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                  Busy air traffic control facilities lack enough controllers

      WASHINGTON — Thirteen of America's busiest air traffic control facilities are suffering from a shortage of air traffic controllers, a problem that demands “urgent attention," a government watchdog told lawmakers on Tuesday. The facilities also are under stress because a large share of their controllers are still being trained and are not yet competent to work on their own, he said. Many of their experienced controllers also are eligible to retire, Hampton said.

      Officials with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union representing controllers, also complained about the difficulty in moving an experienced controller from a less-busy workplace to a busy one. Managers are reluctant to let workers go for fear they won't be readily replaceable, he said. And employees may oppose moving to an area where the cost of living is higher — New York, for example.

                                                                              Washington Post 6/12/15 [adapted]