Federal employees and their unions, including the IAM-affiliated National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), now in the eighth day of the government shutdown, continue to demand that Congress end its standoff and reopen the federal government.
Click here to watch a new Machinists News Network video of a rally on Capitol Hill.
As the shutdown enters its second week, frustration is coming to a head among the 800,000 federal employees who are being used as pawns in this political game. Over 70 percent of NFFE-IAM Federal District 1’s 110,000 members are either furloughed or working without pay.
“They don’t have a job. They’re sitting at home explaining to their families why they don’t have a job to go to,” said NFFE-IAM Legislative Director Randy Erwin. “They’re having trouble paying their mortgages and having trouble putting food on their table. It’s not fair what’s happening. It’s happening because of politics.”
Federal employees, along with Democratic members of Congress, are being held hostage by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), who isn’t even allowing a vote on a clean spending bill to reopen the government. This is despite the fact that many moderate House Republicans have broken with the extremist Tea Party faction of the party to say they would vote for a clean budget.
“It’s time to shut down this shutdown and put you back to work,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA). “We need a vote! Give us a vote!”
Click here to send a message to your Senators and Representative or call them at 202-224-3121 and demand they pass a clean budget bill and get America back on the right track.
