ORLANDO, Fla. — Experts say a possible government shutdown means thousands of workers at Orlando International Airport could have to work without pay.

That includes air traffic control support staff, TSA officers and other employees.

What You Need To Know

  • A possible government shutdown means thousands of workers at Orlando International Airport could have to work without pay 

  • And training and hiring for new air traffic control support workers would stop

  • A regional vice president with Professional Aviation Safety Specialists says a shutdown could impact safety 

Thousands of airport workers who support air traffic controllers could also be stuck working without pay, or be furloughed. And officials say training and hiring for new air traffic control support workers would stop if there’s a shutdown. 

Doug Lowe, a regional vice president for the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, overseas union workers and support staff operations for airports across the country, including Orlando International Airport. He says a shutdown could ultimately impact safety.

“The previous shutdown hurt our ability to hire and train, so we’re at some of the lowest hiring levels we’ve ever seen," he said. "And as we’re trying to hire people — we just had a hiring push — a shutdown will get us in a situation again where we’re not able to train people that we hire."

Meanwhile, many Transportation and Safety Administration employees are preparing for the prospect of having to work without pay.  TSA officers and other workers are part of U.S. Homeland Security, and considered essential — so they will have to remain on the job, even if they aren’t paid.

Ivan Hernandez has worked in TSA at the Orlando International Airport for nearly 20 years. He’s been through shutdowns before and is already urging his coworkers to save money.

“You know that 10% you’re told to save for a rainy day, I tell people to do that all the time and I do that and when the shutdown comes," he said. "It’s a rainy day."

Hernandez says TSA workers support each other — he spent Friday making 10 trays of lasagna for a TSA worker who has fallen on hard times. 

“We’re having a makeshift fundraiser for an officer who recently had a house fire and lost everything in their house,” said Hernandez.

He said looking out for each other is just what TSA officers in Orlando do.

“We don’t know everybody we work with, but we do know we work with each other, and there’s a certain comradery,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez says he’s confident that if a shutdown happens, Orlando TSA workers will remain on the job, despite not getting paid.

“Our job is to make sure people have an uneventful traveling day," he said. "And even though the government is shutting down, we still have to make sure that happens."