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.
Imagine if everyone just stopped working.
Retired ATC here.
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Controllers do get paid VERY well, especially EnRoute Controllers. Within any EnRoute center, there will be 150-300 controllers (+ 100 techs, managers, admin, HR, etc…) There is a wide variance of financial situations. Some controllers were single with no kids and no money issues. Some were a paycheck from being homeless…the same as any other organization. Some live within their means, some couldn’t save a dollar if their lives depended on it (but they still ran aircraft tight). Kids, medical bills, tuition, braces…no different than anywhere…however…
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Controllers can’t strike. When PATCO controllers walked out in 1981, Reagan fired them all and replaced them with Military controllers until new hires could be trained. It set precedent that striking for ATC is not allowed. Could they strategically call in sick? Yes. But management is looking for this. And with this current climate of “fire fed employees first, ask to return to work later”, the current union (NATCA) is warning everyone not to call in sick in a coordinated manner. Especially with the NLRB unable to hear cases (due to the board not being filled by the current administration).
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Controllers will not just “Let planes crash”. They will be petty, snarky, or may delay your flight, but no, they aren’t going to “just let planes crash”. Also, while controllers are not held personally liable for accidents, a controller CAN be held liable for proven negligence or intentionally crashing aircraft. Controllers make it a point of pride to work more planes with no accidents or loss of separation.
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No, controllers are not going to quit. It’s a federal government job that pays well (when they get paid), with government benefits and a pension. It’s a better job than almost any other in the country that takes a specific kind of visual and audio processing to perform. It’s an exhilarating and challenging job that changes every day and makes you feel proud of what you do.
It’s disingenuous to say “Don’t like it? Quit.” It takes years of training. It’s one of the most stressful and emotionally taxing trainings that you can go through. It’s a high paying job with a pension. You don’t go through that fire just to give it all up.
Some controllers will need a second job. When the 35-day shutdown hit, I was fine the 1st partial paycheck. The first missed full check? Okay. But heading into the SECOND missed paycheck? Well…I was starting to see where I needed to move things around. Think about it. Half a paycheck. Then no paycheck. Then NO paycheck again! These things start to make you pucker a little more each time.
Is it really reasonable to say, "You get paid so well, you should be able to afford NOT GETTING PAID FOR OVER A MONTH (oh and…you still need to come in to work). I don’t really know anyone that can take an entire month with no pay and just be okay.
Are we really using the avocado toast argument for ATC???
And, you can’t REALLY get a second job. The FAA makes it clear that you are a controller 1st and any other job cannot supercede the duties of your ATC work. You are still working for the FAA, you’re just not getting paid for it. So no, you can’t just say, “You’re not paying me, well, I’ll just get a job at Walmart in the meantime”…you still got a shift to work!"
The solution is so much bigger than ATC. How we fund the government, WHY we even shut the government down, WHY we allow “essential” employees that are SO vital to our operation and national security that they CANNOT STOP WORKING even if they don’t get paid. ATC is a pawn in the middle of the government shutdown b.s.
What if you call in sick without coordinating with anyone?
What is “high paying”
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ATCs should be striking right now. We don’t need air travel. Shut down the skies and the Orange Reich will suffer.
Nobody with any number of years in is going to risk losing their retirement.
They’ve done that. Reagan fired all of them, which was kinda insane.
That doesn’t stop them from doing it again. Striking always carries the risk of being fired
How the fuck is that even considered a strike?
If I don’t pay my mechanic, and they refuse to fix my car, is that a strike?
If it isn’t illegal to not work when you aren’t paid, that just a form of slavery
5 U.S.C. § 7311 essentially says federal employees do not have the legal right to strike. the last time ATC went on strike it did not go well for them
And it won’t be better now, but change does not come without a fight.
They have a union, so they should have been collecting dues for a strike fund, right? If not, they need to start now, then strike as soon as they can.
Oh they said they aren’t allowed! In that case lol
I’m not an air traffic controller but it seems they haven’t been treated very well lately to Begin with and now they are asked to work without pay. At that point I would stop caring about what the people in charge told me.
Does anybody, really?
Quit.
