Air traffic controllers get $0 pay as government shutdown continues | 2025 US Federal Government Shutdown
Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees lost their first paycheck as the federal government shutdown continues into its fourth week. They are still required to work.
Nearly 11,000 air traffic controllerswho are considered essential workers, received $0 in wages on Tuesday, the equivalent of two weeks of unpaid work. Sean Duffy, the transport minister, warned at a news conference on Tuesday that not paying another salary could be financially disastrous for employees.
“A lot of our controllers can make it without the first paycheck; they’ve been on the job 10, 15, 20 years; they plan for days like this,” Duffy said at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
“This is day one,” Duffy added of the missed payments. “The second day gets harder,” [and] The third day becomes more difficult after that, as expenses continue [in]”.
Duffy noted that air travel remains safe, but flight delays and other travel issues could persist as the lockdown continues. Flight disruptions are becoming increasingly common due to staffing issues, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Staffing issues have been reported in Chicago, Dallas, Nashville and other major cities. At press time, more than 3,000 flights within, within or outside of the United States have been delayed. According to To FlightAware. The number of canceled American flights reached 132.
Union leaders also spoke about the financial hardships faced by essential workers. “Air traffic controllers have to have 100 percent focus all the time,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said at the same news conference. “And I’m watching the air traffic controllers go to work…they’re worried about paying for their daughter’s medicine. I got a message from a controller saying, ‘I’m out of money. If she doesn’t get the medicine she needs, she dies.”
Some airlines have taken to donating meals to unpaid federal workers to alleviate financial hardship. United said CBS News It has been feeding workers at its hubs, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Delta and JetBlue also said they would provide food to workers.
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Air traffic controllers have taken on side gigs like Uber Eats and DoorDash to make ends meet until the government reopens.
“They should never work a side job, they should never leave a night shift and then go wait tables,” Daniels said at the news conference.