The Point

I was sitting and working next to a not-fully-certified controller the other night and we got to talking about EVERYTHING that is going on. This wasn't the normal "why do you insist on fighting" conversation, this was more like "why do you need ME to keep fighting?"

This trainee was asking because no matter what he/she (from now on IT) did, IT was already at the high end of what would be interpreted as IT's payband. IT had already checked out in another area and was only in training, in my area, because of the FAA's failure to adequately staff every area in the facility. IT was forced to transfer because of a staffing imbalance, a staffing imbalance caused by mismanagement. IT was forced into another area. IT's seniority dropped from 40 to 50 because of the size of the new area. IT had to go from being fully certified to being certified on nothing because of an FAA decision. The saddest part of all of this is that after IT got transferred to the new, more difficult, area, a handful of newly hired trainees (zero experience anywhere) were placed into his old area. None of them made it, but that is another story.

IT asked me what the point was. I told IT that financially, it didn't really matter. If IT failed to certify there was a "promise" on the table that IT could go back to the old area. We haven't had to test this promise yet. I did tell IT that there were ramifications for both IT and every other trainee that followed IT. You see, IT has checked out on a few positions and has been used for staffing coverage ever since. IT gets very little training now, even though IT is less than 50% qualified. Another IT got pregnant (obviously female) and wound up with 3 hours of training a month after she was less than 25% qualified. The point is that the FAA can extract 100% work for less than 100% pay. Naturally, we have to drag this bastardization of policy out beyond reasonable limits because the FAA is acting unreasonably.

Tomorrows ITs will make the mistake of quickly getting certified on a position, a position they will used to staff as post PATCO retirements continue to mount. 100% work for 25% pay. Eventually these people will need to be trained on additional positions because the number of fully-certified personnel continues to drop. So IT finally gets more training, but IT also has been added to the TRAINER ranks so as to train even more new hires on the position(s) IT has already been certified on. 100% work for 50% pay, plus training differential because more trainers have retired. The FAA gets forced again a few years later to continue IT's training as the number of people that can work every position continues to plummet. 100% work and 75% pay.

There's still a problem though. The fully certified number has dropped to 10 people, out of 50. The FAA is saving money hand over fist because of the use of ITs to cover for staffing. The lucky 10 can't get leave because 1.4 of them are off on any given day, 2 work the midnight shift, 1 works a 6 to 2, 1 or 2 work 7 to 3, a 1 to 9 and 2 on the 3 to 11. Wait, that's wrong because of the 10, 7 are off on Saturday and Sunday (balanced schedule). Mental note to self: don't fly on the weekends three years from now. Gosh this gets worse as it gets dragged out.

Hopefully you've grasped that the majority of air traffic control duties will eventually be accomplished by less than fully qualified personnel. The National Air Traffic Controller's Association (NATCA) couldn't agree to a two-tiered pay system. That was the major hangup over the last contract negotiations. NATCA certainly can't agree to a four-tiered pay system, the system that is being implemented as you read this, by the FAA.

Look out the window next time you fly. The amount of air traffic is increasing. The amount of air traffic controllers isn't. The FAA is treating their personnel like IT. The point is that you, and your safety, may someday need a fully certified controller and you might only have IT to turn to. NATCA needs to fix this now because IT could get dangerous.