NATCA Leaflets Nearly 20 Airports Nationwide as Shutdown Forces First Missed Paycheck
| NOTE: NATCA distributed the following statement earlier today as a press release. |
Two weeks after first taking to airport terminals to warn travelers about the growing consequences of the federal government shutdown, air traffic controllers across the country returned to airports on Tuesday—this time without a paycheck.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) organized informational leafleting at nearly 20 airports nationwide as the shutdown entered its fourth week and controllers received their first zero-dollar paycheck. Now, with pay halted entirely, the stakes have only grown.
“Air traffic controllers don’t start or stop government shutdowns—politicians do. Yet right now, the people who keep our skies safe and our nation moving are doing their job without a paycheck,” said NATCA President Nick Daniels. “Many are already working six days a week, and now they are facing the impossible choice of taking on extra jobs just to feed their families. Meanwhile, Congress is leading us towards what could be the longest shutdown in our nation’s history, and introducing risk into an already fragile system.”
Controllers leafleting today sought to educate travelers about how the shutdown continues to impact efficiency and introduce risk into the National Airspace System (NAS) and jeopardizes the $1.5 trillion aviation sector that supports millions of American jobs.
During the nationwide action, NATCA members took to Atlanta Hartsfield–Jackson International, Bangor International, Boston Logan, Charlotte Douglas, Cleveland Hopkins International, Denver International, Detroit Metropolitan, Houston Intercontinental, New York LaGuardia, Los Angeles International, Minneapolis–Saint Paul International, Orlando International, Philadelphia International, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Salt Lake City International, San Francisco International, Seattle–Tacoma, Tampa International, and Washington National.
Many controllers are working mandatory overtime up to six days a week and ten hours a day. Even before the shutdown began, the FAA was facing a critical controller staffing shortage, with just 10,800 fully certified controllers—3,800 short of the agency’s target level. NATCA has long warned that this shortfall leaves the system fragile and increasingly dependent on mandatory overtime, and has been a vocal advocate of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s call to accelerate hiring and modernization efforts to restore safety margins and prepare the system for future growth.
But that progress is now on hold. Many of the safety technologies and radar systems that controllers depend on daily are decades old, requiring constant upkeep and upgrades. With modernization projects halted and essential maintenance work suspended, the risk of system failures and equipment outages grows by the day.
