{"id":2654661,"date":"2026-09-04T13:47:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T17:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hundreds-of-air-traffic-controllers-come-out-against-faa-and-natca\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T13:53:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T17:53:20","slug":"hundreds-of-air-traffic-controllers-come-out-against-faa-and-natca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hundreds-of-air-traffic-controllers-come-out-against-faa-and-natca\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds of air traffic controllers come out against FAA and NATCA"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhundreds-of-air-traffic-controllers-come-out-against-faa-and-natca%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2654661&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Air traffic controllers are accusing the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Management (FAA) of prioritizing efficiency and cost-cutting over public safety, leading to low morale, mental health crises, and increased risks in air travel. Many controllers report working excessive hours, dealing with chronic understaffing, and facing unsafe working conditions, including long shifts and frequent overtime. The workforce is under immense pressure, with suicides among controllers being significantly higher than the national average, and many leaving the profession early. despite Congress funding a raise for controllers, the FAA has withheld it, citing the need to increase productivity-a move critics say is misguided and dangerous. Issues stem from management\u2019s focus on cost-efficiency, reduced staffing levels, inadequate pay, and a lack of meaningful support for controller mental health. The union representing controllers has expressed frustration over the lack of action and perceived neglect, while lawmakers have called for accountability and better safety measures. the crisis highlights deep concerns about safety, staffing, and worker wellbeing in the U.S. air traffic control system.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>EXCLUSIVE \u2014<\/strong> Air traffic controllers are accusing the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration of prioritizing efficiency and cost-cutting over public safety, a shift that workers warn has driven morale to an all-time low and placed the flying public at heightened risk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Air traffic controllers shared those dynamics following an August <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8671PKdNxMQ\">interview<\/a> with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/federal-aviation-administration\">FAA<\/a> Administrator Bryan Bedford published by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. More than 400 individuals who identify as FAA air traffic controllers have privately reached out to the publication since then and warned that the nation\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/air-travel\">aviation system<\/a> has reached a breaking point.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4712413\/air-traffic-controllers-turn-on-faa-chief-as-tensions-boil-over-deteriorating-quality\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Air traffic controllers turn on FAA chief as tensions boil over<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4711638\/nvidia-buy-hugging-face-13-billion\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Nvidia buys Hugging Face for $13 billion despite OpenAI hacking<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4710790\/delta-american-trump-accounts-matching-efforts\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Two major airlines join $1,000 Trump Accounts matching efforts: White House<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These mounting problems have placed immense pressure on an exhausted, underpaid, and mentally stressed workforce expected to perform flawlessly every time they sit at the controls. The crisis has led to tragic and unprecedented outcomes: insiders note that suicides among controllers are eight times the national average, while tenured employees are increasingly walking away from the agency years before reaching mandatory retirement age.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\">Law enforcement authorities have charged two men in relation to an incident in which an air traffic controller at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina allegedly had possession of weapons of mass destruction. (AP Photo\/The Charlotte Observer, Todd Sumlin)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/09\/localimages\/5a0334d2018e8331fd8cdf999e136dac-scaled-e1788534025838.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Law enforcement authorities have charged two men in relation to an incident in which an air traffic controller at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina allegedly had possession of weapons of mass destruction. (AP Photo\/The Charlotte Observer, Todd Sumlin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe work hard every day and take a tremendous amount of pride in what we do,\u201d one controller wrote in a text message. \u201cMost of us are veterans. We have been completely demoralized for the past 5 years while trying to manage the busiest airspace in the world with more airplanes than any other time in aviation.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-backlash-over-faa-administrator-s-capitalist-approach\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Backlash over FAA administrator\u2019s capitalist approach<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rank-and-file workers argue that Bedford is approaching agency management entirely backward, treating a federal safety agency like a corporate balance sheet by trying to squeeze out every ounce of productivity from controllers. Critics say he is running the FAA like a capitalist businessman, prioritizing cost-effectiveness as he did at his former company, regional Republic Airways, while treating public safety as a secondary concern.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One controller from the New York Center who retired in August said he chose to leave after more than two decades due to the deteriorating culture. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith the administration that\u2019s in now, the morale in that building is at an all-time low,\u201d he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The retired controller stated that management at his facility focused heavily on keeping controllers on shift longer, a move he says actively endangers the public. