America’s Air Traffic Controllers to Receive First $0 Paycheck on Oct. 28
Today, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) expressed its concern about the compounding effects the federal government shutdown is having on the approximately 10,800 fully certified air traffic controllers and thousands of other aviation safety professionals that it represents. The vast majority of NATCA members who continue to work without pay during the shutdown received a partial paycheck on October 14. On October 28, these highly skilled, highly trained professionals will miss their first full paycheck.
“This shutdown has real consequences for these hard-working American patriots,” said NATCA President Nick Daniels. “With each passing day, controllers become more distracted by the risk of receiving a zero-dollar paycheck on October 28, despite working 40 hours per week and, in many cases, mandatory overtime due to the controller staffing shortage.”
When controllers received a partial paycheck on October 14, it increased their stress and introduced unnecessary risk into the National Airspace System (NAS). Instead of focusing on the stressful work they are paid to perform, they began to focus on what bills they could not afford to pay. On October 28, these patriots will face even greater challenges and distractions. In addition to trying to figure out how to pay their rent, mortgage, groceries, and utilities, they will need to overcome additional obstacles related to work, such as finding a way to pay for gas or childcare services.
These unnecessary distractions caused by the shutdown have resulted in a system that becomes less safe with each passing daythan it was the day before. Controllers must be able to show up for work and tune out all distractions to ensure the safe and efficient movement of more than 45,000 flights, nearly 3 million passengers, and approximately 60,000 tons of cargo every day across more than 29 million square miles of airspace. The shutdown, and the stress of receiving a zero-dollar paycheck, have made this considerably more difficult for a controller workforce that has endured staffing challenges for more than a decade.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy’s plan to supercharge controller hiring and his efforts to mitigate the effects of the shutdown by keeping the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City open and continuing training in our nation’s air traffic control facilities are important initiatives that will help reduce the harm on controller staffing during the shutdown. NATCA strongly supports these initiatives and thanks Secretary Duffy for his steadfast support of controllers and other aviation safety professionals.
“NATCA shares in Secretary Duffy’s vision to supercharge controller hiring with the best and brightest candidates, and also fully funding the modernization and infrastructure efforts to transform the system into the NAS of the future,” Daniels said. “The sooner the shutdown ends, the sooner we can all get back to working together to advance these shared goals. In the meantime, controllers will continue to show up to ensure this country’s passengers and cargo arrive safely at their destination.”
