What do you want to see in the next contract and beyond?

[twn]

I for one would support them giving up the article that allows you to transfer anywhere after 15 years CPC at a level 10-12. The vast majority of controllers won't ever be able to use this or even want to. Based on recent NCEPTs it's only allowed maybe 10 people per year to transfer. They might be able to secure some of these things that would benefit way more people if they gave that up.

Yeah I don't think that's a good idea as that seems to be the only way out of my current facility.

 

[ClearanceClarence]

I think there are going to be a lot of very disappointed controllers if this is the wish list... hate to be the realist. I'd gladly be wrong. But it is a contract negotiation, so what are you expecting to give up in order to gain any of this? Or do you think the FAA will just blindly agree to everything?

I think everyone agrees that base pay needs to be the main battle going into the next contract. Between the mathematical and economic fact that our wages haven’t kept pace with inflation, and comparable massive pay raises in both the aviation and federal employee sectors (pilots and TSA) I think we have some good ammo. I think the majority would agree if we were able to secure a respectable percentage increase in our base pay, we’d be fine if there was no change to anything else. IF the agency were to give serious push back on pay, then the trade off needs to be a laundry list of increases to working conditions (leave, training, transfers, etc.).

 

[FightingIrish2012]

Fiscal responsibility and a limited budget. Unlike the military we don't seem to be able to just print money.

Maybe that’s the solution? Make the ATO Homeland Security or DOD not DOT.

 

[ClearanceClarence]

Maybe that’s the solution? Make the ATO Homeland Security or DOD not DOT.

We’re so different from what the rest of the FAA is, it wouldn’t be a terrible argument. If I remember correctly, the Federal Air Marshals got transferred from DOT to DHS several years back. ATC is much more closely related to Homeland Security ops than airline regulations and handing out pilot licenses.

 

[Mike Kilo]

I feel like there should be some guidance (unless I missed it) regarding the early leave stuff. My sup just says we're not included in that bc we're essential even if we have the staffing to let even 1 person go early.

I know it's government wide, so would be much harder to change, but since we're forced out early, how about at 8-10 years you start earning 8 hours/pp and at 15 years you get 10 hours/pp. Or someone mentioned elsewhere before: increased sick leave accrual.

I don’t have it in front of me but I’m pretty sure the early release email they send out every time mentions essential personnel and it requiring supervisor approval based on staffing. Pretty obvious who it’s meant for lol.

 

[J-one-s]

I'd be floored and surprised if we got a 15% pay bump and 2.0% June raises.

 

[Termine]

We’re so different from what the rest of the FAA is, it wouldn’t be a terrible argument. If I remember correctly, the Federal Air Marshals got transferred from DOT to DHS several years back. ATC is much more closely related to Homeland Security ops than airline regulations and handing out pilot licenses.

What do you mean "we're so different" from the FAA? 2152s make up ~30% of the entire FAA. I would be absolutely shocked if there was any job series higher-represented in the agency.

 

[CinderBlock]

What do you mean "we're so different" from the FAA? 2152s make up ~30% of the entire FAA. I would be absolutely shocked if there was any job series higher-represented in the agency.

 

[Acatc2023]

The need for increased pay and staffing is obvious, how we’re actually getting there is far less so. Full disclosure that clearly not all these items are in the purview of a contract negotiation (the “beyond” portion), but discussions of these items are still warranted and some should be advocated for even if they can’t be negotiated. I’ve compiled this list over the last few months – a couple ideas of my own, but mostly ones that have been discussed at my facility or repeated across different forums. I’m sure I’m missing plenty of quality ideas, so I’ll add others’ ideas (with credit) to keep a semi-up to date list, if there’s interest in that. I’m not touching any of the much needed internal NATCA/NEB reforms (aside from firing Rinaldi Consulting into the sun), but I’d gladly add that section too if there are suggestions and interest.

Here we go -

Financial
1. A base pay raise, either percentage or a dollar amount, to address the effects of inflation and lessened spending power of our salaries.
2. A tiered overtime system such as 1-50 hours annually 1.5x, 51-100 1.75x, 101-150 2x, etc.
3. Expansion of the Sunday differential into a weekend differential, giving 25% for Friday 1800-Saturday 2359 and Monday 0000-0600.
4. Tying the pension’s ‘high three’ and the current 5% TSP match to gross salary rather than base salary.
5. Increasing the June 1.6% contract-specified raise.
6. Lowering the four weeks annual leave threshold from 15 years to 10 years.
7. Increasing sick leave in year tiers, similar to annual leave.
8. Increase the pension percentage from years 21+ (1%) to match years 1-20 (1.3%)
9. Increase training premium to 25% and make it permanent.
10. Increase CIC premium from 10% to 20%.
11. Increased TSP matching percentage.
12. Raising the credit cap above 24 hours.
13. Increase the pay of the AG band so new trainees aren’t getting paid poverty wages in high COL areas until they certify on their first positions.
14. Increase sick leave payout at retirement to 100%.
15. Admin time/“Pete leave” given to controller workforce as annual or credit hours.
16. Increase CIP pool and restart it from scratch
17. Increase working an actual holiday from double time to 2.5-3x time. Holiday-in-lieu days stay double time.
18. Increased compensation for contract tower controllers.

