A cheesy show of solidarity delivered from Edmonton has taken flight.
Canadian air traffic controllers have bought hundreds of pizzas for their currently unpaid American colleagues as a show of support during the U.S. government’s partial shutdown.
The pizza party started when air traffic controllers that work for NAV Canada at Edmonton International Airport sent pies to their counterparts in Anchorage, Alaska.
“It’s just a class act,” said Clint Lancaster, National Air Traffic Controllers Association’s (NATCA) regional vice president in Alaska. “It fed probably 30 to 40 people, so that’s a lot of pizza.”
As of Monday morning, air traffic controllers in other Canadian cities have had about 300 pizzas to 52 facilities south of the border.
“It just took off like wildfire,” Canadian Air Traffic Control Association President Peter Duffey said. “For instance, Fort McMurray tower sent pizza to El Paso, Texas. They said, ‘Well, El Paso is an oil town too, so it was one oil town sending pizza to another oil town.’”
An estimated 10,000 air traffic controllers have not been paid since the partial shutdown began on Dec. 22 because they were demed "essential" employees.
“Pizza at the right time can be the best thing you’ve ever had,” Lancaster said. “One less meal to worry about; it’s a nice little break in the stress.”
With files from The Canadian Press and Dan Grummett
