Effective today...
1. N90 has removed the 8 and above radar experience qualification from the continual bid.
2. For added incentive, CIP has been raised from 10% to 25%, which is guaranteed for at least 4 years.
3. People who have previously certified at N90 can return for a 3 year contract with guaranteed return rights back to their current facility.
Complete breakdown below.
"Certified Professional Controller (CPC) staffing throughout the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is at a 28-year low, and we're seeing the consequences of inadequate staffing levels at many of our facilities. Unfortunately, the staffing issues have been particularly pronounced at the New York TRACON (N90) for some time and they are now beginning to be noticed outside of the FAA.
According to the August 2017 Priority Placement Tool (PPT), N90 has 133 CPCs, which is 93 CPCs short of its collaboratively-developed operational staffing target of 226 CPCs. That has left the facility at just 58.8 percent of the CPC target with only 13 trainees. Without some change, within two years, N90's staffing is projected to decline further to 48.3 percent of the CPC target.
Problems resulting from the N90 staffing crisis were highlighted by events on Saturday, July 22, 2017. On that day, a ground delay program was implemented due to the N90 staffing limitations on the evening shift, which resulted in an air carrier canceling 50 flights. Subsequently, the airline voiced their concern and disappointment to the FAA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and members of Congress. There is now a considerable amount of awareness and focus on staffing at N90, and an increased sense of urgency from the Agency to implement a plan to address the issue.
Prior to the incident on July 22, the NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC), which is made up of government, industry and labor, and is tasked with providing advice to the FAA on policy-level issues associated with implementing NextGen, made the Northeast Corridor (the region between Washington, D.C., and Boston, including Philadelphia and the New York City area) a priority in the FAA's ongoing implementation of NextGen. Based on this priority, the FAA had already renewed its focus on addressing staffing at N90 and sought the needed approval from other agencies on personnel policies and resources to include, but not limited to, local-area hiring.
The Agency has committed to developing a long-term plan that will address the staffing challenges at N90. NATCA is committed to working with the Agency on this serious problem as the controller staffing crisis at N90 has been a concern voiced by NATCA for many years. The initial phase of this long-term plan involved a review of the N90 training program. That review resulted in the development of several joint workgroups designed to improve the overall success rate of the N90 training program, as well as the modification and creation of FAA Academy training classes that will permit the direct placement of new hires with no prior ATC experience into N90. Concurrent with the implementation of these initiatives, the current minimum requirement to have Facility Pay Level 8 or above experience for CPCs seeking transfer to N90 will be suspended.
In addition, the Agency recently approached NATCA to discuss developing a recruitment and retention plan for N90. We agreed that the immediacy of the N90 staffing challenge requires a short-term initiative to attract and retain qualified employees.
The agreement between the Parties (please click here) provides for enhanced Controller Incentive Pay (CIP) in order to accomplish the objectives of this short-term initiative. CIP payments resulting from this initiative shall not be counted toward the fixed amount contained in Article 108, Section 12, of the 2016 Collective Bargaining Agreement (Slate Book) or Article 108, Section 8, of the 2013 (extended 2017) Collective Bargaining Agreement (Purple Book), so it will not affect CIP for any other facility.
The agreement provides the following:
- CIP at N90 is currently paid biweekly at a rate of 10 percent computed on basic pay (without locality). The enhanced CIP rate is an additional 15 percent also paid biweekly and computed on basic pay.
- Current employees transferring to N90 who were previously certified at N90 will receive the enhanced CIP upon reporting to the facility.
- Current employees transferring to N90 who were not previously certified at N90 will receive enhanced CIP that increases commensurate with their progression in training.
- Four-year commitment of enhanced CIP to employees who transfer to N90 prior to Sept. 1, 2019.
- For previously certified N90 employees, there is a separate agreement providing return rights to their current facility after completing three years as a CPC at N90. Please click here to view that MOU.
The FAA and NATCA will continue to monitor the staffing challenges at N90, as well as the associated initiatives designed to improve the overall staffing health of the facility. We are hopeful that these initiatives will address the staffing crisis at N90.
If you have any questions or are interested in relocating to N90, please send an email to
[email protected]. "
