Air traffic controller Jack Criss is now clearing takeoffs and takeout orders. The single dad took on a side gig as a DoorDash delivery driver during the second-longest government shutdown in modern history in order to make some extra cash and cover his daughter’s high school tuition.
For the past few weeks, air traffic controllers have been receiving partial pay – but next week, they’re expected to miss their first full paychecks as the funding lapse continues.
“It’s been incredibly difficult. You can feel the tension, and it’s heavy…and it hurts,” Criss said in an interview that aired on “CBS Saturday Mornings.”
As the government shutdown rolls into Day 25, Congress remains unable to strike a deal. The Senate failed to advance measuresThursday that would pay federal employees like Criss.
So what happens when an ATC just… Can’t afford to live anymore? Say this shutdown continues until April, and all the ATC savings are basically gone? There’s gonna be either mass strikes or just a bunch of them quitting because the alternative is working a full-time job and starving at home.
australian ATC is looking for international applicants, so it might be an option if they are unwilling to move to another industry.