Drive launched to help federal workers on Long Island

“It’s a topic of conversation every day,” James Brazel, a national airspace operations manager, said of the government shutdown. “We have this joke at work — we say, ‘Another day, another promised dollar’ — but the joke is becoming a reality.”

In his 22 years with New York Terminal Radar Approach Control in Westbury, which contracts with the Federal Aviation Administration, this is the first time Brazel has received a paycheck with no monetary value. And despite the shutdown, he has continued to work, sometimes 24-hour shifts, without pay. “I’m considered an essential employee,” he said, “so I still have to do my job.”

Brazel, who lives in Plainview, shared his story at a news conference at the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site on Jan. 11. He was joined by State Sen. Jim Gaughran and State Assemblyman Charles Lavine, who announced a food and supply drive to benefit federal workers during the shutdown — which, a day after the news conference, be-came the longest in the nation’s history.

“These federal workers have mortgages, rent payments, kids in college, and every day they’re struggling more and more,” said Gaughran. “This is our way to do a little bit to help those in need, and hopefully it’s a very short drive.”

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