I think what’s important to remember is that the stress is a cumulative build up. The lack of sleep and especially family time wears significantly on people. Yes, we all chose this career…but it was also the promise of certain compensation. I’d bet Mr. muffinman would be upset if after a days work his boss said “you know, I just feel like paying you 15% less today, it’s what my customers want.” It’s dishonest to pull the rug.
Let me be clear. We are the safest and busiest airspace in the entire world. There’s absolutely no comparison. I think controllers deserve the pay and benefits they bring to this economy. Think about if air traffic halted. The economy would tumble.
The retirement information posted is FALSE. For Federal employees that are not Law enforcement or ATC , under CSRS the retirement age is 60 with 20 years of service, and 55 with 30 years but you take a 2% hit for each year under 55. Under FERS , the age is 60 with 20 years. Sure ATC and law enforcement are different, and they earn every benefit they get. Anyone remember PATCO? They were fired en masse! I was rejected for military pilot training at age 29 with a commercial instrument certificate, also “Too old” for ATC! Now its a little different, you can be much older, tatoos, drug use, a wooden leg and blind in one eye… well maybe not but it IS a lot less restrictive. I put in 42 years with the FEDS and retired at age 66 and I’m not rich. WE put 9% into our retirement fund at every paycheck. We don’t get Dental coverage like the private sector and wages are typically lower. For example, An Aerospace Engineer in the public sector earns considerably less than the private sector. So you make your choice in a career path and make the most of what you’ve chosen.
Many of these posts sound like childish jealousy, which is what drives random men to cry on the internet about how air traffic controllers can retire early-with zero comprehension about how much this job takes out of them. I was just thinking about how many times I have had to be the 2nd wheel to the FAA, who is often a cruel, abusive, and fickle mistress. I can’t even describe how many times I have watched my husband come home at midnight, only to have a rattler and be back out the door at 5 am- and still expected to do good job with no errors with a schedule that doesn’t allow for sleep, let alone downtime. How many overnights he’s had to work because there wasn’t enough people on his shift so he had to do it. How many dinners our child and I have eaten alone. Don’t get me started on holidays where “santa” came a few days early or late, how few holidays we have celebrated on the day- and yes he’s working on Sunday- so we are celebrating Easter on Monday this year.
Don’t whine because you took the easy way out so you want to force federal workers to do more because you couldn’t hack it. FAA families really don’t enjoy the added stress from boomers, some random Fox News guy who’s only experience with airplanes has been riding around in them, or listening to an orange buffoon and drug addicted South African talk about how DEI hires are ruining the atc workforce and eliminate positions in an already understaffed but highly essential position. Unless you’ve lived it- you can kick rocks. Oh, if you don’t like it- 1. I don’t care and 2. Don’t be a hypocrite and stop taking any flights for good.
Hey Dan, I sent this to my husband to read when he goes on break. I see the other side as a spouse on the sidelines everyday- my only job is to make sure he is taken care of outside of the job. In the few hours he’s home I make sure he can be relaxed as possible so he can go back and do it again. Thanks for posting, I’m sure he’ll get a kick out of it!
No you are not surrounded by young and wealthy government retirees. Do the math on GS pay scales and FERS retirement. This is not mathematically possible
It’s 56 or 25 years for a reason. As you age you lose a step. Think of it in sports mindset. Only a select few QB’s make past a certain age. Controlling is the same way. Just the wear and tear is on your mental and physical condition with your heart that the abnormal level of stress puts on it. Many of us die early. Many of us aren’t here and didn’t make it to 65. Yes I’m speaking with inside knowledge.
Thank you for being so understanding. It’s not easy being a wife with someone in this career field. I’m on number three. You understand too well the sacrifices.
If being an air traffic controller does not agree with you to the extent you claim, then leave, find another job. That’s what normal people do. Aside from that, quit belly aching. Do your job. It’s what you signed up for.
No, they did not sign up to work for 6 days a week with constant overtime because of staffing shortages that have gone on forever and look to get worse.
SS and Medicaid are Ponzi schemes, stealing from people who do the heavy lifting in the U.S. and giving to the slackers. I would be crazy to rely on either and accepting the government regulation that comes with them. The word “work” appears over 600 times in the Bible. The word “retirement” not once, so it is not in my vocabulary. This was also the conviction of Sporty’s founder and president, Hal Shevers.
You should clarify that SS and Medicaid are earned benefits but funds are put in general revenue and there are concerns about future payment requirements exceeding what was allocated on paper. Likely fix is pressure to delay retirement and raise contribution rates.
So you complain about not being able to retire, but you don’t want to retire anyway. And you’ve contributed to Social Security and Medicare all your working life, but you’re not accepting those benefits. Yet, you complain about others that accept theirs. You really sound miserable.
The auctioneer style ATC comms just result in “say again”. I actually can say my personal experience at JFK wasn’t that bad, I though the controllers we got did a great job. YMMV
