By David Shepardson and Doyinsola Oladipo
WASHINGTON, Oct 16 (Reuters) – Thousands of US air traffic controllers will get a 2.8% pay raise retroactive to January 1 under a deal announced by the Federal Aviation Administration and a union.
• The pay raise, which was authorized by Congress, will be effective October 18
• Controllers previously received a 1% raise but the remainder of the $140 million raise was contingent on workforce reforms
• The agreed changes include tracking of controllers’ time, aligning staffing with demand, and improving controller reassignments
• The FAA has been working to address a persistent shortage of air traffic controllers
• Many are working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks
• Local managers and union representatives will now develop shift guidelines based on anticipated workload and operational requirements to ensure more productive controller schedules that maximize coverage during peak traffic hours
(Reporting by David Shepardson, Doyinsola Oladipo and Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
