Federal workers at Monterey airport miss paycheck

Thousands of workers around the country are still waiting to get paid as the federal government shutdown continues on.

Essential federal employees like TSA workers at the Monterey Regional Airport have been working without pay for the past three weeks, and Friday is the first payday they did not see any money.

“They’re working hard. They should get paid, they need it. They earned it,” said Amelia, a Salinas resident.

“I just hope they get paid and all this nonsense gets worked out because people deserve the money if they put in the work,” said James Wells III, a North Carolina resident who was traveling through the Monterey Regional Airport.

The airport works with the Transportation Security Administration, air traffic controllers and Federal Aviation Administration staff.

“Their role here is vital as any in an airport,” said Michael La Pier, the executive director of the Monterey Regional Airport.

La Pier says surprisingly they have not had a big downturn in the airport’s operations. And he credits dedicated workers trying to keep things safe.

“You have to think about could you live without a paycheck for an extended period of time as these folks are being asked to do,” said La Pier.

“That’s real negative on the part of the government. They work for a living, they’ve got bills to pay,” said Michael Kraftzeck, who works at the airport. “They do important jobs, particularly air traffic control and TSA.”

And since we do not know when the shutdown will end, they have have no reassurance they will be paid anytime soon, a concern La Pier says needs immediate action.

“At this point, I think the best thing for this airport, for the safety and security of the air traffic control system is that the government does what they can to make sure that these people are compensated for their time and certainly kept on the job,” he said.

La Pier also says it is important for people to stop and think about these workers and thank them for what they are doing to keep us safe even while they are not getting paid.