Union representing FAA workers warns shutdown could lead to staff departures, cripple flight systems nationwide

NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) — As the FAA begins grounding flights due to the government shutdown, workers who maintain the nation’s critical aviation systems say if they’re not paid soon, they may be forced to leave—potentially gridlocking U.S. airspace far beyond this week’s flight cuts.

Keeping planes in the air is a team sport.

“It takes a skill level, and we’re the safest airspace in the world,” said Kelly McGonigal.

Pilots depend on air traffic controllers.

Air traffic controllers depend on people like Kelly McGonigal.

“If an air traffic controller uses it, our guys make sure it’s spot on and working like it should,” McGonigal said.

He’s a Noman-based representative of Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS)—a union representing thousands of FAA workers at airports across the country.

“The communication systems our guys maintain certify that they see where aircraft are by the radar that we use. The airport, airlines, and planes land safely by the instrumentation used in the systems that guide them, the land navigate,” McGonigal said. “There are also people who work behind monitors and screens that help coordinate with air traffic."

But since the government shut down, these federal employees’ paychecks have looked a bit different.

“In this last one, it showed the pay amount 0.00,” McGonigal said.

They’re not getting paid, but—considered “essential” employees—they haven’t and can’t be furloughed.

“We’ve got guys working right now every day, 24 hours a day, keeping everything safe from the FAA and the airlines and just doing it without pay,” he said.

They still show up—in the name of keeping everyone safe.

“They take pride in their job. The United States has the safest airspace in the world,” McGonigal said.

But they’d be lying if they told you it doesn’t come at a massive cost.

“I really think about a lot of our younger employees, those who haven’t been on the job that long. It’s tough to go. They’re still putting gas in the car to get to work. They’re still paying the babysitter, and they’re still paying their mortgage and all their bills,” McGonigal said. “I mean, we’ve got cases of guys that I know that have—right as the shutdown started—they had some major things going on in their home and had to pay out of their savings. And then all of a sudden they’ve used up their savings for that and now they’re not getting paid.”

He also says the FAA has had to furlough many support staff who have been working on critical systems modernization upgrades this year. He says that modernization project is on pause until they can go back to work—and will likely be severely delayed because of this holdup.

And as Congressmembers carry on pointing fingers at whichever side is opposite of their own, this record-long period of no pay is wearing mighty thin on these critical federal workers.

“How long do you think this can go on, though, before they either say, 'I can’t show up' or' 'I've just got to go find new employment?'” News 4 asked.

“Not much longer," McGonigal said. "I mean, I don’t know. Things are going to start falling apart if we can’t get our people to work."

“It requires our guys to be there to keep the systems operational and safe. And when they’re not, they shut them down and planes can’t use,” he said.

It’s why, for any Congressmember, any party, willing to listen, he has one simple message.

“Open the government, get our guys back to work,” McGonigal said.