Government shutdown adding more stress for Fresno-Yosemite International air traffic controllers

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Day 2 of the authorities shutdown and truthful acold it's concern arsenic accustomed astatine Fresno Yosemite International. Flights are taking disconnected and terminals are filled with travelers.

"It's been wholly good truthful far," Dallas traveler Merill McHenry said. "I person to spell to San Francisco, past I person to spell to Dallas. Certainly, it's going to interaction immoderate question and immoderate connections implicit time, possibly adjacent more."

But down the scenes, national employees stay connected the occupation without pay.

"We're already dealing with 1 of the astir high-stress jobs retired there, to adhd an avoidable accent connected apical of that it's hard to woody with," said Air Traffic Controller Union president Jeffrey O'Gorman.

Roughly 50 radical enactment successful the Fresno tower, including aerial postulation controllers and instrumentality attraction staff.

O'Gorman says during this time, regular preventative attraction volition travel to a halt.

"When we get to this point, they're not allowed to bash the preventative maintenance. They're conscionable waiting to spot if thing fails truthful they tin hole it," helium said.

O'Gorman says this shutdown has been rolled retired otherwise than successful the past with the FAA grooming academy continuing for astatine slightest 30 days successful an effort to lessen the interaction connected the nationwide postulation controller staffing crisis.

"Safety is our job, it's our passion, it's what we do," helium said. "That'll ne'er beryllium compromised."

And on with aerial postulation controllers, astir 95% of each TSA employees volition besides enactment connected the job, besides without pay.

During the shutdown successful 2018 that lasted 35 days, TSA officers called retired to enactment astatine an accrued complaint owed to fiscal hardship, according to a TSA Spokesperson.

Now 2 days into this shutdown, officials accidental it's excessively aboriginal to cognize what impacts could beryllium felt.

"A prolonged shutdown could really person interaction connected staffing levels, national staffing levels astatine the airport," said Fresno-Yosemite International Airport spokesperson Vikkie Calderon. "We're monitoring the concern and moving intimately with our national partners."

O'Gorman says that during the past authorities shutdown, galore of his colleagues had to instrumentality connected broadside jobs to marque ends conscionable but adds information is their apical precedence and assures travelers person thing to interest about.

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