Durbin Meets With Illinois Air Traffic Controllers Following 43 Day Government Shutdown
CHICAGO – Today U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with air traffic controllers at O’Hare International Airport to thank them for their work throughout the longest government shutdown in American history.
During the shutdown, roughly 10,800 air traffic controllers continued to work 10-hour days, six days per week, without pay as essential employees. Air traffic controllers missed a partial paycheck and two full paychecks, as 90 percent of ATC towers across the country were already understaffed. At O’Hare International Airport, ATC towers have been understaffed since 2015.
“During the shutdown, I received handwritten letters from air traffic controllers across Illinois detailing the hardships their families were facing going without pay,” said Durbin. “From missing medical payments and being unable to pay rent, to single mothers struggling on their own, I could not let these hardworking Illinoisans suffer through a government shutdown any longer. Air traffic controllers deserve the resources they need to thrive in a job that keeps our entire airspace safe.”
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