Nick Daniels, who heads the air traffic controllers union, said reducing the number of flights would keep the air traffic control system safe as ATC operators are distracted by personal financial strains related to the government shutdown.
“Every day that this continues, the risk is going to increase,” Daniels told “The Takeout” tonight. Air traffic controllers “must be present 100%, 100% of the time. But now they worry about putting gas in their car.
He also told “The Takeout” that he knew an air traffic controller who had been “kicked out of his apartment.”
Air traffic controllers have now had two consecutive pay periods with $0.00 checks, and their last paycheck with income was a partial paycheck, Daniels pointed out, since the pay period ended after the shutdown began.
Daniels said he hears from union members: “It manifests itself as anger…they don’t know where to focus it, but it’s also frustration, stress, fatigue, their mental well-being.”
“They must be prepared to ensure the safety of the traveling public,” he added. “So every day that this goes on, it introduces new problems, because these are real people with real lives and all Americans can relate. If you don’t pay anyone, there will be problems ahead.”
