u/Great_Ad3985

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.

In his mostly useless email from yesterday, Nick made it clear we’re still nowhere close to receiving the ‘massive victory’ of a 2.8% raise that was passed as low months ago. Another nothing burger ‘update.’

Despite that, there were clues in his rambling word salad of a message that contained some highly concerning language. He said they’ve “exchanged proposals for weeks with the Administrator,” “participated in a meeting with the intent to review and finalize an agreement on the path forward,” and “we have requested another meeting to do a final review of the MOU for a full and complete understanding before signing it.”

This sounds suspiciously like NATCA is negotiating for the 2.8% raise. Why do we need to exchange proposals and sign any MOU for a pay raise that is already congressionally appropriated? The only reason the union would need to sign a document is if there is intention of giving something up in return.

Giving up ANYTHING in return for this measly pittance of a raise we all deserve would be an absolutely catastrophic failure. ND is the same president who was so terrified of negotiating with this administration that he unilaterally extended the CBA (against the will of membership) to avoid doing so. Yet now we find ourselves in a position where he is apparently negotiating with them, and possibly about to give something up, in exchange for a mere 2.8%? What kind of a fucking twilight zone horror novel have we found ourselves in?!

My worry is Nick is beginning to see the writing on the wall. The coverage by Anna Giaritelli was quite damning of his administration. And support for the NM/SB ticket in the next election is soaring by the day. ND may be so desperate for a “win” he can try and campaign on that he is about to fuck us all over for a couple hundred extra dollars a month.

This cannot be allowed to happen. WE DO NOT WANT TO THE 2.8% RAISE IF WE GIVE UP ANYTHING TO THE ADMINISTRATION IN EXCHANGE FOR IT! Absolutely nothing!

FUCK NICK DANIELS!

Oh, you thought this was about NATCA? Nahhh, they’re busy monitoring, gathering facts and planning the next dues-funded vacation.

This shit is beyond infuriating

It is absolutely unacceptable how virtually the entire membership disapproves of the work the NEB (and particularly Nick Daniels) are doing, yet there remains no viable option for their removal. If you were take a nationwide poll right now, it would not surprise me if 80-90% would support an immediate recall and removal from office for these people. Waiting for their term to end is not a solution and causes more damage in the long run.

The current system also creates an environment that incentivizes candidates for national office to lie to membership. Many of these people are towards the end of their careers anyways, and they know if they can just win an election, they are locked in. They’ll say anything they think people want to hear in order to secure votes, only to 180 as soon as they step into the national office. It’s disgusting, anti-democratic, and unrepresentative of the people who this union is supposed to serve.

Another part of problem is, the entire system is designed to protect those in power and the grifts and scams that come along with their positions. Those same powers that be will say: “well if you want change, get involved.” People tried that. There were constitutional amendments proposed at the last convention such as A25-38. But just like the existing system, those in power ultimately control the process for change as well, meaning amendments like this never stand a chance. But they sure as hell had time to circle jerk over Trish for several hours.

I think enacting change like this needs to be a priority for the Marangos/Brown to commit to. Membership needs to feel confident they are in control of their own union outside of a single election every 3 years. Right now we have no control and it feels like a scam. A scam that needs to either be ended by true leadership, or completely defunded via a title wave of SF-1188’s

“2027 Raise
Among the pending appropriations bills is the one covering general government matters and which is the vehicle for Congress to take a position on the following year’s federal employee pay raise. So far indications are that it will follow the practice of most recent years by taking no position and allowing the White House’s recommendation to take effect by default.

The administration’s budget proposal of early this year recommended no raise for January 2027, although it did indicate an expectation that a raise would be paid for certain law enforcement-related positions. It did not indicate how large that raise would be nor whether it would apply to the same categories who received a 3.8 percent increase in January while other employees received only 1 percent.”

Think about it for a second. This is the same union that when it comes to the 2.8% pay raise, can barely give us a Nick Daniels in a hotel room shitty video “update” once a month where he either lies or says nothing at all. The same goes for ABACUS, or the NCEPT bonuses, or the time on position requirements, or ANYTHING that controllers actually care about. Complete radio silence, and zero transparency from the union.

But when there’s a pilot orgy up in Wisconsin, we somehow get a play-by-play of all the worthless shit taking place and dues dollars being thrown down the drain.

FUCK NICK DANIELS!!

Which lawmaker was the one who actually added this caveat text to the 2.8% raise in the funding bill? We have a right to know: not only as controllers, but as citizens and voters. The fact that any elected official would be so shallow as to tie this ridiculous condition to an already insultingly low pay raise is just inexcusable. Nearly every other group of federal employees with early retirement received the full 3.8% raise last year without having to jump through any hoops. This is absurd and if NATCA had any balls or intuition whatsoever, they’d be blasting this on every media outlet that would pick up the phone. But I guess they’re too busy traveling the world and posting AI slop on Instagram. There’s nobody in our corner with this and it’s so incredibly demoralizing.

I’ve worked at this place for two years now. My yearly raise was 1.8%, which would be like 40 more bucks a month for me. It just seems so low for someone who “meets and often exceeds expectations.”

What is a typical raise for y’all? What fields do you work in? I love where I’m at and my coworkers, but my pay and interfering higher ups might just be the straw that breaks the camels back.