Dear NATCA member,
We hope you had a chance to send an email to your elected officials over the last few days letting them know that the government shutdown is unacceptable. Every day the shutdown continues, the controller staffing crisis intensifies, modernization of the National Airspace System falls further behind schedule, and committed, hardworking American aviation safety professionals get closer to a missed paycheck. The shutdown needs to end now! If you haven't yet sent your elected officials an email, please click here.
Now, we need you to reinforce our email message with a phone call to your elected officials. Making such calls is very simple. We've provided a script for you below to help you know what to say. No one answering these calls is going to debate you. The only question they probably will ask is where you live to determine if you are a constituent. The person answering the phone will note that you called and thank you for calling.
(FYI - if you are calling a Democrat office, the person answering the phone may tell you that the Democrats are putting up legislation on Thursday to end the shutdown. We are aware of this.)
Please call your U.S. Representative and both Senators to
let them know that the government shutdown needs to end now!
Call 844-336-1123 to be connected to your Representative and Senators. You can only reach one elected official at a time, so we ask that you please make three phone calls. Each call should only take a few seconds.
Please ask your spouse, family members, friends, neighbors, and everyone in your contact list to make calls as well. We aren't taking a position related to anything other than ending the government shutdown and funding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). We will not ask you to advocate for or against any of the issues at play in this standoff. We simply want to let our elected officials know that this shutdown MUST END! The more calls that are made, the louder and clearer our collective voice is heard. It is VERY important that EVERY member make these calls.
Please use this calling script when making your calls. It is intentionally short and to the point:
I am
(insert name/air traffic controller/aviation safety professional/constituent).
I'm a member of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. On behalf of NATCA and all the air traffic controllers and aviation safety professionals in (insert location) we appreciate the work being done by your boss and Congress to end this shutdown.
Over 3,000 aviation safety professionals represented by NATCA have been furloughed as a result of the shutdown. Without these critical employees, the National Airspace System cannot maintain its place as the gold standard for the world. This shutdown must end now.
Please weigh in with (House/Senate) leadership and ask them to end the government shutdown immediately in order to reopen the FAA.
In Solidarity
,
Paul Rinaldi, NATCA President
Trish Gilbert, NATCA Executive Vice President
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