If they aren’t paying you, leave. Mid-shift for an extra kick to their dick*. What are they going to do? Not pay you? At this point you’re a volunteer to an abusive relationship.
Yes, planes would crash*. That’s the point. People shouldn’t even be getting on planes right now when the system designed to keep them safe is falling to bits. This guy is going to make an error resulting in a plane crash anyway once he really gets strapped and is up all-day delivering food to the rich and then trying to manage air traffic at night.
**I don’t know what to tell you. If I die because a plane falls on me due to the federal government being a mess, I would hope that someone, somewhere, would get motivated to do something about it.
I have to fly today, because if I didn’t, I would be flushing 6,000 down the drain. Otherwise I agree with you.
do you want your air traffic controller, who with a tiny mistake will kill you and everyone around you, to be tired and distracted from doing doordash and worrying about being able to pay his rent and eat?
Wait, high school tuition?
Doesn’t want her mixing with the poors and brown people in a taxpayer-funded public school.
The father in the interview is black. This isn’t a race thing.
He wants his daughter to get a good education. As an air traffic controller, he surely knows the value of education because he works a job that takes a lot of education and training to get into. Public schools in the united states are very bad, and underfunded. Private middle and high schools are common in cities and are usually much better than the public schools. Its a good choice for anyone with the means, which he had every other month this year.
Racism is systemic. It is behind the right wing policies that constantly underfund education. It is rarely the driver of individuals. Individual’s decisions are shaped by the options available more than anything else. Sending his daughter to a private school is the best choice for a father in his position. Hold your ire for those in positions of power.
many public schools are bad due to poor funding, many are not. I do t blame any parent for wanting their kid to get a good education, but the more those who can simply turn to private schools, the less political will there is to fix public taxpayer-funded schools.
You are making a lot of assumptions. All the private and charter schools in my town are extremely religious and constantly on the verge of losing accreditation due to prioritizing profit and religion over education. That’s the big reason nobody is using the vouchers my state is trying to push.
When I was in 9th grade one of them was forced to close and several people had to redo grades. I was in class with people who had been sophomores and juniors that’s how bad their private school was.
I’m not saying all private schools are bad or that all public schools are good, but yeah, you are making a lot of assumptions.
I’m explaining the motivation that reasonable people would take when acting reasonably. Attributing the choice to racism is a much less reasonable assumption.
Education varies because of state and local governments. Having a kid in private school is not innately unreasonable.
and all it took was 25 days to become one of “the poors”.
To people wondering how anyone can go homeless from missing a couple paychecks well…makes a gesture at this
Why are you automatically assuming race is the reason that someone goes to a private school?
I’ll admit my answer was a little presumptuous in assuming the reason had to do the other students, but as pointed out plenty parents opt to send their kids to expensive private schools when public school is free for all. Can’t totally blame them when public schools are woefully underfunded in many places.
Because it’s a common reason. Religious indoctrination is another.
Honestly I figured they lived in a state with a school voucher system and was paying to make up the difference.
He lives in arizona. The interviewer is from the phoenix office. The ATC controller is black, which makes the presumption of an anti-brown motivation even more of a stretch.
I’m unfamiliar with the specifics of education in arizona.
I feel like airport workers might need to strike to end the shutdown and keep people safe.
I think I’m missing info here. Air traffic controllers, at least in my country, are VERY well paid. Going a month without paycheck is usually not a huge problem to them because they have savings.
How is this guy having to go to doordash deliveries to get some money after some weeks of going on partial paycheck? How “partial” is it? Or how low is their normal paycheck? Or what are their common expenses?
This is America. He probably has crippling medical debt or some shit.
*Definitely
https://www.usawage.com/usa/air_traffic_controllers-salary.php
It looks like they can make between $73k and $189k a year.
Lots and lots of people in the US live above their means. Especially rich people since the keeping up with the jones mentality is everywhere. That means while they might have a lot of assets they are also leveraged out the nose and live paycheck to paycheck.
Housing markets and new cars here also are very expensive.
Exactly. Some people will be “poor” no matter how big their salary is. They’ll be unable to accumulate any savings because they spend as much as they make, and then add credit card debt on top of it.
Jesus christ my guy.
