Patriot Wing maintainers get pay hike

  • Published
  • By Maj. Jennifer Christovich
  • 439 AW
WESTOVER ARB, Mass. -- --    In a time of layoffs, cutbacks and unemployment, the news of a $15,000-to-$20,000-a-year raise for more than 250 Westover Wage-Grade workers is even more significant.
  After a four-year pay equity battle, all of the Airmen, mostly assigned to the 439th Maintenance Group, now find their paychecks more consistent with similar jobs in the same geographic area.
  While Wage-Grade maintenance workers were already not receiving equitable pay for their job specialties, it added insult to injury when a February 2005 cost-of-living pay increase was paid to Westover's salaried employees yet excluded them.
  "I wasn't here at the time but people were quoted as saying, 'we felt like we were smacked in the face,'" said Col. Oreste Varela, commander of the 439th Maintenance Group.
  For the hourly-paid staff, this difference in pay exacerbated morale issues and contributed to a mass exodus of skilled C-5 maintainers -- in a four-year period, about 45 people with approximately 15-years experience left their job.
  When Colonel Varela arrived here in 2006, he asked his chiefs what the number one problem was at Westover. "The pay," was the overwhelming response.
For the next two years Colonel Varela, cited as an outspoken, no-nonsense leader, took every opportunity to tell anyone with insight and influence in the locality pay system, about the unfair, unbalanced and outdated pay disparity that was adding fuel to an already-lit maintenance fire.
  The burning issue was the workload-to-staff ratio. In 2006, according to Colonel Varela, there were 50 maintenance vacancies. That has since swelled to 70 unfilled jobs and yet the operations tempo has increased.
  "We have had a difficult time recruiting skilled, trained maintainers, especially when Westover has been the third lowest paying location in 22nd Air Force," Colonel Varela said. "Yet, we are one of the highest cost-of-living areas in the country."
  To make matters more challenging, in December 2006, shortly after the 2005 pay disparity, the Air Force, in an effort to save money, stated it was consolidating C-5 inspection stations by cutting five of eight Isochronal Inspection Stations, leaving only three open across the U.S. They named Westover as one of the three.
That meant that instead of inspecting 16 C-5s, Westover maintainers would inspect about 28 aircraft per year, once fully operational.
  While the news of an increased mission showed a lot of confidence in the wing's maintainers, it also meant more work, and with almost 60 vacancies already listed, Colonel Varela knew the pay issue was growing more important by the day.
  Finally, to create the perfect storm, beginning in 2006, Westover began transferring its' C-5A models and started receiving C-5Bs, therefore increasing maintainer-workload again as they inspected and standardized the new aircraft.
  Then as the swaps were happening, the B-models began the Avionics Modernization Program upgrade, taking the maintainers back to school and out-of-pocket for months. As the demands grew, so did the slow, steady exodus of maintainers due to higher paying jobs.
  "I hope the pay increase will keep our skilled people from walking away and attract [Air Reserve Technicians] and Active Duty personnel to Westover" said Colonel Varela.
While it was a long, tedious, and at times unpopular process, involving layers of approval and tests of patience, the announcement couldn't have come at a better time since Colonel Varela is being reassigned to McGuire AFB in May.
  "At one of my Commander Call's, I commented that if I could only do one thing while I was here, it would be to get the pay increased," Colonel Varela said. "I couldn't be happier to see this come to fruition."
  If you ask the maintainers under his leadership how they feel about the long-awaited raise, they will voluntarily and enthusiastically tell you.
  "A lot of people promised raises, but raises have been promised for a long time," said Tech. Sgt. Byron LaBreche, aircraft electrician assigned to the 439th Maintenance Squadron. "Colonel Varela kept going and didn't stop . . . he ignored the naysayers.
  "He kept on it, he kept pushing . . . that is what he's about," said Sergeant LaBreche. "The raise reflects his character."
  As daily headlines continue to broadcast dire economic forecasts, Westover maintainers can revel in their pay boost, and then get back to what they do best - keep Westover C-5s the best in the fleet.
  "Despite all the challenges and irritants, [the maintainers] always found a way to move the mission. They have finally been rewarded substantially for all their hard work," Colonel Varela said.