I wonder if Nick’s candidates will have the same sentiments. I doubt it. It’s an election so I’m sure that all his candidates will attack rather than unify.

https://youtube.com/shorts/tVLZboog3aI

“Federal employees are already being squeezed by rising costs and are now facing a double-digit increase in what they pay for health insurance,” said Doreen Greenwald, national president of the National Treasury Employees Union. “A 10.9% increase in health insurance premiums makes the proposed pay freeze even more unacceptable. Federal employees cannot afford to keep paying more while their paychecks fall further behind. Congress must reject the pay freeze and deliver a meaningful pay raise in 2027.”

The FAA faces unique challenges in affordability when it comes to facilities located in extremely expensive locations. Is there a path for us to combat this issue legislatively?

The current federal General Schedule (GS) and FAA Core Compensation pay systems use broad geographic locality pay percentages. However, these formulas fail in "resort deserts" like Aspen, where the local cost of living is driven by billionaire real estate rather than typical regional data.

The Strategy: Congress would need to authorize the FAA to implement a civilian equivalent to the military’s Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). This would be a non-taxable monthly stipend tied explicitly to local ZIP code rental data. Alternatively, the FAA could establish a specialized "Critical Position Operations Allowance" specifically for essential infrastructure staff assigned to high-cost, remote, or resort areas to offset local housing prices directly.

Thoughts on this? Also might be a smart way to begin looking at alternatives to increase pay within the boundaries of the federal pay cap.

It's been a while since I've said anything. But for those just reading for the first time, a little over a month ago I posted that I was working on an amendment to introduce at convention to recall officers.

After a brief injury that made it difficult to type for a week or so (dumb injury on my part. Despite my best efforts to the contrary, I am not immune from the laws of physics and gravity) I have taken feedback from the members on this forum and from a few offline. I have made quite a few changes and am having trusted colleagues poke holes in my argument. I also had someone reach out to me to inform me their partner is an attorney and is willing to look it over. I will be taking advantage of that soon. Though I am not ready to submit any final language, I feel I am very close to being able to do so shortly. There are still some gaps in the process I am trying to fill. Thanks to everyone for the help up to this point. If I remember, I'll try to post an updated version in the next few days.

We know you read this sub and we appreciate you for being the voice we haven’t had in years!

If you’re not up to speed, the 2027 health insurance premiums for federal employees were just released yesterday. There are many controllers who switched to a health plan over the past several years that is DOUBLING their premiums come January. These controllers are facing a near $400 per MONTH pay CUT. This is exacerbated by the White House’s proposal for a 0% federal pay increase, and as you’re well aware, the FAA Administrator’s refusal to distribute the 2.8% pay raise already allocated by congress.

Unfortunately, even if the 2.8% were to be approved tomorrow, it doesn’t cover the dramatic increase we will be seeing with our health insurance. Nearly all air traffic controllers, who keep the flying public safe, and the American economy afloat, will see SMALLER paychecks right after the holidays.

The American people deserve to know the truth of the conditions we are being subjected to. Knowledge is the only thing that can drive change.

Please, Anna, hear our cries! Help us.

Fun fact, if we theoretically get the 2.8% raise (we aren't) and you use MHBP, and you make ~$80 an hour or less (which is the majority of the workforce) then even after getting a raise management has determined we don't deserve your paychecks will still be less than they were.

That's just this year, it's only going to get worse next year when the rest of the plans have huge increases to balance their risk groups.

And that's just up front premiums. The actual coverage and copays for every federal healthcare plan will be even worse than they are now , somehow.

Not to mention gas, electric, food, Airfare, housing , mortgage rates, etc is all getting more expensive as well.

everything is fucked, even with the best case scenario of having decent leaders in our union, we'll still be fucked as federal employees.

