No Aircraft
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 14
Situational Awareness; Workload
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; No Specific Anomaly Occurred Unwanted Situation
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Environment - Non Weather Related; Staffing
The issue is [the] extreme limit of CPC (Certified Professional Controllers). We were working with 3 CPC's on a shift that a year ago any less than 9 CPC's on a shift would have been unacceptable. The facility is combining 2 and 3 positions to one controller during very busy and complex traffic. All because a lack of CPC controllers due to COVID issues and minimum staffing due to the agency not hiring any more controllers for our facility. This whole COVID issue has caused all the rules and agreements to go out the window. It is unacceptable for the safety of the NAS! We are just treated like robots like we always have been. There is no empathy for the stresses in our lives outside of work. This year has created A LOT of stress due to all the COVID uncertainty and constantly changing ideas about how to deal with it. Also all the political stress that has gone on all year. As much as we try to push out personal issues and feelings when we work; we are still human. We are not robots. And some days all the crap going on in society added to an unacceptable over taxed work load just gets to a person. We need more controllers at ZZZ TOWER! Also the positions need to be de-combined when traffic is busy. Combining 3 positions to one controller puts that controller at risk of missing something. And that is not fair to that controller or the flying public. The flying public deserves better than this.
Tower Controller reported low staffing levels during periods of complex traffic combined with undue outside pressures have created an unsafe situation.