this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2025
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Summary

Elon Musk called on retired air traffic controllers to return to work, citing a shortage amid heightened scrutiny of the FAA under Trump's second term.

With DOT Secretary Sean Duffy's support, Musk's DOGE attempts to "upgrade" aviation systems despite recent FAA job cuts.

The AP reports fired employees included radar and navigational aid maintenance personnel, though Duffy insisted no "critical safety personnel" were terminated.

Musk's appeal comes amid increased public concern over recent aviation incidents, though experts consider the uptick an anomaly.

(page 2) 50 comments
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Musk’s appeal comes amid increased public concern over recent aviation incidents, though experts consider the uptick an anomaly.

Anomalies for now. These aviation incidents will become the new normal after gutting the department that is charge of preventing aviation incidents from happening.

But hey, Musky Boy got to play a chainsaw. So that's a plus?

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 40 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Time to renegotiate salary!

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

time to sing l'international!!

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[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 147 points 1 day ago (1 children)

"There is a shortage"

ah damn i love that language. reminds me of the boss that abused my mother back when she was still in employment. "there is a shortage, you need to come over on your day off, otherwise we can't handle the workload". how about employing more people? no? maybe because you can't find another fool who will do the work with these bad working conditions?

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

There has been a shortage for a decade, and the post is literally Musk trying to hire early retirees to fill staffing shortages.

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 day ago (9 children)

There's no such thing as a labor shortage, especially if it's been long enough to train more ATCs. If the pay is high enough, then people will come out of the woodwork.

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 1 points 19 hours ago

for things like atc there is, theres a maximum age you can become one, and a max age to retire, very little exceptions outside of that.

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[–] LettucePrey@lemm.ee 246 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

Well if it isn't the consequences of his own actions.

[–] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 113 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Fucked around ✅

Found out 👈

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 74 points 1 day ago (16 children)

Not really, tbh. He's pretty clearly just doing as much damage as he possibly can. This whole "Oooh whoopsie, we did a bad, does anyone want their job back?" shit is pure show to give himself some plausible deniability to keep the guillotines at bay.

If you look at what's happening through the lens of his goal being malice, and ignore the "ooooops!" pony show, what you see is a man who's hamstrung an entire nation with literally zero consequences.

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[–] PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat 58 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Honestly, this one's not even completely his own fault. Standard bureaucratic ossification has been fucking up ATC staffing for years now. The pay is low, the qualifications are steep, and the responsibility and stress is insane. Why would someone do that? And so, people don't. And, on top of them, management from both the business and political sides simply doesn't give a fuck about safety or morale.

The levels of traffic were just recently increased in that DC airspace where the plane hit the helicopter, and at the time, a bunch of qualified people were trying to raise the alarm that some bad shit was going to happen if they stuffed more aircraft into an already overcrowded area. No one in a position to make any of the decisions cared, and they did it anyway. That all happened before Trump and Elmo came into the picture.

Of course, it is true that their own actions have produced some additional consequences now. They've fired a bunch more people and demotivated all the existing or prospective ones pretty much as much as it is possible to do. And, as much as the existing systems are aging and in need of some modernization, it's absolutely guaranteed that whatever Musk does to "improve" them will make them even worse. All I'm saying is that he didn't entirely create the bad situation he is now about to amplify tenfold.

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[–] houstoneulers@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

I'm curious what the terms are going to be to get them back. Him just bloating the salaries b/c he's a moron would be on point for him.

[–] radiohead37@lemmynsfw.com 130 points 1 day ago (1 children)
  1. Claim a federal agency is inefficient
  2. Fire employees and defund agency
  3. Agency performs worse than before
  4. Point finger at the agency showing how it is incompetent
  5. Move to privatize agency
  6. $$$$$$$
[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 69 points 1 day ago (4 children)

That's been the Republican M.O. for like 40 years.

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[–] JBar2@lemmy.world 105 points 1 day ago (7 children)

US law mandates retirement at 56 for Air Traffic Controllers due to the high stress and fast-paced multi-tasking nature of the job

It's considered one of the most mentally challenging jobs there are.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/8335

[–] Kalysta@lemm.ee 14 points 1 day ago

We should have this same law for politicians.

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 1 points 19 hours ago

probably one of the reasons why its such a shortage, low-retirement age, maximum age for becoming one, among other requirements.

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[–] FrostyCaveman@lemm.ee 96 points 1 day ago (1 children)

How about you just increase the pay and benefits you’re offering? if you love the efficiencies of the free market so much why don’t you fucking act like it

[–] moody@lemmings.world 36 points 1 day ago

The free market dictates that in a shortage, the cost of the goods or services must rise to meet the equilibrium of supply and demand. Anything else is surely incredibly inefficient.

[–] Leviathan@lemmy.world 74 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Fucking beg, fascist bitch.

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[–] ThomasCrappersGhost@feddit.uk 12 points 1 day ago

What a joke…

[–] spooky2092@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 19 hours ago

Contract negotiation time!

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 65 points 1 day ago (7 children)

Yo, air traffic controllers still at work: if y'all have ever considered going on strike, now's the time.

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[–] unmagical@lemmy.ml 65 points 1 day ago

"No OnE wAnTs To WoRk AnYmOrE" - guy firing a bunch of people without cause.

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