Mike Whitaker Town Hall - Wed May 1 @ 2 pm

[J8ke]

Submit questions or watch the live webcast.

FAA Town Hall - May 1 @ 2:00 pm ET

content.govdelivery.com

 

[Phormras]

So I take it he’s not going to be at NATCA in Washington? 😉

 

[bomber996]

Has anyone been successful in submitting a question to this? I cannot sign into a personal account, but it wont let me sign in with the work email either?

 

[GulfBravoPapa]

I tried and it wouldn't let me either.... I figured maybe because I was at home but didn't care enough to try again at work.

 

[GroundClutter]

They know you're in the ATO so no platform for you.

 

[bomber996]

They know you're in the ATO so no platform for you.

I was able to log into a work computer and submit a question. Was super easy once logged in.

 

[Logical_Mongoose]

I'm on leave until Tuesday so I can't submit my question yet, but in the event that anyone would like to mad-lib my submission for themselves and see if multiple submissions might press the issue and illicit a response:



Administrator Whitaker,

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions from your workforce. While I am not a certified professional controller, I do work at a large control center in a moderately high cost-of-living locality. Excuse my lengthy preamble, but I have a question regarding air traffic controller recruiting & retention and how they are being impacted by pay.

We recently had an air traffic control trainee abruptly resign less than two weeks into training at our facility because they were able to secure a job that paid better than if they were a fully certified controller at our level 12 facility. Although anecdotal, trainee stories like this - from level 4 towers through level 12 centers - have become far more commonplace across the nation. The stresses of training, the uncertainty of job security throughout the training process, the inability to transfer to a more personally desirable facility upon certification, and the financial stress of the trainee pay band is making long-term successful recruiting exceptionally more difficult. Controller pay has not kept pace with inflation nor the increased pay that other skilled professions have seen over the last several years. There have been instances of veteran controllers resigning for more lucrative and less stressful occupations; while still anecdotal, it speaks to an increasing retention failure that will continue to erode staffing numbers and impact overall safety until remedied.

My question is: Are you, or would you be, willing to pursue actions such as Group Retention Incentives and/or collaboratively amending the annual length of service adjustment so as to expeditiously correct controller pay and help fix the retention crisis we are experiencing?

 

[GulfCharlie]

I'm on leave until Tuesday so I can't submit my question yet, but in the event that anyone would like to mad-lib my submission for themselves and see if multiple submissions might press the issue and illicit a response:



Administrator Whitaker,

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions from your workforce. While I am not a certified professional controller, I do work at a large control center in a moderately high cost-of-living locality. Excuse my lengthy preamble, but I have a question regarding air traffic controller recruiting & retention and how they are being impacted by pay.

We recently had an air traffic control trainee abruptly resign less than two weeks into training at our facility because they were able to secure a job that paid better than if they were a fully certified controller at our level 12 facility. Although anecdotal, trainee stories like this - from level 4 towers through level 12 centers - have become far more commonplace across the nation. The stresses of training, the uncertainty of job security throughout the training process, the inability to transfer to a more personally desirable facility upon certification, and the financial stress of the trainee pay band is making long-term successful recruiting exceptionally more difficult. Controller pay has not kept pace with inflation nor the increased pay that other skilled professions have seen over the last several years. There have been instances of veteran controllers resigning for more lucrative and less stressful occupations; while still anecdotal, it speaks to an increasing retention failure that will continue to erode staffing numbers and impact overall safety until remedied.

My question is: Are you, or would you be, willing to pursue actions such as Group Retention Incentives and/or collaboratively amending the annual length of service adjustment so as to expeditiously correct controller pay and help fix the retention crisis we are experiencing?

I got you fam.

 

[blarg]

I got you fam.

If you haven't already, maybe add "ask Congress to increase the FAA federal pay caps and/or the entire executive schedule which prevent many high level controllers from even reaching the top of their existing underpaid pay bands".

 

[Logical_Mongoose]

If we have multiple submissions like I think we do, it'll be interesting to see if they present the question today or not.

 

[The Flayer]

I'm on leave until Tuesday so I can't submit my question yet, but in the event that anyone would like to mad-lib my submission for themselves and see if multiple submissions might press the issue and illicit a response:



Administrator Whitaker,

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions from your workforce. While I am not a certified professional controller, I do work at a large control center in a moderately high cost-of-living locality. Excuse my lengthy preamble, but I have a question regarding air traffic controller recruiting & retention and how they are being impacted by pay.

We recently had an air traffic control trainee abruptly resign less than two weeks into training at our facility because they were able to secure a job that paid better than if they were a fully certified controller at our level 12 facility. Although anecdotal, trainee stories like this - from level 4 towers through level 12 centers - have become far more commonplace across the nation. The stresses of training, the uncertainty of job security throughout the training process, the inability to transfer to a more personally desirable facility upon certification, and the financial stress of the trainee pay band is making long-term successful recruiting exceptionally more difficult. Controller pay has not kept pace with inflation nor the increased pay that other skilled professions have seen over the last several years. There have been instances of veteran controllers resigning for more lucrative and less stressful occupations; while still anecdotal, it speaks to an increasing retention failure that will continue to erode staffing numbers and impact overall safety until remedied.

My question is: Are you, or would you be, willing to pursue actions such as Group Retention Incentives and/or collaboratively amending the annual length of service adjustment so as to expeditiously correct controller pay and help fix the retention crisis we are experiencing?

Can you put me in contact with that trainee? 😅

 

[TangoBearFox]

They turned the YouTube comments off quick.

Fuck this guy, the fact we endorsed Biden and this garbage administration is damning on how garbage our union has become.

They grouped question about pay into an appropriation question. NATCA should immediately pull the Biden endorsement.

 

[ClearanceClarence]

All the “employee questions” they took were bullshit, generic nonsense no normal employee would ever ask. “What are your priories?” “What about cyber threats?” “What about the budget?” Then they took questions from plants in the audience and it was “what keeps you awake at night?” All scripted, worthless crap. What a total fucking joke. Hope Trump gets elected and fires this clown.

Makes it even sadder that these are the morons that have completely played NATCA.

 

[TangoBearFox]

All the “employee questions” they took were bullshit, generic nonsense no normal employee would ever ask. “What are your priories?” “What about cyber threats?” “What about the budget?” Then they took questions from plants in the audience and it was “what keeps you awake at night?” All scripted, worthless crap. What a total fucking joke.

Makes it even sadder that these are the morons that have completely played NATCA. Hope Trump gets elected and fired this clown.

Pull the endorsement from Biden

 

[RB]

20 minutes of scripted questions, better luck next time.

 

[Logical_Mongoose]

Ah yes, the hot button topic that I know was at the very front of every FAA employee's mind: cyber threats.

 

[ClearanceClarence]

Ah yes, the hot button topic that I know was at the very front of every FAA employee's mind: cyber threats.

I liked the one plant question from the audience “what keeps you up at night?” How about the fact you just fucked over thousands of people’s schedules and work/life balances with no regard or interest to how it’s actually gonna work?

As soon as I heard all those fucking brown nosers laughing hysterically at his shitty “6 years, oh I mean 6 months” line I knew the entire thing was a scripted fucking joke.

 

[TangoBearFox]

Pull the endorsement from Bide

I liked the one plant question from the audience “what keeps you up at night?” How about the fact you just fucked over thousands of people’s schedules and work/life balances with no regard or interest to how it’s actually gonna work?

He said NATCA collaborated on the change. Big FUCK YOU to all of us.

I liked the one plant question from the audience “what keeps you up at night?” How about the fact you just fucked over thousands of people’s schedules and work/life balances with no regard or interest to how it’s actually gonna work?

This dude hates ATC, like every other FAA administrator, NATCA should immediately denounce this clown.

 

[ClearanceClarence]

This dude hates ATC, like every other FAA administrator, NATCA should immediately denounce this clown.

They should be calling for his resignation. But they’re too busy renting yachts, selling pride t-shirts, and making shitty YouTube videos about how they’re going to fix everything if you vote for them - even though all of them have been in upper level positions in the union for years. Fuck them too.

 

[Hal9000]

Pretty good leader. I am inspired to prepare better for cyberthreats on a personal level as a good employee of the NAS and have asked to be assigned more eLMS on the topic. If I can master cybersecurity, I will sleep better at night in my little shoebox.