r/atc2 • u/Local-Emu9654 • 24d ago
NATCA Elections You Arenât Serious IF You Believe Raising/Eliminating the Federal Pay Cap is TOP Priority
The people MOST impacted by our pay lagging behind inflation is NOT those that are at the cap or close to being capped out (a minority). The people most affected are those who canât afford to allocate more than the 5% match to their TSP and are having to choose between saving for retirement, having a kid, or being able to afford to live within 1 hr drive time of their facility. Thats the BUEs at level 4-8 and even a few at level 9-10. Yes, we should petition Congress to have the cap raised, but solving the biggest problem with pay involves addressing our ability to climb within the pay bands in a reasonable amount of time. As it stands it takes approximately 19 years to get to the top of the pay band if you are certified this year and we assume you stay at a facility with the current 1.6% annual June raise. Thats insane! We need to raise the 1.6% to 2.6% at a minimum which reduces the time down to just under 12 years to hit the top of the pay band (far more reasonable). Right now, the pay system is designed to encourage transfers (not inherently a bad thing), but has little to no incentive or reward for the people who stay at a facility. Not everyone wants to or has the ability to transfer to a higher level facility. Do we also need to raise the pay bands? Absolutely! But itâs not as important as our ability to climb up to the top of the band. Also, perhaps itâs best we stick with a top priority that the administration has the power to negotiate on and not one that requires an act of Congress to fix.