San Carlos air traffic controllers will remain on job, avoiding empty airport towers

San Carlos airport.
SAN CARLOS, Calif. - San Carlos air traffic controllers ended up working out a deal with their new employer instead of walking off the job and leaving the towers unstaffed, an airport spokesman told KTVU on Friday.
"It will be business as usual," spokesman David Howard said in a phone interview.
What we know:
Four of the air traffic controllers will remain working at the airport, Howard said.
He did not elaborate on the negotiations or what changed from Wednesday, when it was announced they were not happy with their new contract and would walk off the job Saturday.
At one time, there used to be six air traffic controllers, the county website showed, but Howard said the number of air traffic controllers didn't matter: The airport operations would not skip a beat.
What we don't know:
No one from the air traffic controllers union responded to KTVU's request for comment.
What exactly was worked out in the last-minute negotiations was not spelled out.
The backstory:
The small airport has been the hotbed of chaos and confusion since Wednesday morning when airport manager Gretchen Kelly sent out a news release that the Federal Aviation Administration had switched contractors, from Serco to Robinson Aviation, which takes over on Saturday.
Robinson wasn't paying "locality pay," which the San Francisco Standard reported totaled $18,000 a year in housing stipends.
That caused the air traffic controllers to no longer want their jobs, Kelly said, since the pay was "significantly lower."
Big picture view:
Kelly's announcement about San Carlos air traffic controllers came hours before a deadly midair crash at the Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. between a military helicopter and a passenger plane: 67 people died.
Because of that tragic event and the intense scrutiny, the San Carlos airport, with the help of U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, were able to get the sides back together to work things out.
"At a time when we’re all hyper aware of the critical safety role air traffic controllers serve following the tragic collision in DC," Mullin said in a statement. "I’m relieved there’s a deal to continue this vital service at the San Carlos Airport."
The representative reiterated Friday the importance of taking the regional cost of living into consideration when paying air traffic controllers.
"This is a highly-skilled job that fliers across the country rely on to keep them safe," he said.
Local perspective:
The San Carlos Airport is located 20 miles south of downtown San Francisco. It was constructed in its present location in 1948.
It's also home to approximately 500 aircraft and over 25 aviation-related businesses, according to the government, and aviation is the top employer in San Mateo County.