FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Cory Bythrow, Communications Director

Phone: (202) 216-4458

Washington, DC – As hundreds of thousands of federal employees awoke to a government shutdown this morning, William R. Dougan, National President of the National Federation of Federal Employees, a national union representing 110,000 federal workers throughout the U.S., issued the following statement:

“Today Congress willfully forced 800,000 dedicated federal workers off the job of serving the American people. These workers have families to feed, bills to pay, and rent to make. They are taxpaying, hardworking citizens of this country just like everyone else, but extremists in Congress are punishing them to score political points.

My message to Congress is this: Don’t play games with federal employees’ livelihoods.

This shutdown is shameful, it is unacceptable, and this union will not rest until these workers are back on the job and their paychecks are made whole. Federal employees have already endured three years of frozen pay, cuts to retirement benefits, and over a week of unpaid furlough days. They have given more than their fair share. Even more furloughs under this shutdown will be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Federal employees deserve better. They provide critical services to our nation every day by caring for our veterans, protecting our borders, and preserving our national treasures, among so many other vital duties. They want to come to work and serve their country. We must all stand up and demand Congress do the right thing and put our public servants back on the job where they belong.”

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Established in 1917, the National Federation of Federal Employees is the oldest union representing civil service federal employees.  NFFE represents 110,000 federal employees in 35 departments and agencies government-wide. NFFE is affiliated with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO.