Numerous studies have suggested an increase to health risks and stress levels associated with the age of air traffic controllers.
    The cumulative stress of the job has resulted in controller “burn out” thus increasing risk and lost proficiency with age, thereby increasing risks to the safety of flight.
Studies have shown a close correlation between ages, years of experience and emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. Researchers have consistently found a negative relationship between the age of air traffic controllers and both training success and rating of job performance. Many studies have shown age-related decline in cognitive abilities that are most important to performance as an air traffic controller.
    The staffing crisis the FAA is experiencing has been predicted by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association for decades. Age waivers are not the safe solution. The FAA must hire and train hundreds of new controllers with a steady stream of newly trained controllers replacing the retiring controllers. This is critical to ensuring the system capacity can grow and meet the safety needs of our nation’s air traffic control system.
    The risks of stress levels, potential health problems, and declining cognitive abilities are the same today that led Congress to set retirement mandates for controllers over thirty (30) years ago. Air traffic projections and FAA goals, however, are more demanding than ever. Now is not the time to jeopardize the most productive, efficient system in the world with short-term, dangerous solutions.
We acknowledge the temptation of keeping controllers beyond current retirement ages but we decry this as a solution.
    While we admire the capable workforce that makes today’s system a global standard of excellence, we must now make investments for tomorrow.
    The National Air Traffic Controllers Association does not support waivers to the age 56 Law. NATCA shall pursue legislation to change our minimum retirement age from 57 to 56.

Rationale: If our MRA was aligned with our maximum working age, the need for age 56 waivers would disappear. We are already fighting to protect our benefits and retirement; we should also be fighting to change the root cause of this issue.

This was not voted on