Contract Dispute Could Mean Fewer Air Controllers in St. Louis

The nation's air traffic controllers union said Monday that a contract dispute with the Federal Aviation Administration could soon leave St. Louis with a shortage of controllers.

At a news conference at the Airport Marriott, leaders with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said 36 of 88 controllers based in the region are eligible to retire in the next two years. Those controllers will have a financial incentive to leave, the union said, because under the FAA's proposed contract, salaries would be frozen and cost-of-living adjustments would be eliminated from retirement compensation.

A wave of retirements would mean fewer eyes watching the sky if those controllers aren't replaced immediately.

"The safety and efficiency of the national airspace system will be degraded greatly," said Brad Rosenthal, a controller at the airport tower.

FAA spokesman Geoffrey Bayse accused the union of mischaracterizing the offer.

A press release earlier this month from the agency said controllers rejected an offer that would increase the average annual salary nationally to $139,900, from $128,500.

"There is no financial incentive to retire whatsoever," Bayse said.

The bitter negotiations between air traffic controllers and the FAA began nine months ago and reached an impasse on April 5. The FAA sent its final contract offer to Congress, which has 60 days to consider it, as well as the union's final offer. If Congress takes no action, the federal government will implement its own proposal.

In the St. Louis area, air traffic controllers work at the airport tower and a terminal radar approach control facility in Weldon Spring, where they guide aircraft within 5 to 50 miles of Lambert.

The average annual salary for a controller in St. Louis is $118,064, according to an FAA press release. In contrast, average annual salaries of firefighters and police officers are $48,550 and $44,680 respectively, according to the release.

Lonnie Vance, a controller at the Weldon Spring facility, said comparisons such as that only worsen morale among air traffic controllers. In his 22 years on the job, morale is lower than he's ever seen it, he said.

"We're seeing a great deal of anger and distraction," Vance said.

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