Officials warn of more travel disruptions amid government shutdown

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00:00You know, the background context here is this is a core group of workers who've been complaining

00:07about staffing shortages, long hours and stressful conditions for years. And now you're adding to

00:13that mix the uncertainty regarding when their next paycheck is going to come.

00:20Air traffic controllers are legally required to work without pay as the government shutdown

00:25stretches into its fourth week. But many are reportedly calling in sick, causing delays and

00:31ground halts. Analysts warn the problem will grow worse as more workers call in due to burnout or

00:36to work second jobs, jobs that are necessary to make up for lack of a paycheck. Their incentive

00:42to show up to work each and every day, already frustrated and aggrieved on top of the fact that

00:49now they don't know when their next paycheck is going to come, not to mention the fact that the

00:53president floated the idea of maybe not offering back pay. You know, that's just going to lower

00:58the incentive to keep showing up as the shutdown carries on. Flights across the nation were disrupted

01:04by staffing shortages Sunday, even prompting a temporary grounding of flights at Reagan National

01:09Airport. More than 8000 U.S. flights reportedly experienced disruptions as a result of staffing

01:16shortages and other factors such as weather. Analysts say even a handful of sick calls can result in

01:22flight disruptions. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association condemns such protests

01:28and says if an employee is found to have participated in such an action, they may be fired.

01:34During a 35-day government shutdown during President Trump's first term, staffing shortages among air

01:40traffic controllers and TSA staff represented a breaking point for lawmakers to finally reach a deal

01:46to reopen the government. Officials representing these workers, however, say lawmakers should not rely on such

01:52dire circumstances to reach a deal this time. The American worker that lives paycheck to paycheck,

01:58which is almost every air traffic controller, cannot last without pay. It's that simple.

02:03And so stop waiting for us to be the ones at break in order to somehow fix the government.

02:07Passengers are saying they're holding out hope that their travel plans are not upended.

02:12For Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli.