At the same time, the US President spoke out in favor of a “bonus of 10,000 dollars” (a good 8,600 euros) for those who continued to work during the so-called shutdown. These air traffic controllers are “great patriots.”
Air traffic controllers are one of the essential professional groups in the USA who have actually had to work without pay since the budget freeze began on October 1st. Recently, however, the authorities have recorded a large number of sick reports, which, according to the Ministry of Transport, endangers flight safety. Hundreds of flights have been canceled every day for days, and on Sunday there were over 2,700 across the country. In addition, tens of thousands of flights were delayed.
The head of the US air traffic controllers union, meanwhile, called for an immediate end to the shutdown. “Enough is enough,” Nick Daniels said at a press conference, demanding: “Air traffic controllers should not become a political football during a government shutdown.”
At the same time, Daniels welcomed an emerging agreement in Congress as a “real step in the right direction” – however, this compromise negotiated between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate was not yet finalized on Monday.
