Originally Posted by Khantahr

The TSA might be the ones who end this shutdown for us. While firing ATC for calling in sick might be illegal (not that that would stop them), they can replace them with military controllers right away.

They can't replace the TSA overnight, so they can't really fire them either.

Originally Posted by Khantahr

The TSA might be the ones who end this shutdown for us. While firing ATC for calling in sick might be illegal (not that that would stop them), they can replace them with military controllers right away.

They can't replace the TSA overnight, so they can't really fire them either.

Originally Posted by CrazyEight

We all are very familiar with the mechanisms used to nudge Congress towards ending the last shutdown. The media, corporate America and politicians have effectively blacked out that mechanism because it is inherently very effective and has the ability to completely render them powerless, just envision them having to drive home like a everyday people.

Duffy has threatened to fire any controller calling out sick during the shutdown. Furthermore, the Taft-Harley Act prohibits strikes amongst private-sector employees if it could cause a national emergency... So restrictions on strikes are not limited to just public servants as Reagan demonstrated, but everyday civilians as well. Not exactly what the framers of the Constitution had in mind.

The Axis II anti-socials and psychopaths running the country have managed to take back most of our rights established under the Bill of Rights. The Patriot Act, the creation of the NSA, suspending press passes, weaponizing three letter agencies, cancel culture, audits, red flag laws; all of it, guilty until proven innocent. The place is becoming like the Third Reich mid-30s and it is NOT limited to one party, its both parties serving the same masters- just envision who you can't talk bad about without major repercussions.

If you want to end this BS, ALPA should support ATC walking off the job. If they fire a controller, have ALPA walk us off the job as well. We would have a budget tomorrow afternoon and they would change the law allowing for continuation of government, taking this move off the chess table for good. I am not a fan of playing with people's livelihoods for politics of all things. On a current trajectory, ATC is understaffed and still running 24/7 ops so airlines can get paid to repositions flights on a redeye for more profitable AM launches. Controllers are working understaffed, and now sick so they don't get fired. If ALPA is about safety, this is the time to act. This is not about a work action, this is about upsetting an accident chain in the making.

EDIT: We would be the a-holes for those travelling over a few days, but the industry would be the heroes, the Robinhood, of ending this technique that only hurts people already struggling to get by.

Originally Posted by DeltaboundRedux

"Purpose of a system is what it does."

POSIWID

11 shutdowns since 1981.

On a positive note, while some administrations used the moment for (useful) political theatre by shutting down things like access to Mt Rushmore and Yellowstone NP, there's some online commentary that suggests you can currently just drive by the entry gate to quite a few National Parks without having to pay the fee.

Originally Posted by Khantahr

The TSA might be the ones who end this shutdown for us. While firing ATC for calling in sick might be illegal (not that that would stop them), they can replace them with military controllers right away.

They can't replace the TSA overnight, so they can't really fire them either.

Originally Posted by notEnuf

No they can't. The spool up for local controllers takes years even with job experience. No military have ever worked in a center facility either.

Originally Posted by Khantahr

They managed to pull it off when Regan fired 11,000 controllers, some of the replacements were military. It might be worse this time around though with the much higher volumes of traffic and the fear factor it would instill in the remaining controllers.

Whether it's ATC or TSA that has mass sick calls, it'll be a **** show when it happens, and it's coming.