Furloughed Feds Would Rather Work

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Aviation Safety Inspector Dan Ronneberg could have been home having a second cup of coffee. But instead Ronneberg joined several dozen fellow furloughed federal workers outside the Museum of Natural History yesterday morning to talk to the media and pass out flyers to passing tourists that listed which DC attractions were open and which were closed. “I like my job,” Ronneberg (AFSCME 1653) said, “It hurts being away from it. My colleagues and I are responsible for monitoring safety on airlines and planes across the United States. There’s over 3,000 of us, and now we’re not out there. That worries me.” As his colleagues waved at passing traffic and chanted “End the shutdown, we want to work!” Ronneberg said that “The shutdown is hard on everyone and it’s hard on some of my colleagues, who live paycheck to paycheck. It’s a shame, in this day and age, that the parties can’t get along.” Yesterday’s action was organized by AFSCME Council 26 and AFGE Local 12. 
Today's Action: 12 noon, NW corner of 1st & Independence Avenue (look for the green AFSCME t-shirts)
REMINDER: Free tickets for furloughed federal workers to Friday night's 7:15p screening of "Inequality For All"; click here to sign up!  - report/photo by Chris Garlock