P.M. BRIEFING : 20% Raises Announced for 2,000 Controllers at 11 Busiest Airports

Transportation Secretary Samuel K. Skinner today said about 2,100 air traffic controllers, technicians and safety inspectors at some of the nation’s busiest airports will get raises of up to 20%.

The raises for Federal Aviation Administration employees at 11 sites in the New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Oakland areas are part of a five-year program to retain and recruit workers, he said.

The FAA has said it is difficult to staff those sites because of the high cost of living and the tough workload. The raises will mean “some of the highest paid people in the federal government” will be working for the FAA, Skinner said.

At a news conference near the nation’s busiest airport, O’Hare International, Skinner said a controller on the top rung of the seniority ladder makes at least $60,000 a year, including overtime. The raises will be added to base pay.

Transportation Department officials said the cost of the program will be about $5 million a year.

In addition to being short of help, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Oakland have many workers who are near retirement. But since the raises were proposed a few months ago, controllers in other areas of the country have applied for transfer and some who were ready to retire want to stay, Skinner said.