SALT LAKE CITY — Tuesday is usually payday for air traffic controllers across the country. But not this week, as the government shutdown continues into its fifth week with no end in sight.
The airport can be a hectic place, but inside the terminals at Salt Lake City International Airport, that traffic always figures itself out.
But up in the skies, it takes people like air traffic controller Steph Winder. She doesn't do the job for the money, but she also doesn't want to do it for free.
“Today was our first zero-dollar paycheck,” said Winder, who serves as the Northwest Mountain Regional Vice President for the Air Traffic Controllers Association.
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As the shutdown drags on, so does a pause on paychecks for many government employees, like air traffic controllers, who are still required to show up to work. On Tuesday, members of the Air Traffic Controllers Association spent the day talking with airport travelers about what they’re dealing with.
“Most of us work six days a week, 10 hours a day, and we are forced to continue to work while the government is shut down,” Winder explained.
Winder said most people who were willing to listen to the air traffic controllers were supportive. The group is planning to be at the airport, informing passengers, until the shutdown ends.
“If I can’t do what I love, I still have to pay the bills, so I’m going to have to go do something else,” admitted Winder.
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One traveler, Alexander Hopp, wanted to learn more about the situation air traffic controllers find themselves in.
“Interesting to meet them in person because it’s not often that we speak to them directly, even though they’re such a big impact in our lives when we do travel,” Hopp said.
Winder shared what most already know, that an air traffic controller's job is a stressful one.
“We have to show up 100% of the time," she said. "Can’t make the wrong decision, can’t miss a read back when a pilot says ‘Okay, I’m turning this way, I’m climbing to this altitude.”
Just like the last few weeks, what's in store for the controllers in the future remains unknown.
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“Having to figure out how am I going to pay for childcare? How am I going to buy my kids' Halloween costume? How am I going to put gas in my car? How am I going to pay for dinner is extremely stressful," Winder explained. "It’s unnecessary stress added to a stressful profession.”
Hopp traveled on his way and said he supports the air traffic controllers.
“I think it’s a shame they’re not getting the support that they need,” he said. “We are having a political battle on both sides. I get that, but I think no matter what’s happening in the greater political sphere, we need to protect the people that are making our lives safer.”
