Air traffic controllers receive partial pay

U.S. air traffic controllers have received partial paychecks and could lose their next paychecks altogether if the shutdown continues for another two weeks, their union said Tuesday.

“The job is stressful enough,” said Raymond Dahlstrom, an air traffic controller. “Now you add this factor, when am I going to get my next paycheck?” Dahlstrom and some of his colleagues distributed flyers outside New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday urging the public to demand lawmakers end the shutdown.

Air traffic controllers and airport security monitors are among thousands of government employees required to work despite not receiving salaries during the crisis.

Last week, a shortage of air traffic controllers caused delays at airports, including those in Nashville, Tennessee, and Burbank, California, even though most facilities were adequately staffed.

“We still show up, no one is calling in sick…except that they are sick,” Dahlstrom said. Some probationers are taking second jobs such as driving for rideshare companies to help make ends meet while they are unpaid, he said.

The more than month-long shutdown that began in late 2018 ended hours after a shortage of air traffic controllers crippled air travel in the New York area.

Even outside of the lockdown, the United States was dealing with a shortage of trained air traffic controllers, periodically disrupting flights. Airline executives have pushed for more training initiatives and more modern technology for years.

Air traffic controllers are scheduled to distribute information flyers at other airports in Washington, D.C., and Chicago on Tuesday.