Air traffic controllers missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday as the government shutdown stretched into its 28th day.
Since air traffic controllers are considered essential workers, they have to keep working, but without pay until the shutdown ends.
Many air traffic controllers are calling in sick, disrupting flights across the country; others are taking second jobs, raising questions about safety in the skies.
“That political fight is trying to invade my airplane, get into my cockpit,” said Capt. Dennis Tajer, a pilot for American Airlines and a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, a pilot union for American.
3 questions with Capt. Dennis Tajer
Has the stress of the shutdown made its way into your cockpit?
“It has.
“When we are flying in the skies, near the speed of sound, I have to consider that, that air traffic controller has a lot of other things going on that he or she should not have going on in their life, and the catalyst for that is this government shutdown.
“We’ve been through this before. The longer it goes, the worse it gets.
“But our union, along with other unions, have said look, ‘We understand the politics, but enough’s enough. Vote for the clean CR [continuing resolution], so that we can move airplanes, safely, securely and reliably.’”
Is it safe to fly when the government is shut down?
“It’s safe to fly because we don’t fly the airplane unless it’s safe. But when you have an infrastructure under artificial pressure like this, we also are adult enough and professionals enough to know the analysis that you’re undermining the foundation.
“And as the political waters wash away at the foundation, we’re going to start seeing fissure cracks. And that’s what we’re keeping our head up and eyes open for.”
There is already a shortage of air traffic controllers. Does the shutdown and the attention that comes with it make recruitment efforts harder?
“That’s a great point. We have that issue with the pilot side as well.
“When your kid looks at something and says, ‘Well, that looks like a great profession, but it’s unstable, it has dips and dives, I’m not treated with some level of humane treatment, duty of care,’ people start to make a different choice, and that’s another longer-term problem.
“But anything that you’re doing to undermine the short-term, mid-term and long-term viability of the airline system will eventually land in your backyard.”
This interview was edited for clarity.
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Jill Ryan produced and edited this interview for broadcast with and Micaela Rodríguez. Michael Scotto adapted it for the web.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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