EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Union leaders in El Paso called on members of Congress to pass bipartisan legislation and reopen the federal government.
The federal government has been shut down since 10 p.m. El Paso time on Tuesday, Sept. 30 after Congress was unable to come up with a spending plan.
“Shutdowns are a failure, and they’re never justified,” said AFGE Local 2516 President Julian Patrick, who represents Army and Defense Health Agency employees at William Beaumont Army Medical Center. “Our members have already endured hiring freezes, RIFs, and cuts that have driven up backlogs and workloads. We shouldn’t have to head into the holidays wondering if our paychecks will arrive.”
According to the American Federation of Government Employees, 2 million federal employees are working without pay or have been furloughed from their jobs without pay.
“The shutdown’s impact on employees and the larger public, including the critical transportation sector, will become more pronounced the longer the shutdown lasts,” the union said in a statement.
Isaac Ortiz, who is president of a local union that represents federal employees at La Tuna Correctional Institution, said his members are working without pay.
“Working without pay is a serious issue,” Ortiz said. “They have mortgages to pay for, schools to pay for, expenses, medical bills. It’s a real hard stressor on them.
“We are doing this for more than pay, but at some point it’s going to affect their well-being and their family,” he said.
Ortiz asked community members to reach out to members of Congress and lobby for the end of the shutdown.
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