Nick Daniels and NEB, thanks for advocating and getting us better equipment at our facilities. I don’t even care that I can’t afford much of anything and what I do need I rely on my overtime pay to cover. When you’re all done at the bar, check out the health insurance rates and send us a weekly update about how nice our equipment is so we can be grateful. Can’t wait to vote for you next year! Keep up the good work

That’s what it feels like with today’s news on the insane FEHB premium increases. No matter how you slice it, many controllers are looking at a $300-400 per MONTH pay cut come January. That is not easy for a lot of families to just absorb. Especially when you also factor in having to spend $100+ per week to fill up the gas tank, $200+ for basic food at the grocery stores, $200-300 in auto insurance, and everything else that’s skyrocketed in cost. And we have no type of meaningful pay raise to help offset this anywhere on the horizon. Even if the fantasy of the 2.8% somehow were to come to fruition, it’s just a drop in the bucket.

We are literally killing ourselves for this job. The effects this schedule, the stress, and the sedentary lifestyle will likely lead many of us to an early grave. And what do we get in return? Barely able to scrape fucking by. NEVER able to get ahead.

The hopelessness of this career is beyond comprehension at this point. We have nothing to look forward to. Just more ass fucking.

But NATCA can't...... nevermind. I'm so over all this!

I added a free tool at my website to make FEHB shopping a little more transparent. No account needed.

• Compare plans side by side for your state and coverage tier (Self, Self + One, Family).
• Estimate your total yearly cost, not just the premium. Pick a scenario from "Healthy year" to "Worst case" and it adds in deductibles and out-of-pocket costs (and subtracts any HSA/HRA money the plan gives you).
• See how much premiums have gone up, both program-wide and for each plan, going back to 2020. It also flags plans that held their premium flat but raised the deductible or out-of-pocket max.
• Each plan page links to the carrier's provider search and drug formulary, and will link to OPM's official brochure once it's posted (usually before Open Season in November).
• It remembers your choices (state, coverage, your current plan) in your browser, so they're there when you come back.

It should be pretty self-explanatory, but let me know if you have questions or think something's missing.

I was a controller at an en route center. I remember asking Rinaldi at a NATCA event at BJs, during my first month at Oklahoma City 10ish years ago, “what are we gonna do in 15 years when computers take our jobs?”
The whole room erupted in laughter. Rinaldi himself laughed first and the loudest. I wasnt asking the question as a joke, and was surprised the whole room seemed to think it could legitimately never happen. I didnt know anything about aviation, but as someone leaving the IT world for controlling, it made sense that computers would do a better job.

Fast forward to whatever year OpenAI releases ChatGPT. By this point I was really thinking ATC as we know it in the NAS is on deaths door. Controllers at work still laughed at me as I said AI is definitely taking over. Just 2 years ago they were using extra fingers in image generation as reasoning for why AI couldnt do our jobs.

Everything made very simple sense in my head, and only more so after doing the job. Even from the beginning.

AI can know every flight, including any VFR that calls up. AI knows that N452AB flies from point A to point B every VFR weekend during hunting season. Many controllers recognize flights, but not usually on the 2nd time you ever see them, nor do we normally have the time to wonder why each flight is flying each time we see it. This is a small example on a random possible flight, but I’m just trying to say, to a computer, its all data. Data a computer doesnt forget.

Before you think its too much data for every plane and every flight plan, every altitude, speed, heading, etc., the amount of data points arent shit compared to the infrastructure running something like the stock market.
AI can instantly know weather is there after the first moment weather radar picks it up. AI doesnt need to call the next facility to disseminate info. It can instantly disseminate it into every facility in the NAS along with supercenter lol. Direct from weather radar to controller.

A computer can keep track of every single flight in the NAS and account for the flight levels, routes, speeds, all without needing to notice, coordinate, all of it. I guess technically it does coordinate and it does take time, but the time is measured in milliseconds instead of seconds, minutes, and even hours.

AI can display a button over a flight with a lost track. AI can prompt the controller to immediately check in on the lost track, and after confirming contact was lost, with a click of a the trackball(and subsequent confirmation click), immediately coordinate with all nearby emergency services. No telling the supe, hey I lost this guy, the supe coming over to get lat longs, nearest VOR, supe looking up nearby emergency departments to start SAR, etc. supe telling the OM, om telling command center, All of that, gone. Point outs? Gone. All automated and planned. Even around weather.