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What upset the workforce most, however, was Bedford\u2019s admission that the FAA is withholding a 2.8% retroactive raise, and wrongly claiming it was a union issue and not under the FAA\u2019s control, which the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/travel\/4701801\/faa-air-traffic-controller-raises-staffing-shortage\/\">investigated<\/a> last month. Although Congress approved and funded the compensation package four months ago, Bedford said it is on hold until the agency can \u201cunlock more productivity\u201d from its workers by having them work five hours at the controls each shift instead of the current four. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cControllers are working harder than ever, moving more traffic than ever, and are responsible for a large portion of the country\u2019s GDP but Bedford and [Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy] are literally trying to make [the] job more difficult instead of helping us,\u201d another controller wrote in a message.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hanan Wiseman, the Boston Consolidated TRACON (A90) Facility Representative and a member of the Northern New England Regional Labor Relations team, issued a letter\u00a0addressing Bedford\u2019s stance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCongress put the raise money in the law in April and left the decision to pay it in the Administrator\u2019s \u2018sole discretion.\u2019 The law does not require a single thing from this union,\u201d Wiseman wrote. \u201cHe could sign the determination today. The condition he described on camera is one he invented. That is gaslighting, plain and simple. We do not decide whether a facility is open 24 hours. We do not manage scheduling. We do not assign the work. Every one of those is an Agency function, and if the Administrator believes they are broken, he sits in the perfect position to fix them.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\">Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford looks on as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference on new drone regulations, Aug. 5, 2025, at the Department of Transportation in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/09\/localimages\/AP25345832684739.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford looks on as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference on new drone regulations, Aug. 5, 2025, at the Department of Transportation in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FAA requires controllers to teach trainees, as well as learn new technology, new procedures, and changes in airspace when not at the controls. Controllers must participate in team briefings and weather briefings. They work, then have recuperative breaks. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-toll-of-chronic-understaffing\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The toll of chronic understaffing<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The push for productivity stands in contrast with how safety is measured. The National Transportation Safety Board <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ntsb.gov\/news\/Testimony\/Pages\/Homendy-20260212.aspx\">told<\/a> Congress in February that \u201cresearch in a simulated air traffic control room showed that extended time on task (over 90 minutes) increased detection latency for complex events such as two aircraft at the same altitude on the same flight path.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This means every additional minute a controller is forced to work beyond that window drastically increases the likelihood of a catastrophic miscall, making sheer productivity a potentially dangerous metric for success.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, air travel has surged since 1980. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/magazine.northeast.aaa.com\/daily\/newsroom\/air-travel-was-up-in-2025-but-growth-slowed-patterns-shifted\/\">More than 906 million<\/a> people boarded flights in the United States last year compared to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.airlines.org\/dataset\/air-travelers-in-america-annual-survey\/\">295 million<\/a> in 1980, yet thousands fewer certified controllers work today than 46 years ago \u2014 about <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.faa.gov\/newsroom\/faa-releases-bold-new-air-traffic-controller-hiring-plan\">11,000<\/a> now compared to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oklahoman.com\/story\/news\/1987\/08\/04\/125-faa-controllers-graduate\/62681892007\/?gnt-cfr=1&#038;gca-cat=p&#038;gca-uir=false&#038;gca-epti=z1152xxe1152xxv000033&#038;gca-ft=131&#038;gca-ds=sophi\">16,300<\/a> then.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Controllers are buckling under the scheduling requirements. Every controller who spoke with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, alongside more than 100 who sent private messages, reported a long-term trend of getting just four days off per month. Shifts regularly span 10 hours. Instead of working a standard four-day, 40-hour week, controllers are assigned two mandatory overtime shifts per week, forcing them into six-day workweeks that often devastate family and personal life, as well as complicate mental health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The back-to-back shifts can also hurt sleep cycles. Rather than working stable hours, controllers cycle through chaotic shifts, often working an overnight block and returning to the facility just 10 hours later, only for the following day\u2019s shift to start at a different time of day or night.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\">An airplane flies over an air traffic control tower at LAX in California. (stellalevi\/Getty Images\/iStock)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/09\/localimages\/istock-942477232-scaled-e1788534080533.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An airplane flies over an air traffic control tower at LAX in California. (stellalevi\/Getty Images\/iStock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amid this operational fatigue, a recent leak has further strained relations between staff and leadership. Days after Bedford\u2019s interview, internal FAA findings were leaked to the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em>, painting controllers in a negative light by suggesting that two at LaGuardia Airport had recklessly walked off their jobs early.