Georgia air traffic controllers await full raise amid staffing shortages

The U.S. Congress approved a raise for air traffic controllers of just under 4% back in April, but they are still waiting to see the full raise in their paychecks, according to WABE.

Many air traffic controllers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport work 10 hour days, six days per week.

Although air traffic controllers have seen 1% of the raise added to their paychecks, the Federal Aviation Administration told WABE that the raise will not be implemented until certain conditions are met by the employees.

“As the statute makes clear, Congress–not the FAA–made the pay increase contingent on the FAA Administrator determining that improvements in workforce scheduling, staffing utilization, or other operational efficiencies have been achieved that contribute to addressing workforce shortfalls and enhancing aviation safety,” wrote an FAA spokesperson.

Nick Daniels is the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. He told WABE that more is being demanded of air traffic controllers with less employees to meet that demand.

“They should not be asked to work harder,” he said.

Daniels said the decision to hold the raise will likely impact recruitment in an industry that has a shortage of 3,000 controllers.

“They ran 57,000 operations on a single day in the month of July, the largest in American history, and that is understaffed and absolutely overworked,” he added. “Morale is extremely low.”

The deadline for the controllers to receive the raise is September 2027.