Lincoln community rallies to support unpaid federal airport workers during government shutdown

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — With no paycheck in sight, TSA Agents and Air Traffic Controllers at the Lincoln Airport are still showing up to keep flights running safely during the government shutdown.

And the dedication isn’t going unnoticed.

“I don’t think my phone has stopped ringing, which has been really nice,” said Rachel Barth, marketing director at the airport. “People have been inboxing me, emailing me, calling me, ‘how can I help?'”

Barth posted on Facebook to ask if anyone would like to partner up to say thank you to the hardworking employees.

And not long after, an overwhelming amount of support piled in.

Local businesses and community members commented on the post, offering to deliver food, sweet treats, and even full meals to show their appreciation.

“We’ve at least been able to cover 1-2 meals every day for the next two weeks, which is pretty great,” Barth said. “I know I’ve personally talked to both the TSA managers and the supervisors, and I know that they’re just so incredibly grateful.”

The simple gestures are keeping morale high and showing the heartwarming kind of community that Lincoln is.

“There’s been some tears, there’s been some hugs, there’s been a lot of ‘thank yous’, ‘we appreciate it’, cause it’s hard,” she said.

Greggos — a local restaurant in the Haymarket — dropped off lunch on Wednesday to let the employees know that they’ve got their backs.

“I just want to try and help out to relieve some of the stress that they may have,” said owner Gregg Roberts. “Just let them know that there are people who are with them.”