SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Transportation Security Administration officers are going without pay during the latest government shutdown, which stems from a congressional stalemate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
TSA is part of DHS and is being affected by the funding lapse, but a union leader says other departments within the agency are currently receiving pay while TSA workers are not. Workers have not been paid since Feb. 16 and just missed their first paycheck.
This is the third government shutdown in six months, and union representatives say some officers still have not received backpay from the previous shutdowns.
Nyrine Washington, a representative with the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1260, said there is currently no timeline for when TSA workers will be paid. She said many officers live paycheck to paycheck and are facing serious stress as they try to balance protecting the public while worrying about rent, food, gas, and bills.
"I don't feel like they feel like the seriousness of the job that we do is being put on the back burner when we're, we're also national security. We're also here to protect the skies of the American public. It's just unfortunate that we have to worry about whether to call off work, whether to pick up our children, and being threatened with disciplinary action if we do call off. It's a choice that nobody should have to make right now," Washington said.
Washington is asking for the public's support. She says "thank-yous" are appreciated, but she is urging people to call Congress and push for pay under the Shutdown Fairness Act.
