Arbitrator orders FAA to cough up IT pay raise

The Federal Aviation Administration must give its computer specialists the governmentwide pay raise for information technology workers, an arbitrator ruled on Monday. The decision affects a group of GS-334 employees at the FAA, who are represented by the Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS) union. The raise is retroactive to Jan. 1 and includes interest. The Office of Personnel Management announced the IT pay hike last November. It applies only to certain positions at grades GS-5 through GS-12 in covered occupational series, including computer specialists (GS-334), computer engineers (GS-854) and computer scientists (GS-1550). The pay raise became effective in January. But the FAA refused to give its computer specialists the raise, contending that because the agency's pay system is separate from the government's General Schedule, the union must negotiate for the pay raise. PASS disputed that statement and filed a grievance Jan. 31. "I'm amazed and disappointed at the same time at the FAA. [These employees] were eligible for the increase from day one," said Michael Fanfalone, PASS' president. "We had no negotiated pay system in place, and the agency said it would follow the GS system until we do have one." The FAA also denied the pay raise on the grounds that low turnover among its computer specialists meant that a retention pay raise was not needed at the agency. "The agency wants to penalize people for being dedicated to their jobs," Fanfalone said. "Just because IT workers aren't leaving in droves, FAA assumes it doesn't have to pay them what they deserve--much less what every other government IT professional is getting paid. FAA is wrong--again," Fanfalone said An FAA spokeswoman said the agency was still reviewing the decision.