§5546a Differential pay for certain employees of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense

Summary

The FAA Administrator and the Secretary of Defense can pay extra money to certain FAA and DoD workers. They can give 5 percent of basic pay to certain air traffic controllers, airway facilities staff, flight inspection crew members, flight test pilots, and some FAA Academy trainers. The law covers controllers in centers, terminals, or flight service stations rated GS‑9 or higher; airway facilities positions rated GS‑9 or WG‑10 or higher; flight inspection crew at GS‑11 or higher; flight test pilots at GS‑12 in regions or centers whose duties are unusually hard and critical to safety; and FAA Academy staff in Oklahoma City who train people from those jobs and who previously held those jobs. There are other special payments too. Controllers who are certified (even if certification is not required) can get 1.6 percent of basic pay while certified. Controllers who train others on the job while those trainees handle live traffic can get 10 percent of their hourly basic pay for the hours spent training. Controllers or flight service station specialists who must work during the 4th through 6th hour of a scheduled eight‑hour shift without a 30‑minute meal break get extra pay equal to 50 percent of one‑half of their hourly basic pay. These extra payments are on top of regular pay and any other premium pay. The Administrator and the Secretary must set standards for who gets the pay and can make rules to carry it out.