And replace them with… whom, exactly?
this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2025
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Reagan fired the air traffic controllers without bothering to think that through, and aviation in the USA is still suffering the after-effects of that as the workers that were trained up to fill those gaps now all retire at the same time. I don't doubt the Republicans would make the same mistake twice, especially given that these ones are far stupider than Reagan's people.
Probably harder to fill this time. It's a hell of a lot easier to be an ICE scab than an ATC scab.
I don't doubt the Republicans would make the same mistake twice,
Well folks did elect Trump twice... so there is that.
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Microsoft Copilot.
I mean it is in the name!
Microsoft flight simulator
You joke, but Elon will already have claimed that his AI can do the job
ChatGPT, of course! What's the worst that could happen?
Maybe they didn't think this through...
Guaranteed they didn't
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Unpaid work is slavery, every single air traffic controller should just walk away.
Watching the US aviation industry collapse as a result would be endlessly amusing.
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.
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Demanding slave labor by threatening to loose you from your master if you refuse to cooperate is a strange take.
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
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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.
They didn't get here with logic.
Lol go ahead and fire them. That will definately help the shortage of controllers!
FORCING people to Work UNPAID is PROOF that Trump is the MOST Pro Worker president EVER!
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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.
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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 🙄
... hoping to work in their place for free
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.
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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.
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Almost like it’s a bad idea to come out and mass threaten the livelihoods of employees you need. Weird.
Go ahead do it.
Controllers, unionize while fired, what are they going to do, there's already a shortage when you aren't union
https://www.afacwa.org/reagan_fires_11_000_striking_air_traffic_controllers
I would expect something like this to happen.
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Truly one of the highest stress, lowest appreciation, skill-based professions on the planet. What have we become?
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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
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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?
That'll make them show up for no pay! What's the worst that could happen with a bunch of disgruntled air traffic controllers?
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Any politician making decisions to not pay working citizens shall be expired
Rich guy logic
oh no what will they do without all that non existent money. Bet they are super worried about getting work with their hyper specific skill set that fewer and fewer people are able to perform
Ah yes, my employer is playing this game as well. Recently after a decade of working loyally for my company, they decided to insult everyone in my department.
We're an important department.
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The Blue States should hire them, alongside the rest of the RIF'ed personnel of the Trump Regime. During a civil war, those extra traffic controllers will help keep air travel moving smoothly and let the workers have reasonable working hours.
Also, it is the right thing to do. The Trump Regime is hurting people for the sake of a tantrum.
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Bold move, Cotton, let’s see how this plays out.
It's already illegal for them to strike. This comes as no surprise.
Just ground all planes until the stupid circus is resolved. That should out some pressure behind it.
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