Q: How did we end up with the per diem amount in the TA?
In negotiations, there are many different demands/parts and every component has a price tag. The Negotiating Committee assesses all elements and determines the best use of the money in as useful a manner as possible. We absolutely pushed for a higher per diem.
Per diem is a very expensive cost item, however, we were able to negotiate an immediate $0.25 increase and additional increases of $0.05 annually for the deal’s term, in addition to all the other improvements.
We also looked at the factors of where money may be more useful – such as pay rates, which flow over into many other pay components. Per diem is only on TAFB.