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Insiders, including retired air traffic controller Dave Riley, argue the leak mischaracterized standard facility practices designed to address worker fatigue, such as the \u201c59-minute rule,\u201d which permits controllers to leave within an hour of their shift\u2019s end if there is adequate coverage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI bet you the two controllers that went home early were probably working their butts off all night,\u201d Riley said in a phone call. \u201cWhen the mid-shift guys got there, they recognized that and were like, \u2018Hey, you guys get out of here, we\u2019re going to cover this.\u2019 Those controllers probably had minimum time off before their next shift\u2014nine or 10 hours\u2014where they had to rush home just to maybe get six or seven hours of sleep. That\u2019s the fatigue that controllers have been going through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 90% of the nation\u2019s 313 air traffic control facilities were short-staffed as of 2025, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/31\/business\/air-traffic-controllers-understaffed.html\">according to<\/a> the <em>New York Times<\/em>. Staffing shortfalls, created when employees choose to retire early and most trainees fail out, are a leading factor for flight delays, not employees taking sick days, as Duffy has publicly stated. Towers can only manage so many flights at a time with the limited number of staff available.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">John Scully, a 30-year air traffic controller who worked at FAA headquarters in Washington for a decade, said the DOT and FAA have continued to \u201cdevalue\u201d controllers \u201cwith public tweets about sick leave abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Data on suicide among air traffic controllers show that in 2024, controllers were eight times more likely to die by suicide than the national average, with 12 deaths reported in that calendar year, according to information obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and shared with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou can tell Bedford to contact us,\u201d another controller wrote. \u201cWe have a list of growing suicides. Since he\u2019s so blissfully ignorant.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-short-workers-and-short-in-pay\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Short workers and short in pay<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The union and the FAA agreed several years ago to address staffing by hiring enough trainees that in several years\u2019 time, the FAA would have 14,500 certified controllers, but Duffy and Bedford adjusted those levels down by 2,000 controllers. Duffy and Bedford declared there was no staffing shortage because they had simply reduced the number of controllers needed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the next few years, staffing is set to go off the cliff. The FAA\u2019s own <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/travel\/4362392\/shutdown-faa-air-traffic-controller-trainees-quit-government-shutdown\/\">projections<\/a> show 6,900 of its current 11,000 certified controllers will retire by 2028.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Government Accountability Office <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/blog\/while-thousands-applied-become-air-traffic-controllers-theres-still-shortage-we-looked-why\">study<\/a> released in January concluded that just 2% of applicants of applicants will become certified controllers, making it impossible to make up for the massive personnel loss ahead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hiring was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/travel\/4362392\/shutdown-faa-air-traffic-controller-trainees-quit-government-shutdown\/\">halted<\/a> during the pandemic because trainees were unable to attend classes due to social distancing, which exacerbated the staffing shortfalls. Last year, the FAA convinced Congress to fund a $12.5 billion overhaul of systems and infrastructure of the air traffic control system, including some money for hiring. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\">Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announces a new air traffic control infrastructure plan, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AP25128691841703-scaled-e1788534164956.webp?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announces a new air traffic control infrastructure plan, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNobody cares about the new equipment,\u201d the retired New York controller said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Riley said controller salaries remain dramatically behind 2026 levels, adjusted for a decade of inflation into account. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FAA\u2019s hiring <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.faa.gov\/atc-hiring\">page<\/a> touts \u201celite compensation\u201d with the \u201caverage certified earnings [exceeding] $155,000+\u00a0per year within 3 years of Academy graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those salaries are based on location and traffic. Some controllers volunteered their salaries to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> and reported making around $100,000 per year, even after a decade of experience. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have 5,000 lives our in hands at a time or a shift,\u201d Riley said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re making like maybe [a] fifth, maybe [a] third, of what a pilot is making.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-a-union-but-no-voice\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A union but no voice<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Controllers say they have stayed silent for fear of what could happen if they speak up or consider striking.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1981, more than 10,000 union members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization organized a strike. Former President Ronald Reagan made the unprecedented decision to fire 90% of unionized air traffic controllers for not returning to work within 48 hours and to permanently replace them with military air traffic controllers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Reagan administration shuttered PATCO, and air traffic controllers organized under a new union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, many controllers are as angry with the union as they are with the FAA and DOT.