Target: Sean Duffy, U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Goal: Ensure air traffic controllers receive the benefits and training they need to succeed.
Air travel in the United States has endured a rocky year, with several high-profile incidents calling its safety into question and passenger protections being routinely rolled back. America’s longest government shutdown has only compounded the problems. Flights have been delayed and outright cancelled in large numbers, and the scheduling headaches will likely only increase going into a busy holiday travel season. One of the major drivers of this turmoil, however, has been flashing red warning signals well before the government shuttered.
The federal government has claimed its flight cancellations will give air traffic controllers – who are working without pay during the shutdown – much-needed time off as a critical staffing shortage grows. But even before the resignations and abandoned posts that the shutdown has brought, the U.S. air traffic control system was in dire straits. Factors like mandatory overtime and low-growth wages had already taken a toll on air traffic controller morale. Controllers are also prohibited from key bargaining actions such as union strikes. And with federal funding (like the type that could recruit more qualified instructors) being cut, the air traffic control training system is less capable of filling in the more than 3,000 controller job vacancies that exist.
These workers are responsible for keeping America’s skies safe, and their struggles will become the struggles of every air travel consumer. Sign the petition below to demand leaders do a better job of protecting the individuals who help protect the flight industry.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Duffy,
The government shutdown has only picked at deep wounds that existed in the air traffic control industry. Controllers do not feel valued, as reflected by wage stagnation, mandatory overtime policies that burden an already-stressed workforce, and a lack of collective bargaining opportunities that would bring hope of change. Add these stressors to continued relentless federal funding cuts that have impacted training opportunities and further dampened worker morale, and the circumstances were ripe for the crisis unfolding amidst the shutdown.
If the situation returns to the status quo following the shutdown’s conclusion, these festering issues will only rise up again. You must advocate for better protections, opportunities, and increased funding for the people and the instructors who keep American air travel safely moving forward.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: U.S. Navy
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