>>> CATPTAIN SULLY SULLENBERGER TWEETED THIS ABOUT THE
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN.
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. "LIKE THE AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLERS AND PILOTS UNIONS
I’M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THREATS
TO SAFETY CAUSED BY THE
SHUTDOWN.
SHUTDOWN. OUR AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS
DESERVE TO BE PAID.
THE TRAVELING PUBLIC AND THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE DESERVE BETTER.
THIS SHUTDOWN MUST END.
AND THERE’S THIS FROM SARAH
NELSON OF THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
ASSOCIATION.
ASSOCIATION. >> NOT ONLY ARE WE AVIATION’S
FIRST RESPONDERS, WE ARE THE
LAST LINE OF DEFENSE.
AND WE ARE GOING TO WORK TODAY
UNDERSTANDING THAT THE LAYERS OF
SECURITY THAT NEED TO BE THERE,
THE LAYERS OF SECURITY THAT WERE
PUT IN PLACE AFTER 9/11 WHEN THE
TSA WAS CREATED ARE NOT THERE.
THIS IS ABOUT OUR SAFETY AND
SECURITY AND OUR JOBS AND OUR
ENTIRE COUNTRY’S ECONOMIC
STABILITY.
STABILITY. NO ONE WILL GET OUT OF THIS
UNSCATHED IF WE DO NOT STOP THIS
SHUTDOWN.
SHUTDOWN. >> THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, THE
TSA ANNOUNCED THAT UNPAID TSA
OFFICERS WHO REFUSED TO WORK HIT
A RECORD HIGH LAST WEEKEND, AND
NOW AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS,
PILOTS AND FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ARE
WARNING TRAVELERS THEY CANNOT
GUARANTEE THEIR SAFETY SAYING
"WE CANNOT EVEN CALCULATE THE
LEVEL OF RISK CURRENTLY AT PLAY,
NOR PREDICT THE POINT AT WHICH
THE ENTIRE SYSTEM WILL BREAK."
AND WHEN THAT SYSTEM BREAKS,
PEOPLE DIE.
PEOPLE DIE. THE "WASHINGTON POST" REPORTS
THAT UNPAID AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLERS ARE WAITING TABLES
AND DRIVING FOR UBER IN THE TIME
LEFT OVER FROM THEIR TEN-HOUR
SHIFTS, TRACKING THE POSITION
AND SPEED OF AIRCRAFT TO PREVENT
COLLISIONS.
COLLISIONS. JOINING OUR DISCUSSION NOW IS
TRISH GILBERT, EXECUTIVE VICE
PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION.
SHE WAS ON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
FOR 21 YEARS.
AND SARA NELSON, THE PRESIDENT
OF THE ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT
ATTENDANTS.
ATTENDANTS. SHE HAS BEEN A FLIGHT ATTENDANT
FOR 23 YEARS.
TRISH GILBERT, I FLEW A COUPLE
OF WEEKENDS AGO P AND
IMMEDIATELY TWEETED MY THANKS TO
THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS WHEN
WE MIRACULOUSLY TOOK OFF ON TIME
AND LANDED EARLY.
AND THERE WASN’T MUCH ATTENTION
THEN TO WHAT WAS GOING ON IN AIR
TRAFFIC.
TRAFFIC. I WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT IT.
WHERE ARE WE NOW AND WHAT IS IT
LIKE TRYING TO -- FOR AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS TRYING TO DO
THEIR FULL WORK SHIFTS,
CONCENTRATE ON THAT AIR TRAFFIC
WHILE THEY’RE WORRYING ABOUT HOW
THEY PAY THE RENT?
>> SO YOU KNOW, WE’RE 34 DAYS
IN, MUCH TOO LONG ALREADY.
IT’S UNREASONABLE AND IT’S
RECKLESS.
RECKLESS. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS’ MAIN
JOB IS TO PREVENT PLANES FROM
HITTING EACH OTHER.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> THAT IS GIVING THEM TURNS,
GIVING THEM CLIMBS AND DESCENTS
TO MISS OTHER PLANES.
THEY NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON DOING
THAT JOB 100% OF THE TIME.
THEY SHOULDN’T BE DRIVING FOR
UBER BEFORE THEIR SHIFT.
