Shutdown strains already short-staffed air traffic controllers, union president says
toggle caption John Locher/AP
Air traffic controllers will continue to work under strain as the government shutdown drags on, according to the head of the union that represents them.
"What they're working under is one of the lowest-morale times in history," Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told Morning Edition.
Congress's failure to pass a spending bill has left air traffic controllers working without pay. On Monday at a press conference at Newark Liberty International Airport, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed delays at airports on a "slight tick-up in sick calls" among controllers.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Tuesday staffing shortages caused a ground stop in Nashville and delays at airports in Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Houston.
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