FIREFIGHTERS & ATC MISS PAYCHECKS DUE TO SHUTDOWN

More than two weeks into the government shutdown, there is still no indication of meaningful progress toward resolving the stalemate. This comes as thousands of federal workers have been fired from their jobs, while more than 1.4 million other government workers are furloughed or going without pay, including federal firefighters on military bases in Hampton Roads, VA. “When the government shutdown image comes on the TV, and it’s a picture of Washington, D.C., that’s not really the shutdown. It’s affecting the people here in your local communities on those federal facilities,” says Tim Welsh, the elected president of IAFF Local F25. That pain is also being felt in Colorado Springs, CO, where there are five military installations in the area. “It’s been a very chaotic time, people are frustrated, people are scared,” says Air Force spouse Amanda Scott. “Unfortunately, we’re in a position where you’re having to try and refresh the news to see if you’re going to be able to buy groceries or not.” In Atlanta, home to the world’s busiest airport, air traffic controllers are now going without pay as well. “This job is very stressful as it is, and they don’t need the added stress of wondering when they’re going to get paid again,” said Dan McCabe, the Southern Regional V.P. of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Correspondent Leigh Waldman has the latest on the shutdown in a 3:30pET PKG with FREE custom tags.