this post was submitted on 08 Nov 2025
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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.

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[–] BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 323 points 4 weeks ago (5 children)

Democrats proposed a bill that all Federal employees get paid during the shutdown. GOP said no.

[–] digredior@lemmynsfw.com 75 points 4 weeks ago (5 children)

They should propose a bill that makes a lapse in appropriations trigger a CR so there’s no need for a shutdown.

[–] krashmo@lemmy.world 21 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

What is CR in this context?

[–] TRBoom@lemmy.zip 58 points 4 weeks ago (6 children)

Continuing resolution. Basically if they can’t make a new budget the old one gets used.

[–] Arghblarg@lemmy.ca 51 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

... kinda like every other sensible nation ON EARTH. Sigh.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 51 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Not really.

In Canada and other parliamentary type systems, failing to pass a budget triggers an election.

[–] Arghblarg@lemmy.ca 22 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Good point. That definitely disrupts things to some extent -- but the government doesn't literally stop everything, AFAIK. Don't departments still get their funding throughout, until the new government passes another budget?

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[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 45 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

The first time I'm reading about this. If the situation were reversed Republicans would be on every show everywhere repeating this taking point.

Democrats need to fucking hammer the Republicans on this 24/7 on every outlet possible.

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[–] BigMacHole@sopuli.xyz 129 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

WHY can't these GREEDY Air Traffic Controllers just BUCKLE DOWN so until we can CONFIRM that STARVING CHILDREN WILL NOT BE GETTING FOOD and that HEALTH CARE INSURANCE WILL BECOME UNAFFORDABLE FOR AMERICANS?

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[–] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 100 points 4 weeks ago (6 children)

So we can expect massive problems going into the busiest travel time of the year?

Thanks, Obama!

[–] snooggums@piefed.world 80 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

Also next year and the year after since this is a permanent reduction in the workforce.

[–] Tm12@lemmy.ca 63 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

Ahh Reagan, he may not be the only one that caused us to get to where we are, but he did a phenomenal job teaching the next generation how to fuck up everything for everyone.

[–] can_you_change_your_username@fedia.io 24 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

He's pretty much directly responsible for the atc problems. Their union went on strike during his presidency and he did mass firings and union busting. It takes years to fully train and qualify an atc and the job has an incredible amount of stress. They aren't easy to recruit and train. We've had a national shortage of atc since his firings. If he had negotiated with them in good faith we wouldn't have had a sudden shortage that we couldn't catch up from then and their working conditions would have improved making them easier to recruit and train.

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[–] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 31 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

The very last thing you want on a job is old timers who have been through terrible situations and know shortcuts and tricks to get through it.

Institutional memory? Bah! We have MBA's!

[–] zqwzzle@lemmy.ca 31 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

They’re gonna stick AI in there and then the body count is gonna skyrocket.

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[–] vegeta@lemmy.world 76 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (4 children)

He's planning on using the military to take over the airports, like they did in the Revolutionary War .

[–] Shadow@lemmy.ca 36 points 4 weeks ago (4 children)

He's not paying the military either, not sure how well that'll work for him.

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[–] BetaBlake@lemmy.world 67 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I'm sure this is Bidens fault somehow right? Isn't that usually how this goes, blame Biden for some shit that has nothing to do with him?

[–] NABDad@lemmy.world 50 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Well...if he had gotten the justice department to actually nail Trump, then we might have avoided this.

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[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 21 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

It's clearly Obama's fault!

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[–] SARGE@startrek.website 55 points 4 weeks ago

I fully expect the regime to announce they're arresting ATC personnel who quit.

[–] stringere@sh.itjust.works 53 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I hope we can all agree that people should not be furloughed or working without pay during this shutdown but something I haven't seen reported on is the effect this will have on economies locally and nationally.

Napkin math so someone correct me if needed:

  • 4.5 million furloughed or working without pay.
  • Average salary I found was $68,000 but let's use 50,000 to account for the top paying jobs probably still getting paid.
  • That gives us $4,166 monthly.
  • For each month of shutdown that comes to $18,747,000,000 that isn't being spent

While I'm sure most of us Americans could do with less consumption, I can't help but wonder how many small businesses are going to suffer from this. This is especially true for areas with large amounts of federal employment.

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[–] aramis87@fedia.io 52 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

”Controllers are resigning every day now because of the prolonged nature of the shutdown [...] We hadn’t seen that before."

Well, none of the other shutdowns have gone on this long. I'm also struggling to remember any shutdown that's gone on for any length in an economy this clearly bad and heading further downhill. Nor has there ever been a shutdown where the head of the government has said they won't be paid in the end for time worked. It makes perfect sense for the ATC's to prioritize themselves, their families and their finances over a system that consistently and chronically under-values them, over-works and over-stresses them, and has explicitly declared it has no loyalty or concern for the people who work there.

[–] phdepressed@sh.itjust.works 38 points 4 weeks ago

Cause this is the longest shutdown in history. The now second longest was during Trump's first term...

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 48 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

A plane is gonna crash because of overworked atc and then they'll declare it terrorism and invoke martial law.

Mark my words.

[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 22 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

We all know the real reason is DEI! /s

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[–] ThatGuy46475@lemmy.world 47 points 3 weeks ago (16 children)

So, how good is ChatGPT at doing air traffic control?

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[–] 4grams@awful.systems 42 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 children)

I just got off my flight to Mexico. I have no idea if I’m getting home. It wasn’t a dealbreaker for the trip..

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 22 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Espero que hayas estudiado tu español.

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[–] discosnails@lemmy.wtf 36 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

They want to privatize this mark my words. AIATC incoming...

[–] PlantJam@lemmy.world 33 points 4 weeks ago

New worst use case for AI just dropped.

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[–] MourningDove@lemmy.zip 34 points 3 weeks ago

Good. I hope America grinds to a fucking standstill. And that as a result of it, traitorous cowards like Fueher Shitshimself never see the light of day, let alone any position of authority.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 29 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Pedo Antoinette might just get the ending he deserves sooner rather than later

[–] ToastedRavioli@midwest.social 22 points 3 weeks ago

The minute that the controller shortage fucks the wrong wealthy person’s private jet trip suddenly everything will magically be fixed.

He picked a terrible time to frontload this issue by giving rich people extra tax writeoffs on private jets. Theyre gonna be pissed if their new private jets become useless

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 29 points 3 weeks ago (11 children)

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.

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[–] quick_snail@feddit.nl 26 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

No government: good for the people oppressed by the State

No planes: good for the climate.

[–] BenLeMan@lemmy.world 24 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, the "people" benefiting most from less state "oppression" are corporations.

The rest of the people are still being plenty oppressed e.g. by masked goons claiming to work for the government. Shutdown or no shutdown.

Meanwhile, the government is literally letting people starve for political reasons.

As for the planes, I agree.

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[–] Wispy2891@lemmy.world 25 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

At least I'm guessing those unpaid federal workers won't vote republican for the rest of their lives

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 37 points 3 weeks ago

🤣 Sweet summer child

[–] AlecSadler@lemmy.blahaj.zone 29 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
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[–] LoafedBurrito@lemmy.world 23 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Get out now, the government is never reopening and this will be our new future.

This is the small government the GOP base wanted.

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[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 22 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

shorter than we were in the 2019 shutdown.

Ah, so there was a shutdown in 2019 as well. Anyone know if there was anything in common between 2019 and 2025? In, idk the American government or something? Any important people in common between 2019 and 2025?

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