Federal employees picketed outside Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport after more than a month of working without pay under the government shutdown.
The Federal Aviation Administration employees, including inspectors, technicians, and other specialists, gathered to raise awareness about how working without compensation has impacted their lives, CNN affiliate KNXV reported.
In addition to some struggling to feed their families, employees warned that the situation could soon become dangerous for air travel.
“At some point, people are going to stop showing up for work… Equipment will fail eventually if people don’t come into work,” FAA technician and union representative Ashley Cioffi told KNXV.
Another member of the union for aviation safety specialists, Andy Branigan, told KNXV that the shutdown has impacted workers beyond the control tower.
“We are the people who make sure the plane is safe to fly. We are the people who make sure the pilot is safe to fly,” Branigan, an aviation safety inspector, said. “We are not out looking at our planes, we are not out looking for pilots, we are busy trying to justify our existence.”
