PORTLAND, Maine — Thousands of federal workers in Maine could be impacted by the shutdown.
The Portland Jetport is looking at what this would mean for travelers.
From the TSA agents to air traffic controllers to Customs and Border Protection, there are a lot of federal employees here at the Jetport.
They could all start working without a paycheck this weekend.
“It was horrible,” American Federation of Government Employees Local 2617 Regional VP William Reiley said.
Reiley remembers the last time clear as day. He’s with the union representing TSA agents and works at the Jetport.
“We had to go to work. We still had passengers who got through the airport,” Reiley said.
In 2018 and 2019, a shutdown went on for 35 days.
“The first two or three weeks of the shutdown, if it goes that long, are not too bad,” Reiley said.
That’s because some paychecks will keep coming at first.
“If this does drag on, then we tend to see more call-ins and operational impacts that will lead to longer lines,” Portland Jetport Assistant Airport Director Zach Sundquist said.
For now, Sundquist expects there will be little change to the travel experience in the near term.
But that may not be the case across the U.S.
“We are part of a national aerospace system, so if one specific area of the country has an increased number of call-ins on a day, that could impact flight operations to that region,” Sundquist said.
Leaders are working on a plan to help workers and make sure they have basic necessities like a few years ago.
“Our whole airport community came together. We had conference rooms full of food and diapers and everything that the employees could come and utilize,” Sundquist said.
“Maine people during the last shutdown were extremely generous,” Reiley said.
It’s the other things like paying for mortgages, rent or other debts that get to be difficult.
Reiley thinks older TSA agents may be prepared, but newer employees probably are not.
“It makes the new person think, ‘Well why do I really want to work here? Why do I want to work for the government at all? I can go somewhere else and maybe be more secure in my job,’” Reiley said.
This is all coming as a lot of people will be traveling for leaf-peeping season in Maine.
“At this point, we are still waiting for guidance from Acadia National Park,” Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Everal Eaton said.
The U.S. Forest Service estimates that fall tourism across the Northeast usually brings in around $8 billion.
The Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce isn’t sure yet what may happen.
“There’s still a lot to visit and experience joy within Bar Harbor, even if the park ends up being closed,” Eaton said.
For those who already planned a trip, many businesses are open through October.
“There is still a lot, between museums and retail restaurants, tons of activities to do within the area,” Eaton said.
He says it’s never good timing for a shutdown.