THEY SHOULDN’T BE WAITING
TABLES.
TABLES. THEY SHOULD BE GETTING RESTED.
FATIGUE MATTERS.
FATIGUE MATTERS. THE STRESS MATTERS.
THEY’RE NOT SLEEPING AT NIGHT
NOW BECAUSE THEY’RE WORRIED
ABOUT NOT JUST THE PAYCHECK
THEY’VE MISSED AND THE NEXT ONE
THEY’RE GOING TO MISS TOMORROW
BUT HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO GO
ON.
ON. ARE THEY GOING TO HAVE TO SELL
THEIR HOUSE?
THEIR HOUSE? ARE THEY GOING TO HAVE TO SELL
CARS?
CARS? ARE THEY GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP
THEIR CHILDREN OUT OF COLLEGE?
WHAT ARE THEY -- THEY DON’T HAVE
ANY IDEA WHEN THEY’RE GOING TO
GET THEIR LIFE BACK.
THEIR LIFE IS ON HOLD AND
THEY’RE MAKING DAY-TO-DAY
DECISIONS FOR SOMETHING THAT
THEY DID NOT ASK TO BE A PART
OF.
OF. THEY’RE POLITICAL PAWNS IN A
RECKLESS GAME OF CHICKEN.
AND THEY NEED TO BE PULLED OUT
OF THAT GAME.
THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO THEIR
JOB AND DO IT WITH 100% OF THE
PEOPLE THAT ARE FURLOUGHED THAT
NEED TO BE THERE TO SUPPORT
THEM, QUALITY ASSURANCE
SPECIALISTS, TRAINING
SPECIALISTS, TRAINING SPECIALISTS, AIR SPACE AND
PROCEDURES PEOPLE.
PROCEDURES PEOPLE. THOSE ARE KEY PEOPLE TO GET US
READY FOR THE SUPER BOWL AND
EXTRA TRAFFIC WE’RE GOING TO
HAVE FLYING IN AND OUT OF
ATLANTA.
ATLANTA. WE’RE ALREADY LOOKING AT
DELAYING THE PLANNING FOR THE
DAYTONA 500 AND THE NASCAR
CIRCUIT.
CIRCUIT. THE FLY-INS.
THE FLY-INS. ALL THAT STUFF IS SIGNATURE BY
THE WAYSIDE ON TOP OF THE LACK
OF MAINTENANCE ON EQUIPMENT
BECAUSE WE ARE ON A FIX POLICY
AT FAA.
AT FAA. THAT’S UNACCEPTABLE AND IT’S
RECKLESS.
RECKLESS. IT NEEDS TO END SOON.
>> SARA NELSON, WHAT’S THE
AWARENESS OF YOUR PASSENGERS
THESE DAYS?
THESE DAYS? A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO I DIDN’T
DETECT ANYBODY WAS CONCERNED
ABOUT THIS BUT I SUSPECT BY NOW
IT’S FINALLY REGISTERED WITH THE
PASSENGERS THAT THERE IS A NEW
STRANGE KIND OF RISK INVOLVED IN
AIR TRAVEL.
AIR TRAVEL. >> PEOPLE ARE ASKING AND THE
CREWS ARE ASKING, WE’RE ACTUALLY
GETTING REQUESTS TO OUR UNION.
WE’RE GETTING TONS OF MAIL TO
OUR UNION ASKING IS IT SAFE TO
FLY?
FLY? JUST LISTEN TO --
>> SARA, WHEN YOU SAY THAT,
YOU’RE SAYING FLYING
PROFESSIONALS, FLIGHT
PROFESSIONALS, FLIGHT ATTENDANTS, ARE SAYING IS IT
SAFE TO FLY?
>> YES, THEY ARE.
THEY ARE ASKING THAT QUESTION.
LISTEN TO WHAT TRISH JUST SAID.
OKAY?
OKAY? THE JOB OF AN AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLER, HIGHLY STRESSFUL
JOB, HIGHLY TRAINED JOB.
THEY HAVE TO GET IT RIGHT 100%
OF THE TIME.
FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ARE AVIATION’S
FIRST RESPONDERS, BUT WE’RE ALSO
AVIATION’S LAST LINE OF DEFENSE.
