Aviation workers at Bradley International Airport held an informational picket Thursday trying to educate the public about what they say are the safety issues associated with the government shutdown.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers will miss a second paycheck this Friday
Workers at Bradley say this government shutdown is causing safety concerns, and handed out leaflets to travelers letting the public know what they do at the FAA and to highlight possible safety issues.
Some of those concerns include stopped improvement projects at other airports around the country, and training facilities being shut down when they're already short-staffed.
On top of that, safety inspectors who certify new pilots and work with airlines on certifications have been furloughed.
Some of the aviation safety workers say they’ve picked up second jobs, while others are taking out loans to make ends meet.
"We go a week without doing our jobs and things are going be put to a grinding halt. We're professionals, we do our jobs, we come in day in and day out and do our jobs but this is really getting old for a lot of us. We're working side jobs. We're getting overworked and fatigued and it's very frustrating," said Andy Romano, an airway transportation systems specialist.
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They’re hoping the picket will pressure lawmakers to end the shutdown.
This is day 34 of the shutdown, making it the longest in the nation's history.
