Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says he’ll fire “problem children” air traffic controllers who repeatedly call in sick during the government shutdown. In an interview on Fox Business he said there has been a spike in sick leave since the shutdown began more than a week ago that’s causing traffic disruptions. “If we have a continual small subset of controllers that don’t show up to work, and they’re the problem children … if we have some on our staff that aren’t dedicated like we need, we’re going to let them go,” Duffy told Fox Business. “I can’t have people not showing up for work.” The aggressive stance was a marked contrast to his conciliatory approach a few days earlier when he characterized controllers as victims of political intransigence by Democrats. He suggested a small fraction of controllers are using sick leave to put pressure on the system. ATC facilities all over the country have been reporting staff shortages, and traffic has been throttled to ensure safety. On Thursday there were 3,300 flight delays, most of them attributable to staffing shortages.
Earlier this week, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) urged members to continue to report for work even though they won’t be paid until the shutdown is over. Controllers are essential workers and inappropriately missing work is against the law, the union has told the members. “Participating in a job action could result in removal from federal service,” the union said. As for the firing threats, the union didn’t really engage. “There are processes and procedures in place to deal with the inappropriate use of sick leave,” it told Reuters in response. Duffy claimed that staffing issues normally account for 5% of flight delays but have gone up to 53% in the last week, noting that more than 90% of controllers are reporting for work. “It’s a small fraction of people who don’t come to work that can create this massive disruption, and that’s what you’re seeing rippling through our skies today.”
Dismissal may sound like a blessing for some and Duffy will have issues proving that being sick due to emotional distress from being governed by corrupt liars is unjustified or unreasonable. Go see a Psychiatrist!
Maybe its time to discipline some of the problem children in Washington. None of the politicians should have a single dime during times of disfunctional government. And they should not be allowed to collect back-pay for the times they deliberately chose to drive the country into the wall.
Talk about problem children….
Duffy says he will fire “problem children” controllers for calling in sick during the shutdown. Really? These people are working without pay, exhausted, and somehow they are the problem.
This is not irresponsibility. It is burnout and serious pushback. The FAA is short thousands, training is frozen, and the few still standing are holding the system together on fumes. Threats will not fix that.
The 35 day shutdown in 2018 nearly broke the system. Nobody knew when it would end, yet controllers still kept the NAS safe. Now it is happening again, and you have to wonder how long the strong can keep calling BS before they become too demoralized to hold the line.
In reading the Wiki on the 2018-2019 Shutdown, it said the controllers help break the shutdown with “sick leave” absences. Now Duffy is threating them with a Regan move that has hurt ATC to this very day.
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The end of the shutdown on January 25 occurred several hours after the Federal Aviation Administration was forced to limit flights at several major airports due to a high incidence of sick leave taken by air traffic controllers, who had been required to work during the shutdown without receiving paychecks. Though never claimed as a strike action,[18] the development was widely credited as precipitating the shutdown’s end.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018%E2%80%932019_United_States_federal_government_shutdown
So I would not be surprised if they all called in sick in response. Certainly justified.
Self-identified as irresponsible, petulent, and selfish.
They knew the rules when they signed up, and pouting (while endangering those who depend on them) won’t change those rules.
At least ATC experience conveys readily-transferable skills, such as…
Sounds to me like a rationale for abusing the workforce.
How ridiculous? Firing controllers that are calling out sick only exacerbates the shortage problem. Can this be more idiotic?
The beatings will continue until morale improves
April T – exactly what I was thinking!
And, this is happening in a background where the present regime routinely expresses contempt for civil servants in general. I’m aware of other “essential” workers who feel the no one in the upper ranks has their backs, so not surprised that controllers might be feeling the same.
That was a stupid thing for Duffy to say. Certainly does not gain any additional support from the controllers. The controllers are in the drivers’ seat this time. Unlike previously when they said, “hey, you can’t fire us all”, and Ronnie said, “oh yea, watch this”, the now, many years of known short staffing and the busy facilities doing six day weeks, the public is in their favor. Duffy, you’d better get yourself together and go suck up to the controllers that remain on duty.
And here is an overhead of ORD, similar picture at many other airports, of what the tower controllers see as they arrive for work. Scroll around. Yea, fire them and find someone who can do this later today. Oh, don’t forget they only had one day off this week and had rotating back to back shifts that leave little time for sleep.
https://weathercams.faa.gov/map/-87.91037,41.97228,-87.89623,41.9775
And do take a look at the rest of the airspace that actually hasn’t peaked yet today. Better get you new hires in place and trained before you start firing later today.
https://www.flightaware.com/live/
It makes no sense. We have a shortage of controllers, so lets fire those that we still have because they won’t work when they are not getting paid. How does that solve anything? The bottom line is that Congress needs to do its job and it isn’t doing that. Unfortunately controllers are just another pawn in the destructive politics the current administration is engaging in. My experience as a pilot has been that controllers in general are intelligent, sharp, and very capable people. I doubt that they would have trouble finding another job if they need to.
I think a psychologist would have some thoughts about Duffy as he refers to employees as problem children. It seems “Dad” is a little annoyed and the kids are misbehaving again, so Daddy is going to have to teach them all a lesson. In reality the ones running the government are actually the children.
Duffy is incompetent. It’s the relentless work schedule that grinds them down. Duffy, you are the problem because you failed to staff the ATO adequately knowing there would be a shortage. Admittedly this was a problem you inherited, but it’s you hot potato now and Duffy, you’re muffing it.
Also keep in mind that Sec.Duffy’s threat is in the context of news reports that the White House is circulating a memo that says there is no guarantee the Administration will provide back pay for government workers who are not being paid during the shutdown. There’s a real motivator.
Duffy claimed that staffing issues normally account for 5% of flight delays but have gone up to 53% in the last week, noting that more than 90% of controllers are reporting for work. “It’s a small fraction of people who don’t come to work that can create this massive disruption, and that’s what you’re seeing rippling through our skies today.”
That above statement by Duffy says so much about the system as it normally functions. Routine and anticipated controllers’ sick leave account for just 5% of delays. But move that up to just a 10% missing workforce and delays go to 53%. That says something about how thin the workforce has been spread. And that’s with six day workweeks at the busy facilities. Duffy should be on his knees and thanking the 90% that are still showing up…and hoping the other 10% get well soon.
Years ago at ORD, actually 38 years, we worked with only 65% of authorized staffing, and of course mandatory six day weeks. When did I say that was??? Anyhow, my daughter was a super outstanding student at her school (she’s much smarter than Dad). I asked a month ahead for a day off to go to her high school graduation. Nope, can’t approve that. No staffing to cover a day off. Well, somethings just have to be. I called in sick. They knew I would because that’s the only way it could happen. They understood. And sitting in front of me at the graduation was our assistant Chief. He knew and understood. How long ago did I say??? Has anything changed???
Some people are presuming that the majority of controllers who are calling in sick are doing it for non-medical reasons.
What those same people may not be truly comprending is that an air traffic controller is the only job on the planet where a single mistake, during any minute of their job, can get hundreds of men, women and children killed. A few years ago I got to spend 30 minutes in the Oakland Tracon next to a young lady handling flights into SFO. What was really disturbing to me was how little data those radar screens provided and how much mental gymnastics this lay was doing to maintain separation. It was a 2D screen and she was controlling thousands of lives in three dimensions. I started to get a sick feeling in my stomach when I truly realized just how difficult this job was and what the cost of a single mistake woudl be. When there was a slight break in the traffic I asked her, “How the hell do you do this 3d mental gymnastics while issung rapid-fire commands to airliners?”. Her response was, “You just have to know.” A controllers job is terrifying every day of the week. The mental stress in unlike any other job in the world. Every day these folks have to be 100% perfect physically and mentally. Any distraction durign their work day can have severe consequences.
Now, you understaff these facilities and have them working longer hours than has been proven to be medically unsafe. Then you treat them like its any other government job. Then you have ignorant idiots who feel they have a right to condemn these people based on soem talking head’s opinion. Then you threaten to not pay them for the work they are doing.
And now, you ask to mentally ignore all this extraneous abuse and mental stress and go to work where the slightest distraction will result in you killing hundreds of people. And if you do, you will be dragged throught he legal system and live with the sickening guilt of what you have done for teh rest of your life.
Very, very few people in the world can, or want, to do this insane job. Those who do it are well aware that they have to be 100% both physically and mentally before they ever sit down in front of that screen. Zero distractions allowed or people die because of you.
With all the added stress of wondering if youare going to be able to pay your bills or feed your family, it’s no wonder so many are calling in sick. The alternative is likely to be responsible for killing someones kid.
The irresponsibility is not in the towers. It is at the top, higher than Duffy, gambling with safety and calling it leadership. The controllers on the line deserve credit for having the courage to push back the only way they can, quietly sticking their necks out like the PATCO controllers did in 1981, knowing the risk but standing for something larger than themselves.
Hey! None of these comments from vayuwings are mine – the real Dave behind vayuwings. System alert editors!
I noticed that too, Dave. A comment showed up under my name as well. I asked Russ to remove it. It looks like there might be a security breach.
Ok, thanks Raf. Will keep an eye out, I’m sure Russ will fix it.
I as well began to wonder. Good that you caught it!
I’ve unapproved them while we figure out what happened. Weird.
For those with a default pfp, I’m pretty sure that someone just entering the same name and maybe knowing the poster’s email if they’re trying hard would allow for impersonation like that.
These comment systems aren’t really made to assure ongoing identity in a community.
This comment is intentionally trying to impersonate vayuwings.
Yep. It’s displaying the name vayuwings. I entered my normal email so you might be able to tell more easily on the backend.
Duffy is trying to act tough so Trump will pat him on the head.
The controllers calling in sick are not part of the plot. They are reacting to it. The shutdown and the push for “plenary power” concentrate control at the top, while their quiet resistance shows the system still knows how to defend itself.
Clearly a qualified head of DOT should have been chosen.