OT: Air Controller Retirements Surge

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Air Controller Retirements Surge By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN – 22 hours ago

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5glZffuvdvG06xtPzkWsEWJBaderQD8SDU6GO0WASHINGT\

ON (AP) — Far more veteran air traffic controllers than the government expected

have retired since the Bush administration imposed a contract on their union on

Labor Day 2006, new data shows.

While veteran controllers bail out in unprecedented numbers and air travelers

experience record delays, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a

series of all-is-well pronouncements about its work force.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, by contrast, has produced a

stream of warnings about safety risks to the public from overworked controllers

in major air control centers it says are undermanned.

One thing is certain: A veteran force of controllers, mostly hired in the early

1980s after President Reagan fired 11,000 members of a predecessor controllers

union, is being replaced by lower-paid, less experienced young controllers and

that long-expected transformation is occurring faster than the government

anticipated.

The Associated Press learned that the FAA recently considered offering a cash

bonus of 25 percent of one year's pay to top-rated veteran controllers who delay

retirement two years, although FAA spokeswoman Brown denied this was

spawned by any difficulty staffing control centers.

" It didn't fit our needs right now because hiring is going so well, " she said.

" In the future, some retention proposal could come up again. "

A total of 828 controllers retired in the 12 months that ended Sept. 30, the FAA

said late Friday. That's 28.8 percent more than the 643 retirements the agency

predicted at the beginning of fiscal 2007, though it upped its estimate twice

during the year, to 700 and then 800.

The union said it found another 24 who confirmed their retirements before Sept.

30 but have not yet shown up in agency retirement records. Union spokesman Doug

Church added that only 16 of all the year's retirees had reached 56, the

mandatory retirement age.

In addition, during September 2006 — the month before fiscal 2007 — 97

controllers retired, compared to the 39 the FAA predicted, according to the

Transportation Department inspector general, who said the jump " was a result of

the breakdown in contract talks. "

That month began with the FAA ending an impasse in negotiations by imposing a

contract with new work rules, including staffing cuts and a dress code, and a 30

percent cut in the pay of starting controllers. The agency tossed out staffing

levels negotiated in the 1998 contract, and targeted all 314 control facilities

for staff cuts, ranging from 9 to 26 percent.

" The surge in retirements just shows that the FAA's imposed work rules and pay

system have exacerbated an already critical staffing issue, " union president

Forrey said. " Now we have controllers retiring with five and six years

of eligible service left because they can't stand the environment any more, the

Draconian work rules, six-day workweeks and forced overtime. They're concerned

about making a big mistake due to the fatigue. "

The FAA views the retirements differently. The agency had long known fiscal 2007

would be the peak year for controllers hired in the early 1980s to become

eligible for retirement, so it hired 1,815 new controllers during the year and

now employs 14,874 controllers, exceeding the year's target, it said.

" We're getting a lot of enthusiastic recruits, " said acting Administrator Bobby

Sturgell. " Controller hiring, training and staffing is a major priority and we

are on track to meet future traffic needs. "

FAA's Brown said estimating retirements is tricky, because controllers aren't

forced to retire until 56 but are eligible at any age if they have 25 years

service. She said the largest group retires once they put in 25 years.

Brown denied the work force transformation compromised safety and noted that

fatal accident rates in both commercial and private aviation are at record lows.

She said staffing needed to be revised to reflect airline bankruptcies, mergers

and flight pattern changes after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In addition to retirements, many veteran controllers were promoted to management

jobs. Brown said she could not provide that number Friday, three weeks after

fiscal year 2007 ended, because the agency was still manually calculating the

year's promotions, resignations, firings and deaths.

The union, however, said 365 controllers were promoted to management jobs. It

said another 337 resigned, were fired or died, but the majority of resignations

and firings were among new hires.

Except for experienced controllers hired from the military, most new controllers

are trained six to eight months at the FAA academy in Oklahoma City, followed by

on-the-job training that can last a couple months to three years before they are

fully certified on all work stations at their facility.

Brown said the controller totals include more than 3,000 developmental

controllers still receiving on-the-job training. She said these are an integral

part of the work force because they are qualified to work solo on some stations.

But Church said the union's analysis of payroll data showed that about one-third

of them had yet to qualify to work any station without a trainer supervising

them.

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