As the U.S. government shutdown lingers on, flight cancellations and delays steadily rise. The delays are attributed to roughly 10% of air traffic controllers calling in sick each day, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a Thursday appearance on Fox Business.
During a shutdown, many federal employees may be furloughed or have to work without pay, which can lead to slower operations and longer delays.
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Airports were already short on air traffic controllers, which was causing delays. With the government shutdown, the problem has only worsened, and disruptions may increase further.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a statement that it does not “endorse, support, or condone any federal employees participating in or endorsing a coordinated activity that negatively affects the capacity of the NAS, or any other activities that undermine the professional image and reputation of the people we represent.”
Duffy: Sick calls tied to staffing crisis
Duffy attributed the rise in flight delays to a current staffing shortage exacerbated by the shutdown. He said that usually about 5% of disruptions are caused by flight control staffing shortages.
“At this time, it’s 53%. So, a massive rise in the delays are coming from controllers who aren’t coming to work. It’s a problem, they do have to go to work,” Duffy said.
The host, Stuart Varney, asked Duffy if the Federal Aviation Administration would pay air traffic controllers who call in sick during the government shutdown.
“Listen, no. We’re not,” Duffy replied. “But what we are going to do is pay those controllers once the government opens back up for the time they put in.”
Furloughs widen; legal issues over back pay
Thousands of federal workers from government agencies like the Commerce Department, Education Department, IRS and NASA have already been furloughed. At the same time, the White House suggested ending the shutdown by threatening not to pay laid-off workers their back pay, according to a memo reviewed by NBC News.
However, even if someone tries to argue that furloughed workers shouldn’t get paid for the shutdown period, there’s already a law that says they must be paid, regardless of the circumstances.
Duffy addresses potential terminations
Duffy clarified his earlier comments while appearing on Scripps News programming Thursday afternoon. Host Maritsa Georgiou asked Duffy if he was worried about the long-term consequences of firing air traffic controllers who call in sick during the shutdown.
“If they’re sick, they’re sick. I’m fine with that,” Duffy replied. “But if they’re not showing up to work and they’re calling out for other reasons, and it’s coordinated and they collaborate on it, I don’t want those people working in air traffic.”
