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Air Traffic Controllers Review Options: Association, FAA at Odds in Contract Negotiations

Posted on: Tuesday, 11 April 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Donna Hogan, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.

Apr. 11--U.S. air traffic controllers are not allowed to strike, but they can retire, leaving airline passengers in peril, a local industry spokesman said Monday.

"If we're short on controllers, air safety is jeopardized," said Scott Palmer, who leads the tower crew that controls the arrivals, departures and ground traffic at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Palmer said months of contract negotiations in Washington, D.C. have failed, and U.S. air traffic controllers aren't happy about the outcome.

About 22 percent of the Sky Harbor controllers are eligible to retire and may do so if the Federal Aviation Administration doesn't sweeten its "best and final" proposal, Palmer said.

And the local airport already is three people short of the 39 positions allotted, he said.

The FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association have been negotiating a new contract since June. The controllers' current national contract was originally scheduled to expire in 2003, Palmer said, but it was extended.

Negotiations recently reached impasse over two sticking points -- salary and annual leave, Palmer said.

He said air traffic controllers have agreed to a five-year pay freeze but will not accept lower salaries for new controllers.

The FAA said its best and final offer keeps existing salaries intact, but the plan "aligns new controller salaries with the rest of the FAA's professional workforce."

A chart released by the FAA shows the average air traffic controller's annual pay plus benefits adds up to $165,900 per year, 42 percent higher than the FAA employee average of $117,200.

The FAA has submitted its plan to Congress, and if Congress doesn't give it thumbs down within 60 days, the new contract automatically goes into effect.

"Our proposal is both fair to our controllers and ensures the funding, technology and people will be in place to ensure safe and seamless travel for the flying public," FAA administrator Marion Blakey said in a statement.

But the controllers association disagrees.

The union is launching "a multimillion-dollar ad campaign to educate the public about the dangers of the FAA's actions and to call on Congress to take immediate action," Palmer said.

The controllers association said the pay freeze in its proposal would save taxpayers $1.4 billion over five years.

The FAA said its proposal would save $1.9 billion over five years.

NATCA proposal

--Freezes salary for all controllers. Guarantees bigger annual pay raises than other FAA professionals after five years -- to $190,400 in 2011.

--New-hire pay continues to exceed FAA peers.

--Rejects performance-based compensation for guaranteed raises.

--Protects all premium pay options.

--Guarantees 2-week summer

vacations.

--IPermits flip-flops and tank top attire except with 48-hour notice of a dignitary's visit.

FAA proposal

--Grandfathers a 75 percent pay increase since 1998. No wage freeze. Compensation rises to $187,000 in five years

--Introduces new pay scale for new employees. Trainees in 2007 will earn $127,600 total compensation.

--Transitions controllers into same compensation plan as the rest of FAA, including merit increases based on job performance.

--Preserves 82 percent of premium pay such as overtime, holiday, Sunday pay. Eliminates two special bonus items.

--Allows management to reduce numbers on holidays when traffic falls, and disallow vacations during peak travel times.

--Includes "business casual" dress

code.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Tribune

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