Air traffic controllers at Philadelphia International Airport said they’re continuing to work long hours without pay as the federal government shutdown enters its fourth week.
On Tuesday, controllers received their first zero-dollar paychecks.
Charles Jaques, an air traffic controller who said he spends six days a week in the tower, said he and his colleagues are still trying to keep passengers safe under growing financial strain.
“The air traffic controllers that are working the flights in and out of here on a daily basis are currently doing it without getting a paycheck,” Jaques said. “I just worked 80 hours last week, and I received zero dollars in compensation.”
Jaques showed CBS News Philadelphia his empty paycheck for the pay period between Oct. 5 and Oct. 18. He said it’s the first empty paycheck since the shutdown began, and he fears it won’t be the last.
“I have two kids and a wife at home who can’t work due to medical issues,” he said. “So I’m a single-income household, and right now, this has put an extreme toll on me personally.”
Jaques said about 130 controllers at Philadelphia International are now working six days a week without pay. On their only day off this week, many handed out flyers urging travelers to contact their members of Congress, calling on them to find a resolution and end the shutdown.
CBS News Philadelphia.
“[The job] already has enough stress as it is,” he said. “And you don’t want a controller sitting in the control tower thinking about that while they’re working your flight.”
Some travelers said they were grateful for the controllers’ commitment to show up for work despite receiving no pay.
“I am happy that the people who run the nuts and bolts of our society are still are respectful enough and honorable enough to show up to work and do the critical things that we need every day,” said Peter Fischer, who flew into Philadelphia Tuesday for a conference.
“They keep us safe while we’re up in the sky,” added Dave Owens, who was returning from Orlando.
Union leaders warn the shutdown’s effects will stretch far beyond the current pay freeze. Mike Christine, eastern regional vice president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said the ongoing uncertainty could make it harder to recruit future controllers.
“You better prepare to not get paid every two years [when] there’s a government shutdown,” Christine said. “That’s not very attractive. That’s not how you recruit the best and the brightest.”
Controllers’ next scheduled paycheck is two weeks away.
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