Air traffic controllers warn of 'tipping point' as US gov shutdown drags on

3 months ago (npr.org)

> The government shutdown is taking a growing toll on air traffic controllers who are required to work without pay.

Super weird that this part is actually legal. Either they should be required to work or goverment should be required to pay.

  • The US has some very strange definitions of Freedom.

    Forcing people to work without paying them sounds like another one of those “uniquely American” problems like school shootings or healthcare.

    • It sucks but the alternative is to let the government spend nonexistent money in violation of statute.

      And nobody is forced to work, like being at a startup that has some liquidity hiccups, sometimes you take a delayed paycheck. Other times you find other work.

      And for the nonessential employees, they legally can't work but get paid for their time when the government reopens. If you aren't living paycheck to paycheck, it's a great opportunity to work on that Steam backlog.

      13 replies →

  • They'll get back pay when gov resumes, and they know it. It doesn't make it any easier to get by in the meantime, especially for those that live paycheck to paycheck.

    • Yep. Tricky for those that have childcare costs that they now cannot meet. Some in similar positions are forced out of work.

  • Is this like mandatory you have to work, or ... you have to work or you'll be fired?

    If the former, I always wonder about folks who were set to retire, age out, got a new job they're starting, have health issues, etc..

  • > air traffic controllers who are required to work without pay

    What happens to them if they just refuse to work? They certainly cannot be prosecuted, as the 13th Amendment prohibits slavery.

They canceled the shutdown. Democrats agreed to give Trump everything he wants and nothing the Democrats want. Which is super weird because the election just showed people want what the Democrats want. Anyways.

  • No they didn't. Nobody has even voted yet. And it still must go to the House for a vote assuming it passes the Senate. The measly 8 democrats that were in favor of this were all literally who's and known traitors like Fetterman.

    • How it actually works, every single time:

      A majority of (or at least, enough) Democrats decide they want something unpopular.

      They calculate exactly how many Democrats need to vote for the thing they want to happen. Notice how it always passes by one vote.

      They figure out which Democrats who want the unpopular thing and will suffer the fewest consequences by voting for it. Notice how the Democrats who voted for the unpopular thing are always ones who are either unable to be voted out soon, or are guaranteed to be voted out because they hit term limits soon, and in either case they have nothing to lose by being unpopular.

      Only those Democrats vote for the unpopular thing, and the remaining Democrats and the party as a whole suffer minimal reputational damage.

      In this case, the Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer, despite voting against the unpopular thing because his reputational damage would not be minimal, was almost certainly involved in organizing it.

      They may or may not compensate them for being the fall guys. Possibly the thing itself is enough compensation. Politicians love when their private jets are allowed to take off because air traffic controllers are getting paid (or forced to work for no pay).