Hiring/training/staffing
1. Return to the eastern/central/western placement choices. For lower level, more difficult to staff areas, there should actual effort in the form of recruitment drives at local state/community colleges and high schools.
2. If you put in a set number of years in your first facility, you can transfer to a facility within the region of your choosing.
3. Allow developmentals to swap facilities with other developmentals anytime before beginning D-side school.
4. For facilities with a large training backlog in high cost of living areas, provide better assistance to trainees. Whether that’s finding a way to get them a raise from AG quicker, providing a housing stipend, etc.
5. Push for the creation of an additional FAA Academy (eastern US makes most sense, imo) to help enable increased hiring numbers.
6. Increased funding for upkeep, improvement, and construction of physical facilities
7. Elimination of random drug testing, testing allowed for cause or suspicion.
8. Contract language that specifies “BUE cannot be forced to work on scheduled days off”

Everything else
1. Reduce the power of flight surgeons.
2. While there has some movement on controllers being able to tend to mental health issues without the fear of losing everything, there are still substantial barriers to this.
3. In the interest of transparency, advocate for whistleblower protections for controller workforce and eliminate the ban of controllers talking to the media
4. It is admittedly very low on the priority list now, but there needs to at least be initial discussions on a widely legalized substance that is illegal federally. If that federal classification changes, what if anything could it mean to NATCA members? For starters, its potentially positive impact on sleep length and quality, a core controller issue, is well documented.

It’s fun to think about, but aren’t we still 2.5 years away from our next contract? Who knows who will be President by then. All this should have been negotiated back in 2021. Big missed opportunity.

 

[Foppery&Whim]

It’s fun to think about, but aren’t we still 2.5 years away from our next contract? Who knows who will be President by then. All this should have been negotiated back in 2021. Big missed opportunity.

Doesn't mean whomever we elect this year shouldn't try to negotiate for these items. As far as I'm concern, Santa and the NEB have no leg to stand on since they fully supported the extension and they are in cahoots with the FAA.

 

[Phillytroll69]

The need for increased pay and staffing is obvious, how we’re actually getting there is far less so. Full disclosure that clearly not all these items are in the purview of a contract negotiation (the “beyond” portion), but discussions of these items are still warranted and some should be advocated for even if they can’t be negotiated. I’ve compiled this list over the last few months – a couple ideas of my own, but mostly ones that have been discussed at my facility or repeated across different forums. I’m sure I’m missing plenty of quality ideas, so I’ll add others’ ideas (with credit) to keep a semi-up to date list, if there’s interest in that. I’m not touching any of the much needed internal NATCA/NEB reforms (aside from firing Rinaldi Consulting into the sun), but I’d gladly add that section too if there are suggestions and interest.

Here we go -

Financial
1. A base pay raise, either percentage or a dollar amount, to address the effects of inflation and lessened spending power of our salaries.
2. A tiered overtime system such as 1-50 hours annually 1.5x, 51-100 1.75x, 101-150 2x, etc.
3. Expansion of the Sunday differential into a weekend differential, giving 25% for Friday 1800-Saturday 2359 and Monday 0000-0600.
4. Tying the pension’s ‘high three’ and the current 5% TSP match to gross salary rather than base salary.
5. Increasing the June 1.6% contract-specified raise.
6. Lowering the four weeks annual leave threshold from 15 years to 10 years.
7. Increasing sick leave in year tiers, similar to annual leave.
8. Increase the pension percentage from years 21+ (1%) to match years 1-20 (1.3%)
9. Increase training premium to 25% and make it permanent.
10. Increase CIC premium from 10% to 20%.
11. Increased TSP matching percentage.
12. Raising the credit cap above 24 hours.
13. Increase the pay of the AG band so new trainees aren’t getting paid poverty wages in high COL areas until they certify on their first positions.
14. Increase sick leave payout at retirement to 100%.
15. Admin time/“Pete leave” given to controller workforce as annual or credit hours.
16. Increase CIP pool and restart it from scratch
17. Increase working an actual holiday from double time to 2.5-3x time. Holiday-in-lieu days stay double time.
18. Increased compensation for contract tower controllers.

