hate how the people running both say they will get us a pay increase, but they could raise our 1.6% to 1.7% and technically say they got us a raise. Forget what we WANT as far as a raise in this discussion. What does history show as the max raise we have seen to lean on in negotiation to match/exceed?

 

[KP-ATC]

Getting above the Congressional cap is going to be very difficult.
Get us a premium for maintaining currency - that would help staffing also.
Get the retirement calculation to include all premiums.
Get us 100% payout on sick leave at retirement.
We can keep going with other pays that get us paid without touching the Congressional cap.

 

[32andBelow]

Getting above the Congressional cap is going to be very difficult.
Get us a premium for maintaining currency - that would help staffing also.
Get the retirement calculation to include all premiums.
Get us 100% payout on sick leave at retirement.
We can keep going with other pays that get us paid without touching the Congressional cap.

Most controllers are no where near the cap

 

[GulfBravoPapa]

We are not getting a double digit raise to our basic pay (thats the one without locality, right?), ever. I can't believe how many people think that's possibly going to happen. We'd have a better shot of getting additional premium pay or something.

 

[boots]

Most controllers are no where near the cap

If you’re near the cap complaining about pay either pull out next time or learn how to spend your money.

 

[the inquirer]

If you’re near the cap complaining about pay either pull out next time or learn how to spend your money.

Are you single and live in the Midwest? Cuz those of us on the coasts, are pretty much average citizens with our pay. The shift work required for this job needs to pay well enough that the other spouse can stay home with the kids.

 

[Spoony90]

Are you single and live in the Midwest? Cuz those of us on the coasts, are pretty much average citizens with our pay. The shift work required for this job needs to pay well enough that the other spouse can stay home with the kids.

Even living in the Midwest, with inflation, the pay we get ain’t shit

 

[DankVectorz]

I’d love OT pay to be calculated in high 3 like most/many state government jobs. If I’m expected to give up so much of my time for mandatory ot I should get compensated for that when I have actual free time.

 

[EightTwoSierra]

Most controllers are no where near the cap

I agree on this point. There are wide gaps on the base-to-top of a facility pay scale and it takes years to get to the top. I think narrowing the time to cap, or raising the floor across all levels is a start. I also think that the dollar amount you are above the base from 1.6 raises should carry over as you move up levels. 10k above the base of a level 7 and you get picked up to a 10? You should go 10k above the base of a level 10. Right now we have “time at facility” raises rather than “time in FAA” raises.

 

[Spoony90]

I’d love OT pay to be calculated in high 3 like most/many state government jobs. If I’m expected to give up so much of my time for mandatory ot I should get compensated for that when I have actual free time.

OT should be tax free. Spending my time off to work and the guvment wants some of that too? Fuck that

 

[blarg]

If you’re near the cap complaining about pay either pull out next time or learn how to spend your money.

The people at the cap are the only ones not being paid what they should be getting paid right now and have more right to complain than anyone else. They're also (mostly) in areas that are extremely expensive and relatively underpaid by locality more than everyone else (though EVERYONE is underpaid by all locality rates).

I’d love OT pay to be calculated in high 3 like most/many state government jobs. If I’m expected to give up so much of my time for mandatory ot I should get compensated for that when I have actual free time.

The OT/premiums included in the high three would be great, but I think it would also require a law to be passed much like changing the cap.

Been said before, but I'd like OT to be 2.5x or 3x, not 1.5x.

 

[EightTwoSierra]

The people at the cap are the only ones not being paid what they should be getting paid right now and have more right to complain than anyone else. They're also (mostly) in areas that are extremely expensive and relatively underpaid by locality more than everyone else (though EVERYONE is underpaid by all locality rates).

The OT/premiums included in the high three would be great, but I think it would also require a law to be passed much like changing the cap.

I hear you, but we were at work yesterday (west coast facility) looking at some level 5s and 6s pay in the Midwest. 78k as a CPC. That’s atrocious.. Barely surviving after all the costs.. And the current no-move world means you are stuck.

 

[32andBelow]

I agree on this point. There are wide gaps on the base-to-top of a facility pay scale and it takes years to get to the top. I think narrowing the time to cap, or raising the floor across all levels is a start. I also think that the dollar amount you are above the base from 1.6 raises should carry over as you move up levels. 10k above the base of a level 7 and you get picked up to a 10? You should go 10k above the base of a level 10. Right now we have “time at facility” raises rather than “time in FAA” raises.

This is the answer to raise our average pay the most. Make it so we all cap out in 5-7 years. Make it so you don’t lose steps if you transfer levels.

 

[Eve]

If the 1.6 could go into the base pay even if you're above the facility level band that would be incentive enough for people to stay where they are. I've been getting lump sums in June for 5 years at a level 5 and that is the only reason I'm looking to get out of my facility. If my pay could keep raising in June I would stay the rest of my career here.

 

[Mike_Lima]

If the 1.6 could go into the base pay even if you're above the facility level band that would be incentive enough for people to stay where they are. I've been getting lump sums in June for 5 years at a level 5 and that is the only reason I'm looking to get out of my facility. If my pay could keep raising in June I would stay the rest of my career here.

I have only been in the agency a little over a year and certified right after the June pay increase 🥴. I’ll always preach everyone including devs should keep their June raises. Instead of the lousy 1.6%, I would want nothing less than 2.5% in the next contract.

 

[ncssailor]

Most controllers are no where near the cap

A lot inching closer to their facility level pay cap which means the NATCA raise don’t add up anymore….how is that for longevity NATCA? Remove the top end of the pay bands so our longevity raise keep adding up and not punishing being stuck at small facilities for years on end.

If you’re near the cap complaining about pay either pull out next time or learn how to spend your money.

It’s not just the pay cap $220k or whatever it is.
Facility pay caps for level 5 RUS is around $115k I would have to look. So essentially all NATCA raises just get paid out once, that’s BS we should continue to get to add our longevity bonuses to our base pay. There is room to move the tops of those smaller pay bands up.

 

[32andBelow]

A lot inching closer to their facility level pay cap which means the NATCA raise don’t add up anymore….how is that for longevity NATCA? Remove the top end of the pay bands so our longevity raise keep adding up and not punishing being stuck at small facilities for years on end.

If you ask me we should all be level 12. But since that’s not happening there should be no top cap anywhere below the federal cap (and it would be great to raise the federal cap but that’s a different fight)

 

[AnyTrafficPleaseAdvise]

Most controllers are no where near the cap

A lot of people don’t realize this. I’m at a 12 and a 25% raise wouldn’t put me at the cap

 

[blarg]

A lot of people don’t realize this. I’m at a 12 and a 25% raise wouldn’t put me at the cap

Are you at the bottom of the pay band? From what I can see, the pay band cap of a lvl 12 + Rest of US locality is 202k. So every single 12 in the NAS would hit the cap before reaching the top of their pay bands with a 25% raise. Most would cap out like halfway through or less or something stupid.

 

[blarg]

~20% of lvl 11s already hit the cap also. A 25% raise would have an absurd number of controllers hitting the cap, which shows how important addressing the cap is to properly handle pay increases. 12s with any significant locality and 11s with high locality would literally be at the cap almost as soon as they hit CPC and then be stuck there the rest of their careers.