Although the United States has a glaring shortage of air traffic controllers, those who call in sick rather than work without pay during… Federal government shutdown The US Secretary of Transportation warned of the danger of eviction.
Transport Minister Sean Duffy said this week he understood observers’ frustrations and concerns. But during a Thursday appearance on Fox Business, he said that by calling in sick they are causing major air traffic disruptions, and that will not be tolerated.
“If we have some of our staff that are not as dedicated as we need, we will let them go,” Duffy said, noting that more than 90% of controllers have reported to work during the shutdown. “… They’re a small portion of the people who don’t come to work. They can create this massive disruption. And that’s what you see extending across our skies today.”
Airports across the country have Delays are experienced This week due to a shortage of consoles, more than half of which Duffy attributed to no-shows at work. The worst problems occurred at smaller airports in Burbank, California, and Nashville, Tennessee, but there were also delays at major airports in Newark, New Jersey, Chicago, Denver, and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Even a small number of controllers not showing up for work causes problems because the FAA has a severe shortage of them. Duffy has made it a priority to increase hiring to try to eliminate the shortage in the next few years, but said superintendents deemed “trouble kids” could still be fired.
A Department of Transportation spokesperson reiterated that message in a statement Friday, saying, “If rare bad actors do not intentionally emerge and cause disruption to our operations, consequences are inevitable.”
The controllers’ union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, also stressed that members need to continue working during the shutdown.
“We must be clear. NATCA does not condone any coordinated activity that disrupts the national airspace system or damages our reputation. Such actions are illegal. They risk your career and destroy our ability to effectively advocate for you and your families,” Mick Devine, the union’s executive vice president, said in a video to members.
Like other affected federal workers, observers are concerned about how they will pay their bills during the shutdown when they are not getting paid. Duffy and president of the union They acknowledged the injustice to their situation, which adds more stress to their already stressful jobs.
NATCA President Nick Daniels said monitors may have to take time off to work a second job just to make ends meet during the shutdown. But for now, Duffy said, he believes controllers who have lost their jobs are “feeling frustrated.”
“It’s ultimately going to be the case that when people don’t have money, they’ll have time to start making life choices and life decisions. Air traffic controllers don’t have to wait until they’re stuck because of having to take out loans, credit card debt, pay bills, gas, groceries, mortgages. Those things aren’t going to stop,” Daniels said.
Flight disturbances caused by loss of controllers may cause them to operate Add to pressure Congress must reach an agreement to end the shutdown. This is what happened in 2019, but so far Democrats and Republicans have shown little sign of getting close to ending their confrontation.