As a controller, you typically receive a general federal raise in January, plus a 1.6% contractual raise every June. When annual inflation is higher than that sum, you are taking a Real Pay Cut. This is a financial treadmill: you are constantly running just to stay in the same place, and recently, the belt has been moving faster than you can run.

Skilled labor should see Real Growth (raises above inflation) to reflect increased experience and ability. The chart below visualizes the widening gap between your pay and the purchasing power you should have maintained.

The picture is often even more dire when considering recent changes in housings costs. The Orange Line represents Housing Parity. It shows how much you would need to earn today to buy the same house you could afford in your starting year.

"I made decent money last year."

Many controllers use this logic, masking the reality that they are working 6-day weeks to maintain a standard of living that previously required only 5.

Your time has devalued. Your pay has failed to provide the real growth expected of a skilled career. To recover the economic standing of a certified controller in 2016, you must now trade significantly more of your life.

Standard federal employees (GS Scale) receive guaranteed "Step Increases" based on longevity, and these increases are front-loaded. A standard government employee gets roughly 9.3% in raises in their first 3 years (plus January raises). You get roughly 4.9% in your first 3 years as a certified controller.

The Trade-off: While ATC base salaries generally start higher than equivalent GS grades, the "AT Scale" provides only a linear 1.6% annual raise. This structural difference means that even high-earning controllers see their purchasing power erode faster than standard government employees.

The 1.6% ATC raise takes over a decade (11 years) just to catch up to the standard GS scale raises. Consequently, your cumulative income during this foundational period is significantly lower than it would be following the standard federal Step Increases.

The pay bands themselves (which do not increase in June) have not kept up with inflation. Regardless of when you were hired, the "Ladder" you are climbing today was established in 2016.

When the current contract began in 2016, the bottom of the band at your facility was $0. Adjusted for inflation, that floor should be $0 today. Instead, it is just $0.

Unlike General Schedule (GS) "Step Increases," which are permanent markers of longevity that travel with you, the 1.6% "Length of Service" June raises effectively disappear if you transfer to a significantly higher-level facility. They raise your current pay, but do not guarantee you a higher position within a future pay band.

As a result, transferring to a larger facility often wipes out your accumulated longevity raises. While a transfer to a higher-level facility typically comes with a pay raise, you are reset to the floor of the new pay band. This means you lose your progress within the band and become 'pay-equivalent' to a newly certified CPC at that facility, effectively restarting your climb up the ladder.

Although your new pay band may be higher, the graph above illustrates how transferring pins you back to the bottom of the new pay band, forfeiting the years of longevity raises you accumulated at your previous facility.

Pilots and Controllers used to be financial peers. Following the aviation boom since 2005 and aggressive union contracts (e.g., Delta 2023, United 2024), pilots have entered a different stratosphere.

*Calculation customized to your selected facility and start year. Includes estimated salary progression during training for both careers.

The gap is no longer just about salary—it is about Total Compensation. While controllers pay into their own pension, pilots receive massive direct contributions.

Your federal pension is a "defined benefit" annuity, calculated as a percentage of your High-3 Average Salary. Because your base pay has lagged behind inflation, your High-3 is significantly lower than it should be.

This creates a Permanent Annuity Loss. The "Annual Annuity Lost" figure below isn't a one-time penalty; it is the amount of money missing from your pension check every single year of your retirement because your High-3 was suppressed.

Crucially, you cannot "work your way" out of this deficit. As the chart below illustrates, the extra hours you work to make ends meet today do not increase your pension.

The current contract ("The Slate Book") was originally negotiated in 2016. Instead of fighting for a new agreement when economic conditions changed, the contract was extended through 2026.

The chart below shows the Opportunity Cost of that extension. The Dashed Line (100%) represents the trajectory of a healthy career (Keeping up with inflation + Real Growth). The Red Line is your actual contract reality.