And replace them with… whom, exactly?
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Reagan did it in 1981 and it didn't cause a collapse. 11000 air traffic controllers went on strike and Reagan fired all of them. This is arguably what started the decline of unions in the US.
It was fucked up then, and it would be even more fucked up now, but in reality the industry would move on pretty quickly. Hopefully the people would rise up in response, but I'm not holding my breath.
It nearly did cause a collapse and the industry has never recovered. ATC has been a critically understaffed industry since before you were born.
The people "rose up" during BLM protests for over a year in the streets. Systematic change? Nope. Black people any safer now? Nope. All those protests did was hold exactly ONE fucking cop accountable. That's it. We're fucked and I hate saying that. Still going to do my part, but it's like the ship has been sinking since before I was even born...
We aren't fucked until we're dead, my friend. Fight until the end. Never make it easy for them.
Write on every inch of the toilet paper. They can't have that. It's ours.
"It's small and it's fragile and it's the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it, or sell it, or give it away. We must never let them take it from us"
I'm sure everyone would love that and would wholeheartedly support that decision. No blowback whatsoever.
If there's blowback, blame the people causing the problem (elected Republicans), not the workers impacted by it.
Strikes and not showing up for unpaid work are meant to piss people off. People don't change shit when they're getting what they want already.
Strikes and not showing up for unpaid work are meant to piss people off. People don't change shit when they're getting what they want already.
It's really that simple.
In theory that could work, but when they all get fired, again, and replaced with military air traffic controllers, Trump will look like he saved the day.
Threatened to be fired from unpaid, highly specialized and stressful work? Sounds like relief rather than a threat.
They were just taking time off from being unpaid, but yeah, lets push them to quit permanently! Itll only take 2-3 years to replace every single one of them that quits. Who cares if planes crash and people die in the meantime? Im sure there will be plenty of people clamoring to become ATCs seeing how this plays out
Demanding slave labor by threatening to loose you from your master if you refuse to cooperate is a strange take.
As of early 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that only about 10,800 certified air traffic controllers are actively working, while the industry needs around 14,600 to operate efficiently. Nearly 280 of the 300 air traffic control facilities are understaffed.
This Duffy needs to recognize these people are to be prized not humiliated. What a total TrumpTurd.
Yeah because the US is just swarming with qualified air traffic controllers hoping to get to work in their place if they're fired. /s 🙄
Hahahaha ok. Tell that to any employment lawyer.
That is called alavery, or indentured servitude at best. Kinda frowned upon.
Reagan set the precedent in the '80s. ATCs can be summarily fired ever since Reagan broke their union
Seriously, most people still have no idea how evil Reagan really was. He did a lot of damage to this country that led to the situation we are in now.
Reagan was just following the well trodden path that Jackson and Wilson blazed, and Nixon trimmed the edges.
The only reason that I put Jackson into a tie with Wilson for worst president is that Wilson did far more long term damage, but Jackson orchestrated The Trail of Tears, and several other genocides, as well as paid off the national debt entirely. This helped contribute to the longest and deepest (by percentage, not dollar amount) depression the country has ever seen.
You do understand the current president has now easily taken the "worst" spot, though.
Regan's lawyers that were pissed he couldn't do what he wanted were involved in 2000's election bullshit and are currently sitting on the supreme court
And how did that work out?
Reagan was a monstrous piece of shit but even a lot of dems love him. I suppose because a lot of dems are now to the right of 80s republicans.
They are desperately short workers, even in the best of times, so their response is to fire the few workers they have from one of the most notoriously stressful jobs on the planet?
What is more likely to happen is that they will fire controllers loudly and publicly, lose every single lawsuit, be forced to rehire them, which they would have done anyway because they need them so badly, except they will also pay all back pay, also significant damages, an enormous fine, and if the employee is smart, they'll demand an enormous raise in pay to return.
And the MAGA Nazis deserve it.
The party of fiscal responsibility and reduction of waste right there for ya.
I hope it is here like it is and all those kids shows that I watch growing up, the bad guy always loses because of their idiocy and arrogance.
Yeah, this is just gonna lead to less efficient air traffic control, more congestion, eventually fewer flights, higher expenses, and less people flying over cause they just can’t fucking afford it.
Doesn’t really affect any of the ruling class because they have enough money to use private jets.
When’s the last time any of these assholes actually sat in economy class seat?
All members of the government should be prohibited from every taking a private flight, as well as flying first class. They should have to fly in a regular coach seat, and put up with whatever heckling they get, or drive.
A private flight is a totally undisguised bribe. Accepting any transportation from anyone should result in mandatory prison time.
