Air traffic controllers aren’t being paid right now, forcing many to call out sick as they scramble to scrape together enough money from second jobs to feed their families. But President Donald Trump is not happy about it, given all the delays that are happening at the nation’s airports. The president seems convinced he can just bully his way into getting air traffic controllers to keep working for no pay.
“All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially ‘docked,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday morning.
Trump went on to claim that air traffic controllers who were “GREAT PATRIOTS” and “didn’t take ANY TIME OFF” will potentially be getting a bonus of $10,000. To be more precise, Trump said he would be “recommending” a bonus, which doesn’t guarantee that anyone will actually receive it.
He referred to the government shutdown, which is currently on its 41st day, as the “Democrat Shutdown Hoax.”
The U.S. Senate made some movement on Sunday toward ending the shutdown, with eight Democrats voting in an early procedural step to push forward a final vote. However, ending the shutdown still faces several hurdles, including passage in the House. Democrats received no real concessions despite originally claiming they wanted Republicans to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Trump stressed his disappointment in the air traffic controllers who had not been showing up for work. They were supposed to be paid last Tuesday but instead received notices that they would be paid $0, forcing many to work jobs like driving for Uber and DoorDash.
“For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU. You didn’t step up to help the U.S.A. against the FAKE DEMOCRAT ATTACK that was only meant to hurt our Country. You will have a negative mark, at least in my mind, against your record,” Trump continued.
He also said that if air traffic controllers wanted to “leave service in the near future,” they shouldn’t hesitate to do so, but they would be getting no payment or severance.
Trump’s use of the phrase “near future” is noteworthy because he seems aware that telling people to quit immediately is the opposite of what he wants. Essentially, the president is telling those he views as disloyal to come back temporarily and then quit when it’s convenient for him.
This is troubling given the current shortage of somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 air traffic controllers, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Losing more personnel would be devastating to the goal of getting more trained and hired, even if the government shutdown ends soon.
More than 2,600 flights were canceled Sunday, and at least 1,400 flights were canceled already on Monday — roughly 5.5% of all flights nationwide, according to USA Today. That’s more than the 4% threshold ordered by the FAA as the agency phases in more cancellations, which are expected to reach 10% this week. Not all the cancellations are due to FAA-mandated slowdowns; some winter weather in the Chicago area also disrupted flights.
Duffy appeared on CNN on Sunday to emphasize the real dangers caused by being short-staffed, including incidents described as “loss of separation in the airspace,” meaning that planes are flying too close together.
The president also claimed on Monday that his administration was acquiring new equipment for air traffic controllers, describing it as “in process.”
“You will be quickly replaced by true Patriots, who will do a better job on the Brand New State of the Art Equipment, the best in the World, that we are in the process of ordering. The last ‘Administration’ wasted Billions of Dollars trying to fix antiquated ‘junk.’ They had no idea what they were doing!” Trump wrote.
He concluded with a message to those still working and those not reporting:
“Again, to our great American Patriots, GOD BLESS YOU I won’t be able to send your money fast enough! To all others, REPORT TO WORK IMMEDIATELY. GOD BLESS AMERICA! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP.”
It remains to be seen how Trump’s coercive approach will be received by air traffic controllers, who are already exhausted from trying to support their families, taking on second jobs, and doing their best during incredibly difficult times.
“I’m broken down. I’m sore. I’m mentally drained,” one controller based in the southeast U.S. told the New York Times. The controller said they had been using all their free time hanging Christmas lights to earn extra money.
“There’s some times where I felt like just going into the corner and crying because it’s been pretty tough to push through the physical pain, the tiredness and waking up the next day having to do it all over again,” the controller said.
https://gizmodo.com/trump-is-bullying-air-traffic-controllers-to-get-back-to-work-while-theyre-still-going-unpaid-2000683701