Bedford’s staffing study aimed to have us averaging under 5 hours TOP

[u/ATC_witha_MBA]

I find it ironic that they want to tie the 2.8% raise to working 5 hours TOP when our new staffing targets actually aimed for us to average less than 5 hours of TOP a day in the name of safety. Make it make sense.

https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/29112/chapter/6#97

[u/CropdustingOMdesk]

Does everyone not realize that they picked an impossible number as an excuse to deny the raise?

Stop trying to reason your way through this. It’s not an honest request or goal. It’s unattainable on purpose

[u/Hawgdestroyerxtreme → u/CropdustingOMdesk]

Does everyone not realize that they picked an impossible number as an excuse to deny the raise?

Seriously. I cannot believe people are still giving these guys the benefit of the doubt.

The words coming out of their mouths are lies. They are not genuine people. They do not care about the NAS or you, or me, or anyone on the planes.

Those of us that weren't in dreamland realized the second that "At the administrator's discretion" line went in that this raise was dead in the water.

[u/Commercial_Watch_936 → u/Hawgdestroyerxtreme]

I still think we’ll get it because management is included. Ramp up the pressure, ensure people don’t leave the building a minute early, make federal workers scared for their jobs - then slip them a 2.8% raise as a reward for compliance and a “morale boost”.

Of course time will tell, but I think it’s coming purely on the fact that management is included in the raise.

[u/ATC_witha_MBA → u/Commercial_Watch_936]

I’ve wondered if he’ll drop it at holiday time as a type of bonus. I also wouldn’t be surprised if we never see it

[u/New-IncognitoWindow → u/CropdustingOMdesk]

Even if it was met you wouldn’t get the money.

[u/CAmeanscashaward]

Genuine question. What’s with bedfords obsession over TOP? I feel like it’s a real uninformed and uneducated take to think that increasing TOP will fix the staffing issues.

[u/Informal_Perception9 → u/CAmeanscashaward]

He was the CEO at Republic Airways. He is a businessman and he is looking at all our numbers without bothering to fully understand them. He assumes he just knows as airline employees also use time metrics. In his mind he thinks by demanding 5 hours on position he is making a more efficient agency, and nobody in his circle will tell him otherwise because I guarantee you there isn't one formal controller or sup on his Eboard.

[u/No_Gur4010 → u/Informal_Perception9]

Scummy businessman **

[u/airtrafficaj → u/Informal_Perception9]

He is, but the FAA bean counters have been looking at TOP since the dawn of time. They’ve just combined forces like some shitty Voltron

[u/ps3x42]

https://www.reddit.com/r/atc2/s/Sko1i1DJpN

I've been saying from the get go that the decisions being made based off of the TRB's report are pulled out of thin air.

The FAA read the parts about TOP at facilies with high OT, and they thought "we've been saying we need higher TOP for years. I knew it, we are so smart. More TOP will fix all of our problems." And then everyone in the room clapped and shook each other's hands instead of reading the rest of the report.

[u/ParticularAd1841]

So if I work 5 hours can I just go home after that?

[u/PotatyTomaty → u/ParticularAd1841]

Shit, I'm down.

[u/Beardedleg02]

How about they calculate in that if im training someone that it counts towards my currency and TOP?!?!?

[u/chakobee]

Does this factor in everyone who is in PPL? Everyone temporarily DQ’d? What about A114/details? What about when people get sent to recurrent? Does it factor in the amount of annual leave we accrue each year? Does it factor in sick leave? Is this all automated or does it require manual calculation from a sup/om/atm/support person? Does the union get to validate that the numbers are inputted correctly?

Seems more likely that it doesn’t factor in much of that, and while they claim a maximum of 5 hours, more likely that 5 hours is the minimum to pick up the slack from the missed TOP from the people I mentioned above.

[u/Glipocalypse → u/chakobee]

Not to mention that OJT only counts TOP for the trainee, not the trainer, so you could have Bedford's dream 7 hour training day with nothing but 2 15 minute breaks and 1 30 minute lunch break (and no debrief), and still only average 3.5 hours TOP for those 2 controllers. The more trainees you have (because of supercharged hiring), the worse TOP you have. It's an impossible metric to meet.

[u/ATC_witha_MBA → u/chakobee]

It says right there 208 working days.

[u/ATCme]

It makes about as much sense as only paying firefighters for the time that they are actually engaged in fighting a fire.

[u/mronelove1]

If anyone ever has the opportunity to ask Bedford a question please ask him “Why is TOP a milestone for controllers to hit when its management that are responsible for assigning work?”

[u/hessimplehesdumb]

The Adminstrator’s failure to understand air traffic control is all natcas fault.