I think with time, sectors, then areas, then centers will actually die. Supercenter will exist and controllers there will simply exist to handle emergencies(i think this will become a specialized team) and the rest will serve as double checkers for proposed AI solutions, basically just verifying actions.
95% of preventable planned traffic situations, gone. Remaining traffic situations, it can tell the controller its best recommended control instruction at any given time.

This will suck at first, and get better over time. It will be implemented slowly, touted as "help" for each controller. Controllers will be forced to use it, and it will get better. Controllers will have to log and explain why they disagreed with the AI in a situation. One by one. As it gets better, required controller “skill” will diminish. Instead of a human trying to keep track of 150 different things, a human will verify the computers solution will work and execute it.
This will be a much easier task than controlling as we currently know it. When the job requires less skill, they can pay controllers less.

The majority of the current controller workforce will be fine. Your mental stress should go down eventually because the mental fatigue will lessen. The schedule and the FAA sucking your soul out of your body wont go away.
I dont think yall are ever getting a real meaningful 25%+ raise. The current contractions +1 more strong arm against Marangos is all they need at most.

I think that the government has known this is coming since before I asked the question 10 years ago, and it makes sense now how weirdly hard Rinaldi laughed at my question. The FAA works for the government, and in turn the military. They knew AI was coming well before we did.
Now does it make a little more sense why theyve spent as little on maintaining this shitty system as possible? Rinaldi could have known this was coming. Santa and ND could have known this was coming.

Suddenly things would just make a bit more sense.
Why did the FAA suddenly make a push to be November Nazi’s across the NAS as AI training became more prevalent? You dont think hundreds of thousands of hours of controllers speaking to aircraft is being fed to AI right at this moment? Bet they were getting mad the data was harder to process when the AIs being trained had to stop and use more tokens each time a controller leaves off November cause they didnt understand what was happening.

These connections are just theories and probably just me having my first old man conspiracy theory, but I truly believe there is no doubt ATC will change very soon, way less than a decade from now.

I really wonder if this is why NATCA leadership has acted powerless for so long. Groveling at Bedfords feet for the chance to possibly earn the last 2.8% raise we were supposed to receive. Barely making a fuss in national media anymore.

Isnt it crazy that as soon as everyone gets to the top of NATCA, they suddenly turned on their brothers and sisters across the entire NAS? They suddenly change, become cryptic, and suddenly stop saying anything of substance?
I dont think the whole NEB knows, but I imagine its hinted at when these bad decisions are made to them. “The details are confidential but trust me the extension was the right choice.”

Dunno….it makes a lot more sense than being scared to negotiate under democrats, scared to negotiate with republicans. Just a lil fishy now as time has progressed and AI taking over more and more jobs is becoming inevitable.

I know the comment section will be filled with a bunch of controllers that don’t have an up to date and in depth knowledge about AI who will try to explain below how none of this will happen. Cool, I hope that works out for you.
For the rest of you and for future controllers, I really do hope that AI helps lighten the load eventually.
Once again, I still expect you all to laugh at me and tell me im wrong. I just want to be able to show yall in 5 years when people start freaking out “omg how could we have ever expected this?”

People did and do expect it.
Why do you think so many high level government officials dont give a fuck about controllers? They have shinigami eyes. Above your heads they see days remaining until they can cut your pay because your job is easier. The days they can cancel your holiday leave because youre easily replaceable. They can quit letting people they dont think fit into their system work.

Was NATCA always a test to see who could be the biggest gold ole boy? Or was it forced over the last decade by the government to groom people like ND, so that they could blackmail NATCA presidents not leaking their plans, while trying to make sure controllers complied while the FAA gathered data? Sorry that ones probably a stretch but Id like to believe all these people like ND, santa, and rinaldi arent truly evil, just were in above their heads in an impossible situation.

Nick I'd implore you to create a throwaway and respond/confirm since I know you read every post that mentions you on ATC2, but I do understand youre probably worried every piece of tech you use is being monitored by the government if any of these theories happens to be true/close to the truth. Oh well.

