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Teamsters Union President Sean O’Brien and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby called on Senate Democrats to end the government shutdown during a Thursday press conference at the White House. The shutdown has contributed to major flight delays and ground stops while air traffic controllers and other workers are on duty without pay. Both of the leaders called on Democrats to end their filibuster of the Republicans’ continuing resolution (CR) to help American workers. “We took a position three weeks ago, pass a clean CR, get to the table, negotiate a deal, do not put working people in the middle of a problem they should not be in there,” O’Brien said. “We got to think about the families that are going to be affected. Think about when you have to tell your son or daughter they can’t play sports because you’re not getting paid. Think about when you can’t pay your mortgage.” “Think about when you can’t pay your tuition. Put the politics aside, get to the table, negotiate a deal, pass a clean CR right now, and then figure out the problems moving forward,” O’Brien said. (RELATED: ‘Give Her Chuck Schumer’s Number’: Sean Duffy Tells Tapper How His Daughter Can Prep For Govt Shutdown Flight Delays) Kirby then stated that the air traffic controllers, TSA agents and the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) are stressed with the economic hardship they are facing as a result of the shutdown. He also warned that the shutdown is putting the entire economy at risk. “But it’s putting stress on people. It’s not fair to those people. It’s also putting stress on the economy,” Kirby said. “The first couple of weeks, this had no impact on the economy. But as every day goes by, the impacts start to grow. And airlines are a pretty good real-time indicator of the economy. And we start to see [a] still minor, but steep booking impact. And you see that happening in the economy. We put the whole economy at risk.” “It has been 30 days, I also think it is time to pass a clean CR,” the CEO added. Air traffic controllers missed their first full paycheck of the shutdown on Tuesday, though Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that many cannot afford to lose a second paycheck, The New York Times reported. Administration officials and union leaders warned that many air traffic controllers will have to take side jobs to cover expenses and the stress of this shutdown could worsen their job performances. Despite these complications, Duffy assured that it is safe to fly. A 75-minute ground stop was issued at the Newark Liberty International Airport on Wednesday due to “staffing issues” caused by the shutdown. Departing flights were grounded from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. and flights were delayed for about 40 minutes after the ground stop ended. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