AND WE KNOW WHEN WE COME TO WORK
THAT WE’RE COMING TO WORK IN A
SYSTEM THAT HAS A WHOLE SET OF
LAYERS OF SECURITY.
AND SAFETY.
AND SAFETY. AND WHEN YOU PULL AWAY THOSE
LAYERS, YOU’RE MAKING IT --
YOU’RE ENTERING RISK INTO THE
SITUATION.
SITUATION. AND FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ARE VERY
AWARE OF THAT.
WE COUNT ON ALL THESE OTHER
PEOPLE TO DO A TON OF WORK
BEHIND US SO THAT WE CAN TAKE
OFF AND GET PEOPLE FROM POINT A
TO POINT B SAFELY.
AND WE’RE VERY CONCERNED BECAUSE
THE PEOPLE WHO COME TO WORK AND
KEEP US SAFE, AND WE REALLY HAVE
TO RECOGNIZE WHAT THESE AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ARE DOING.
THEY ARE COMING TO WORK NOW,
WE’RE GOING ON 35 DAYS ON THE
STHUTDOWN.
STHUTDOWN. SHUTDOWN.
SHUTDOWN. IT’S UNPRECEDENTED.
IT’S UNPRECEDENTED. IT’S MORE THAN TWICE THE TIME
ANY SHUTDOWN IN HISTORY HAS
OCCURRED.
OCCURRED. AND THERE’S A REASON FOR THAT.
BECAUSE THERE’S INCREDIBLE RISK
FOR OUR COUNTRY WHEN WE’RE DOING
THIS.
THIS. AND THEY ARE COMING TO WORK
UNDER THE STRESSFUL SITUATION
BECAUSE THEY KNOW VERY WELL IF
THEY DON’T COME THE AIRPLANES
STAY ON THE GROUND.
AND MAYBE WE WILL AVOID CASUALTY
BY DOING THAT AND LOSS OF LIFE,
BUT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE
MASSIVE, CATASTROPHIC ECONOMIC
PRESSURE ON THIS COUNTRY.
THERE WILL BE MASSIVE JOB LOSS.
AND NO ONE WILL GET AWAY
UNSCATHED.
UNSCATHED. SO THESE PEOPLE COMING TO WORK
ARE DOING IT FOR ALL OF US AND
THEY’RE WORKING VERY HARD TO
KEEP US SAFE AND THEY’RE MAKE
SURE THAT IT STAYS SAFE, BUT IN
ORDER TO KEEP IT SAFE THEY’RE
PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO CUT
DOWN THE CAPACITY THAT’S OUT
THERE.
THERE. AND IN THE MEANTIME WE’VE GOTS
PEOPLE WHO ARE TOTALLY STRESSED
COMING TO WORK.
AND MY MEMBERS ARE VERY AWARE OF
THAT AND THEY’RE ASKING
QUESTIONS ABOUT IT.
AND THE TRAVELING PUBLIC IS
ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT IT TOO.
>> AND TRISH, WHAT’S YOUR QUICK
ANSWER TO YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED
ONES WHO ASK YOU IS IT SAFE TO
FLY NOW?
FLY NOW? >> SARA HAD IT RIGHT ON THE
HEAD.
HEAD. WE’RE GOING TO ADJUST CAPACITY.
BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A 30-YEAR LOW
IN FULLY CERTIFIED AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLERS.
CONTROLLERS. SO WE’RE ALREADY WORKING THE
OVERTIME.
OVERTIME. AND WE HAVEN’T BEEN HIRING SINCE
THE SHUTDOWN STARTED.
SO WE’RE LOSING PEOPLE COMING IN
THE FRONT DOOR AND WE HAVE 20%
AND 45% IN THE NEW YORK AREA BUT
20% NATIONWIDE ELIGIBLE TO
RETIRE.
RETIRE. AND THEY ARE FRUSTRATED AND
LOOKING AT RETIRING BEFORE THEY
WERE READY TO.
SO THAT WOULD LEAVE US AT A
SITUATION WHERE WE COULDN’T
STAFF OUR TOWERS AND OUR RADAR
ROOMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WHICH
MEANS PLANES WILL STAY ON THE
GROUND IF WE CAN’T PUT THEM
SAFELY IN THE AIR.