About 800,000 federal employees are in a bind. Because of the government shutdown, some are furloughed and going unpaid, while others, considered essential employees because they man the nation’s defenses, are working without pay.
Even though their paychecks have stopped, their household bills keep flowing in, forcing them to tap savings, credit cards and the kindness of family members to make ends meet. President Donald Trump and some lawmakers have vowed to provide all of them with back pay at some point, though that’s cold comfort now. Those who are furloughed can collect unemployment compensation, which would have to be returned if they get back pay.
Despite their predicament, those required to keep working — Transportation Security Administration screeners, federal corrections officers, certain judicial employees, among many others — must keep working. In some airports, TSA employees have been calling off sick in unusually high numbers, perhaps out of frustration or maybe to work side jobs to bring in a few bucks. It’s understandable. It’s also wrong. The so-called “sickout” must end.
The reason is less about passengers enduring longer lines at airport security checkpoints than about ensuring that an adequate number of well-rested, focused TSA officers are on duty at all times. When some call in sick, others must pick up the slack, and overworked screeners are a chink in the nation’s armor. It’s an unfair request, but the nation needs them to behave more responsibly than the politicians whose sandbox antics shut down the government.
Whether furloughed or still on the job, federal employees deserve the help of their neighbors and elected representatives. Social service agencies, churches, local businesses and other organizations should make an effort to identify federal workers who need help and do everything possible to assist them.
In some places, this already is happening. The Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Buffalo, N.Y., has offered to waive its $25 consultation fee for federal workers who want help with their finances. Wells Fargo is suspending some fees for affected workers. In Washington, D.C., some restaurants are offering free or discounted meals to federal workers who show identification. In Whatcom County, Wash., a resident established “Operation Shutdown Fun” to encourage entertainment-related businesses to donate passes to federal employees.
In Allegheny County, the airport authority plans to serve free lunches each Friday to TSA employees, air traffic controllers and other federal employees who are working without pay. Officials say there’s no sickout there.
Members of Congress should throw open their office doors to the workers and be prepared to run interference with mortgage companies, student loan providers or other creditors who are bearing down on them.
Americans need to be grateful for the work that federal employees do. That’s especially true right now, when gratitude is about the only remuneration available to people doing some of the most important jobs in the land.
First Published: January 11, 2019, 11:00 a.m.