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThrough all of it, our President and the National Executive Board have sat silent,\u201d Wiseman wrote. \u201cThey have turned their backs on us in the most critical of times and left us carrying the stress that the DOT and the FAA have placed on this workforce. That stress is the greatest threat to the safety of the flying public, and the world needs to know it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several current and retired controllers suggested that NATCA and its president, Nick Daniels, were treading lightly with the Trump administration out of concern the government could legally decertify the union, as the Reagan administration did.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe problem with that, in my opinion, at this point, is that these controllers been suffering for so long, not getting a contractual pay raise in the paybands since 2009, the pay has not kept up with inflation, and then everything is exacerbated by the overuse of overtime,\u201d Riley said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The union provided a comment from Daniels that stated \u201ccontrollers have legitimate concerns about staffing, compensation, workload, and mental health [and] continue to perform an incredibly demanding job professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Daniels, who was elected as union president in 2024, said \u201ca lot of work happens outside the public eye,\u201d adding that NATCA was \u201cengaging\u201d with the DOT, FAA, and Congress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe listen, we acknowledge the concerns, and we advocate for solutions,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cOur responsibility is to turn those concerns into action while being realistic about what we can accomplish immediately and what will take time. We are actively working on compensation, staffing, scheduling, workload, and mental health issues. Some discussions are ongoing and involve multiple stakeholders, so we aren\u2019t able to publicly discuss every detail.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-capitol-hill-takes-notice\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Capitol Hill takes notice<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The crisis has caught the attention of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. After reviewing more than 100 comments submitted to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> by active controllers, Senate Democratic Whip\u00a0Dick Durbin\u00a0(D-IL) said Duffy\u00a0should address the matter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAir traffic controllers already have one of the most stressful jobs in the country, and new, harrowing reporting shows they are being pushed to the brink by this administration as they work endlessly to ensure millions of people safely get to their destination,\u201d\u00a0Durbin\u00a0said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Durbin, a longtime advocate of air traffic controllers, alleged that the administration is weaponizing well-deserved compensation adjustments against an exhausted workforce.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cReporting shows that their pay increase is being used as a bargaining chip by the Trump administration, they work significant overtime hours, they have to request off a year in advance, they are not receiving access to mental health resources, and the list goes on,\u201d Durbin said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cInstead of focusing on his ridiculous reality TV show, the Secretary of Transportation should be prioritizing protecting the men and women who are working around the clock to keep our skies safe,\u201d Durbin said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\">\u201cHere\u2019s what it boils down to: The presumption, I believe, should be in favor of keeping guns out of a person\u2019s hand if they\u2019re on the list,\u201d Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin told the Examiner. (AP Photo)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/09\/localimages\/7684dda2f7abb55a0862ccc921150005.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cHere\u2019s what it boils down to: The presumption, I believe, should be in favor of keeping guns out of a person\u2019s hand if they\u2019re on the list,\u201d Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin told the Examiner. (AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FAA and DOT did not respond to requests for comment. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scully, the FAA headquarters and air traffic controller veteran, said he believed the FAA did not respond \u201cbecause they don\u2019t have any good answers. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think the end game is the same as it has been for a long time: plausible deniability,\u201d Scully said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/travel\/4701801\/faa-air-traffic-controller-raises-staffing-shortage\/\">FAA LEAVES AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER RAISES IN LIMBO AMID MOUNTING STRAIN ON SYSTEM<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A White House spokesman pointed to the FAA and DOT\u2019s hiring ploy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is no higher priority for President Trump than the safety and security of Americans, and Secretary Duffy has been personally leading the Department of Transportation\u2019s effort to recruit new air traffic controllers and modernize America\u2019s air traffic control system,\u201d White House spokesman Kush Desai wrote in an email. \u201cMore controllers and a modernized control system will not only provide relief for these workers, but keep Americans safer in the skies.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Controllers accuse FAA of risking safety for efficiency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2655,"featured_media":2654662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/5a0334d2018e8331fd8cdf999e136dac-scaled-e1788534025838.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[49503,50012,85140,14154,85139],"class_list":["post-2654661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-air-traffic-control","tag-air-traffic-controllers","tag-aviation-protest","tag-faa","tag-natca"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/5a0334d2018e8331fd8cdf999e136dac-scaled-e1788534025838.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2655"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2654661"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2654665,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654661\/revisions\/2654665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2654662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2654661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2654661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2654661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}