The Shutdown Is Pushing Air Safety Workers to the Limit

""We will never compromise on safety. When staffing constraints arise, the FAA will slow down air traffic at impacted airports to ensure operations remain safe," FAA spokesperson Hannah Walden tells WIRED, adding that Transportation secretary Sean Duffy " said that air traffic controllers who report to work will be paid. Regarding reductions in force (RIFs), DOT has been clear for months: safety critical positions-including air traffic controllers-have and will continue to be exempt from any RIFs.""

"One air traffic controller described this week's working conditions as "pretty much the same" but with "an undercurrent of fear that the dipshits in charge will use this as an excuse to decertify our union and take away all bargaining rights." Air traffic workers know that accusations of coordinated activity and sick-outs, or informal labor actions that could violate long-standing bargaining agreements with the government, are especially perilous right now, as federal officials threaten the status of public sector unions."

The FAA will slow air traffic at impacted airports during staffing constraints to maintain safety and will pay controllers who report to work; safety-critical positions remain exempt from reductions in force. The TSA described employees working without pay as placed in that position by political gamesmanship and urged reopening of the government. Public statements suggesting firing controllers who do not report have increased anxiety among air traffic workers. Workers report routine operations but fear potential decertification of their union and loss of bargaining rights, concerns amplified by prior attempts to end collective bargaining protections.

Read at WIRED