Hiring/training/staffing
1. Return to the eastern/central/western placement choices. For lower level, more difficult to staff areas, there should actual effort in the form of recruitment drives at local state/community colleges and high schools.
2. If you put in a set number of years in your first facility, you can transfer to a facility within the region of your choosing.
3. Allow developmentals to swap facilities with other developmentals anytime before beginning D-side school.
4. For facilities with a large training backlog in high cost of living areas, provide better assistance to trainees. Whether that’s finding a way to get them a raise from AG quicker, providing a housing stipend, etc.
5. Push for the creation of an additional FAA Academy (eastern US makes most sense, imo) to help enable increased hiring numbers.
6. Increased funding for upkeep, improvement, and construction of physical facilities
7. Elimination of random drug testing, testing allowed for cause or suspicion.
8. Contract language that specifies “BUE cannot be forced to work on scheduled days off”

Everything else
1. Reduce the power of flight surgeons.
2. While there has some movement on controllers being able to tend to mental health issues without the fear of losing everything, there are still substantial barriers to this.
3. In the interest of transparency, advocate for whistleblower protections for controller workforce and eliminate the ban of controllers talking to the media
4. It is admittedly very low on the priority list now, but there needs to at least be initial discussions on a widely legalized substance that is illegal federally. If that federal classification changes, what if anything could it mean to NATCA members? For starters, its potentially positive impact on sleep length and quality, a core controller issue, is well documented.

Financial
A raise is an act of congress not a Contract

All govt employees get the same sick leave (13 I think) annual is a negotiation

Admin time? Get real...a telecommute day to do elms once a month that's scheduled might be realistic.

I think most of what you said is possible. What would we give up to get it?

 

[Acatc2023]

Doesn't mean whomever we elect this year shouldn't try to negotiate for these items. As far as I'm concern, Santa and the NEB have no leg to stand on since they fully supported the extension and they are in cahoots with the FAA.

I 100% agree. Saying we were let down in 2021 is an understatement. So it’s hard to think of anything positive coming out next contract. Honestly I don’t think anything in the original post is far fetched.

 

[ABACUS]

FAM FLIGHTS

 

[Delta_KVTA]

What I would give for OT worked to count directly towards your eligibility for the pension. Imagine if they looked at the time requirement to retire as hours worked instead of years worked.

This job is supposed to be 5 days/40 hours a week, which comes out to 2080 hours a year, or 52,000 hours over a 25 year career. Let’s say there’s someone who works 6 days/48 hours a week their entire career, which comes out to 2496 hours a year or 62,400 hours over a 25 year career. Those extra 10,400 hours is equal to five full years worth of 40 hour work weeks, meaning that poor guy crammed 30 years of work into 25 years of time. It would be nice if those 10,400 extra hours counted towards a 52,000 hour requirement for retirement, because that guy could retire after 20 years instead of 25, which is fair considering all the extra work, missed birthdays, shit sleep schedule, etc that guy had to go through. Of course this should include early call-in and holdover OT, not just full 8 hour shifts.

So many more people would be ok with, even eager to work overtime because they know every day of OT worked is one day closer to retirement. It would also incentivize the agency to hire more/staff better because the less OT they give out the more years they can get out of the workforce until people are eligible to retire.

It’s not something that can be negotiated through the contract but that would be a dream come true for anyone who works overtime, especially us folks forced to work 6 day weeks.

 

[TimShady]

I think most of what you said is possible. What would we give up to get it?

How about we have to work mandatory overtime at understaffed facilities literally our entire careers. The way I see it we’re already killing ourselves to make up for the FAA’s ineptitude, they can at least increase our pay and benefits.

 

[Spoony90]

Can I… just for once… have competent supes?

 

[AnyTrafficPleaseAdvise]

I want a lot more money. All of the other shit would be cool, but at the end of the day I’ll tolerate a lot of BS for more money which we rightfully deserve in my opinion.

 

[Eve]

I don't think I've seen it mentioned, but take away the top of the CPC band caps from anything lower than a 12. A lot of us are stuck in low level facilities that have downgraded over the years and have hit that cap years ago and the lump sum raise does nothing for us. It would maybe make it more bearable to be stuck somewhere low for years on end.

 

[boots]

I want a lot more money. All of the other shit would be cool, but at the end of the day I’ll tolerate a lot of BS for more money which we rightfully deserve in my opinion.

How much did you make last year?

 

[AnyTrafficPleaseAdvise]

How much did you make last year?

Not enough.