Hundreds of thousands of workers will miss their next paycheck because of the Trump Shutdown. Now, they are speaking out and calling on Trump to end his shutdown.
Hundreds of federal workers gathered at the White House today to demand an end to the Trump Shutdown.
Washington Post: “Hundreds of furloughed federal workers, contractors, union representatives and supporters gathered in the brisk wind and bitter cold Thursday to demand government leaders ‘end this shutdown.’ Leaders of the National Federation of Federal Employees said they hoped that bringing federal workers to the president’s doorstep would show him whom the shutdown has hurt most.”
The FBI Agents Association called on Trump and Republicans to pass funding bills to reopen the Department of Justice.
Vox: “The union for FBI agents is out today with a new letter urging Congress to pass a funding bill to reopen the Department of Justice so that its members can get paid… Instead, they come down in line with the view of Democratic leaders (and some Republican senators): The important thing is to reopen the government — ‘the important work done by the Bureau needs to be funded immediately,’ they write — and allow any negotiations over other issues to proceed on a separate track.”
The National Treasury Employees Union sued the Trump administration over the shutdown on behalf of Customs and Border Protection officers.
Washington Post: “The National Treasury Employees Union became the second federal employees’ union to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the shutdown. The collective action alleges that more than 400,000 federal employees — including tens of thousands of NTEU members — are being forced to work without pay during the partial government closure. The complaint asked that the named plaintiffs, Customs and Border Protection officers Eleazar Avalos and James Davis, and other similarly classified individuals be paid owed wages.”
The union representing air traffic controllers warned about the long-term damage of the Trump Shutdown.
Politico: “Air traffic controllers, who are working through the government shutdown, won’t be getting a paycheck for their last two weeks of work, their union confirmed Thursday morning… The controllers union has said that beyond the lack of pay, the shutdown will also exacerbate long-term staffing problems and delay projects including the implementation of a new communications system for the nation’s air traffic control system.”
The union representing TSA workers warned that the Trump Shutdown was causing a “massive security risk.”
USA Today: “Transportation Security Agency officers forced to work without knowing when their next paycheck is coming are no longer just calling in sick. Now, 18 days into the partial government shutdown, some are resigning, according to Hydrick Thomas, who heads the TSA Council on the American Federation of Government Employees. ‘Every day I’m getting calls from my members about their extreme financial hardships and need for a paycheck. Some of them have already quit and many are considering quitting the federal workforce because of this shutdown,’ the official said in a statement posted to the union’s website on Tuesday. He did not specify how many had quit.”