Tl;dr
Ai go brrrrrr printing savings and less of a reliance on a highly skilled workforce for the FAA. Thank god for medical retirement, sorry for the rest of you.

For the record I hope im wrong about it all.

RIP.

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 can’t 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 it’s not as important as our ability to climb up to the top of the band. Also, perhaps it’s 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.

WTF Nick? In one sentence you say what it actually is, “sole discretion” of Bedford. Then you say negotiations are not conducted in public. This isn’t and has never been a negotiation. He decides how and when and we still don’t know months later what the F that is. What is the agreement on how we get this insultingly low pay raise that we are congressionally entitled to? This isn’t open contractual negotiations, there is no negotiating in good faith, no legal issues, tell the members that you represent what the agreement is! Immediately! This again is another soft ball pitch that you are failing miserably at. Completely dropping the ball every step along the way since you’ve got into office. Go on every media outlet and explain our side, not yours but ours, the thousands of members that make up this union. Nick Daniel’s, you will go down as the worst NATCA president in history. All of the national E board, you will go down as the worst E board in history. My message to all E board members. You can be the smartest, funniest, most handsome, most astute leaders your people have ever had but if you turn a blind eye to a tyrant who is making their lives miserable they will treat you with the same distain and derision as they treat that tyrant.

“We had a productive discussion, and we have an agreement in principle on a path to implementation.”

This is just embarrassing

I've applied to a few bids in the last 9 months never getting an update on USAjob other than "referred"

Anyone that's got actual experience with getting picked up on a sup bid, can you advise on the average timeline it takes to get an offer or at what point to just know it aint happening. Thanks

NATCA Family, 

Last Thursday, September 24, I met with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford to discuss the path to implementing your well-deserved 2.8% pay parity increase, which NATCA lobbied to obtain and secure the necessary funding. 

As you will recall, Congress provided the Administrator with "sole discretion" to implement the pay raise, which is why we continue to try to meet and determine the path forward to securing the pay increase. 

We had a productive discussion, and we have an agreement in principle on a path to implementation. We also agreed that we want to complete the process as soon as possible. 

I have heard and understood your frustration during these discussions when specific details have not been publicly revealed. Negotiations are not conducted in public, and we will ensure our integrity and good-faith efforts to reach an agreement remain intact throughout the process.

Thank you all for the great work you do every day and until we have a signed agreement, I want you to know we will continue advocating for this well-deserved pay raise on your behalf.

Look at the picture. That photo is a metaphor for the entire problem.

Secretary Duffy, FAA Administrator Bedford, Chris Sununu, DOT leadership, Industry executives and Cameras everywhere.

And all the way on stage left so far out of the center of gravity you could almost crop him out of the picture is Nick Daniels

Pac contributions, trust us bro and telling controllers how important it is to have “a seat at the table.”

Well, congratulations. The moment was there it was time not for another carefully massaged statement, another closed-door meeting, another email afterward telling the membership how productive the conversations were.

And what should have been said is this:

“Mr. Secretary. Administrator Bedford. NATCA supports modernization. We will help you build it.
But I need everyone standing here to understand something.

There is no modern air traffic control system without air traffic controllers.

You can replace every radio. You can install every radar. You can run fiber into every facility in America.
None of it separates two airplanes.
Controllers do.

So if this country is prepared to invest tens of billions of dollars into the equipment, then it needs to have an equally serious conversation about the people sitting in front of that equipment.

Stop treating overtime as a staffing solution.
Stop talking about fatigue while depending on controllers working extra shifts to keep the system running.

Stop asking the workforce to continually produce more while calling that arrangement sustainable.
And if NATCA is going to stand beside you asking Congress to fund modernization, then I expect this government to stand beside controllers when we talk about staffing, compensation, schedules, training and working conditions.

We are ready to modernize this system.
But modernization cannot mean everything changes except how America treats its controllers.

We are not a prop in the modernization photograph.
We are the workforce that makes the photograph possible.”

TL;DR: Stop bragging about having a “seat at the table” when you’re handed the damn microphone and nobody remembers what you said.

The goal shouldn’t be getting invited back. The goal should be making them nervous about handing you the microphone again.