Federal Workers Prepare for Possible Sequestration & Furloughs
Monday, February 11, 2013(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
With
sequestration – and possible furloughs – looking more and more likely,
federal worker
unions and their members across the metro area are mobilizing and preparing.
More than 1,500 AFGE and AFSCME members and their supporters – including Sen.
Charles Schumer (D., NY), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D., MD), AFSCME President Lee
Saunders, AFGE President David Cox, and AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka – will
rally on Capitol Hill tomorrow at noon to urge Congress to
shield vital government programs and services from devastating budget cuts. The
two largest unions representing government employees at the local, state and
federal levels are also calling Congress, educating their members, lobbying and
getting ready to consult and bargain with management over the effects of
sequestration, while the Metro Washington Council’s Community Services Agency
is helping federal workers prepare by battening down their
financial hatches. “We do not believe that federal workers, who have already
contributed over $100 billion dollars toward deficit reduction should have to
pay more so that large corporations can continue ripping off the country
through tax loopholes and low tax rates,” said AFSCME Council 26 Executive
Director Carl Goldman. “We don’t think that Social Security, air traffic
safety, food inspection, programs that benefit the rural poor and senior
citizens and more should be sacrificed to help pay for the misdeeds of
Wall Street.”
- report by Chris Garlock; photo from AFGE rally by Johnny
Walker