- cross-posted to:
- hackernews@lemmy.bestiver.se
- cross-posted to:
- hackernews@lemmy.bestiver.se
Overtaxed and unpaid air traffic controllers are resigning “every day” due to stress from the government shutdown.
“Controllers are resigning every day now because of the prolonged nature of the shutdown,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told CNN.
“We hadn’t seen that before. And we’re also 400 controllers short—shorter than we were in the 2019 shutdown.”
Air traffic controllers are federal workers, which means they are part of the approximately 730,000 federal employees working without pay since the shutdown began on Oct. 1.
The retired controllers should unionize, and put forth an option for future non-Turdpublican administrations to rehire them for fair wages, compensation, and benefits. It would be cheaper and easier than hiring fresh faces and hoping for the best.
Yeah, they have essential skills and experience and are almost impossible to replace, especially at short notice. We don’t tend to think of them when we fly, but they’re a reason we survive the experience. And given the stress of their jobs, IMO whatever they’re getting paid isn’t enough. And now they’re not getting paid at all.
That worked out well in the '80s…
Were they already very short with no hope of hiring enough for years when fired a bunch of them?
Yes
I don’t believe they “resigned” in the 80s. They went on strike.
And then were fired.
Yeah, so not the same thing.
A distinction without a difference.
Do explain how the active ATC employees trying to unionize is the same as retired ATC employees unionizing and offering thier services is not different?
If they try to unionize and strike, it will just get cancelled like biden did with the railroad strike a few years ago. Or knowing trump, they will just get outright fired.
Yeah, the commenter suggested the “retired” atc unionize and offer to return for a while to help out. The next commentor said that didn’t go so well during the Regan year, but that was the active ATC. The retired atc can’t strike… they are retired.