The Trump administration mentioned Thursday that simply 776 air visitors controllers and technicians who labored throughout the longest authorities shutdown in historical past can be awarded $10,000 bonuses for his or her “perfect attendance.”
The bonuses can be doled out no later than Dec. 9, in accordance with a Federal Aviation Administration announcement.
“These patriotic men and women never missed a beat and kept the flying public safe throughout the shutdown,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy mentioned in a press release.
The Nationwide Air Visitors Controller Affiliation (NATCA), a labor union for greater than 20,000 air trade staff, informed Fortune it was knowledgeable Thursday afternoon of Duffy’s choice to concern the money awards to 311 of the employees it represents.
“Although we agree that the work performed by these aviation safety professionals during the shutdown deserves recognition, praise, and our collective gratitude, we are concerned that thousands of air traffic controllers who consistently reported for duty during the shutdown, ensuring the safe transport of passengers and cargo across the nation, while working without pay and uncertain of when they would receive compensation, were excluded from this recognition,” NATCA mentioned in a press release.
The Skilled Aviation Security Specialists (PASS), a union that represents 1000’s of technicians who assist and preserve air visitors management tools, informed Fortune in a press release that simply 423 of its members within the FAA’s technical operations division, and an unspecified variety of workers in flight program operations, are getting the bonus—although “well over” 6,000 PASS-represented workers labored with out pay throughout the shutdown.
“It took many hands to ensure that not one delay during the historic 43-day shutdown was attributed to equipment or system failures,” PASS mentioned in a press release.
A spokesperson for NATCA informedAxios in early October that just about 11,000 absolutely licensed controllers have been working as much as 10-hour shifts six days per week with out pay. In late October, the FAA estimated 13,000 air visitors controllers had been working with out pay.
As a result of they weren’t incomes cash throughout the shutdown, many controllers needed to take sick days to work different jobs and make ends meet.
The pressure induced a scarcity of crucial air journey employees, which led the FAA to scale back flights at 40 main journey hubs throughout the nation.
Nonetheless, Duffy expressed sympathy for federal staff struggling to pay payments, including he didn’t plan to penalize air visitors controllers who didn’t present up for work.
“Again when they’re making decisions to feed their families, I’m not going to fire air traffic controllers,” he mentioned on CBS’s Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan. “They need support, they need money, they need a paycheck. They don’t need to be fired.”
The FAA didn’t instantly reply to Fortune’s request for remark.
President Donald Trump first floated the $10,000 bonus to air visitors controllers earlier this month, in a Fact Social put up.
All through the 43-day shutdown, he took purpose at federal aviation staff calling in sick to take up second jobs and pay for necessities, even threatening to dock the employees’ pay earlier this month.
“All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work,” Trump wrote in the identical Fact Social put up on Nov. 10. “I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU.”
NATCA informed Fortune that the union and Duffy had “worked well together to address the negative effects on our bargaining units” all through the shutdown.
“We look forward to working with the Administration to provide the appropriate recognition to those not covered by the Secretary’s announcement,” the union added.
PASS informed Fortune the union is reviewing the knowledge that has been offered by the FAA and is evaluating “how best to ensure that all employees who worked during the shutdown are recognized.”
