Daniel Ronneberg is the president of AFSCME Local 1653 (District Council 20). He has been working for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for 15 years. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a pilot.

Ronneberg says he grew up poor in Chicago. He is the eldest of four children and was raised by a single mom who relied on food stamps to make ends meet. He says he went into public service because he wouldn’t be where he is without the support of a caring government, “and I want to make sure I give back.”

As part of the FAA, he and his colleagues help ensure that people are safe when they board a plane. The roles they play in air safety are the difference between life and death for millions of travelers every day. But, he says, FAA employees have never felt so unsupported in their work.

“People who would have stayed in public service another decade are saying, ‘I’ve had it, I’m going to leave,’” he says.

As experienced employees leave public service, Ronneberg worries about the consequences for the rest of us.

“I worry for the flying and non-flying public,” he says. “The FAA was already short-staffed. Lots of people have left because of the miserable working conditions imposed. We will reach a tipping point that will result in a dramatic decrease in safety. … I say ‘non-flying public’ because when airplanes fall out of the sky, they land on people. That’s my biggest worry.”