There was a "Yes, Minister!" episode on this principle:
The new minister was having a driver, driving him to wherever, so he could use the time as office-time, in the back..
They shamed him into quitting that, & he became significantly less-effective, which was what the attack had intended.
IF the people are being productive in the air, then I'd put them in a set of gov't-owned aircraft, secret-clearance all the way through, so they could do real work, while on the job.
However, I'd also force them to use normal-airlines when going 'round for their vacations, so they get actual commercial-airline experience, so they know what they're representees are experiencing.
Sometimes the right answer is to convert travel-time into work-time, & if you can't do that on a public flight, then yes, private-aircraft are the means, but it ought be gov't owned, not personally-owned or chartered.
It must serve the country, not the privileged, see?
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Considering the bullshit that Clarence Thomas, a Supreme Court Justice, has gotten away with; who the fuck cares at this point?
/s
Crippling our civil infrastructure, making the US a place no one wants to visit or trade with, cancelling all our alliances, crashing our economy, devaluing our dollar to the point thats its no longer the global reserve currency, shattering our military alliances, removing consumer food, environmental, employment protections and civil liberties.
Whats left on Putins list. Ah right, a civil war based on ethnic tensions. And destroying our legacy military might in some sort of pointless war, hopefully against an ally. And perhaps a nuclear exchange that they arent a part of. And only 3 years and ~5 months left to get that all done.
You hit it spot-on.
You saw-through the appearances, to see the underlying strategy, why the Kremlin Papers actually exist.
https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Atheguardian.com+%22kremlin+papers
( TheGuardian is now actively-blocking DuckDuckGo, so it isn't possible to get any search-results from other search-engines, now, it seems )
_ /\ _
Because firing the controllers worked so amazingly well when Regan did it...
And when Elon did it. It was only a few months ago when there were reports of one lonesome controller being in charge of enough air space that at least four were required. And after all of that they now aren't getting paid, with this fucktard saying if they decide not to turn up to unpaid work THEY'RE jeopardising all air traffic. No asshole, the GOP are the ones shutting it down.
I'm not too familiar with the backwards labour laws in the US, but for a place that only worships the Almighty Dollar, surely you can't get fired for not performing unpaid work.
The whole situation that federal employees don't get paid money that has nothing to do with the budget fight in DC, because of the budget fight in DC, is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I get it that they can't fund new projects (so what about ICE?), but this is just stuff that's going to have to be paid anyway.
Of the abundance of ridiculous nonsense rules in DC, this is by far the worst, and that bar was already very high.
Presidents who can't remember history tend to repeat themselves.
Almost like it’s a bad idea to come out and mass threaten the livelihoods of employees you need. Weird.
Lol go ahead and fire them. That will definately help the shortage of controllers!
Truly one of the highest stress, lowest appreciation, skill-based professions on the planet. What have we become?
I have to think anyone who can work ATC could be a hell of a project manager in any industry with just a bit of OTJ training. I don't know if hiring managers feel the same, but I'd be hopeful that they could easily find work elsewhere.
Like other affected federal workers, controllers are worried about how they will pay their bills during the shutdown when they won’t get paychecks. Duffy and the union’s president have acknowledged the unfairness of their situation, which only adds more stress to their already stressful jobs.
NATCA President Nick Daniels said controllers might have to take time off to work a second job just to make ends meet during the shutdown. But Duffy said that right now, he thinks the controllers who are missing work are “lashing out” in frustration.
“It’s going to eventually be that when people don’t have money, they have time to start making life choices and life decisions. And it shouldn’t be waiting for air traffic controllers to break because of having to take out loans, credit card debt, paying bills, gas, groceries, mortgages. Those things aren’t going to stop,” Daniels said.
So... What if they are actually sick...? I mean not getting paid and still having to show up let alone the stress of being a air traffic controller seems likely to make people prime candidates for low immune systems. Oh, but that's right sickness doesn't exist under RFK, right?
Step 1: Fire ATC
Step 2: Rubber stamp plane manufacturing safety checks
Step 3: ATC messes up due to shortage
Step 4: TCAS fails because it never got checked
Step 5: 🛩💥✈️
Step 6: Blame "ANTIFA Terrorist"
Step 7: Martial Law
Well, Portalnd won't fight back, we need step 7 somehow....
fight back? why fight when you can mock them daily?
no real question, you realize they want violence, why give it to them?
ah.
i'm seeing folks on blusky and other social media decrying the lack of 'strong libs ready to clash with the oppressors' and it's getting to me
Any politician making decisions to not pay working citizens shall be expired

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