FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cory Bythrow, Communications Chair
Phone: (202) 216-4458
Washington, D.C. – The Federal Workers Alliance, a coalition of 20 unions collectively representing over 300,000 federal workers throughout government, started a message board Friday for anxious feds to share their stories on how potential sequestration furloughs would impact their livelihoods. In just a matter of days, hundreds of federal employees have shared their stories, putting a heart-wrenching human face on the true cost of deep government budget cuts.
“I dare you to read their stories and tell me that what’s happening to these people is okay,” said FWA Chairman William R Dougan. “These aren’t just ‘faceless bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.’ These are single mothers, widows, and couples nearing retirement who are frightened that 20% or more of their pay will disappear overnight. After more than two years of frozen pay these people were already on the edge; sequestration furloughs will be the final shove over.”
The message board has already gained more than 250 posts and 5400 views from federal employees of all ages, working in dozens of departments and agencies across the country. Here are just a few of the gripping accounts:
“My monthly salary reduction under furlough will exactly equal my largest monthly expense, my mortgage. I am a single parent (widowed), raising two middle school aged children alone. I will likely have to sell my house to make it work with a reduced salary. Like most federal workers, we live month to month in a city with high cost of living. I will still be expected to get the same job done in less time for less pay.”
“I have 3 children, a mortgage, a car payment, several credit card bills, my elderly father lives with me as well. I am already struggling to survive each month. If I lose 20% of my income I’m sure that I will have to sell my car and not pay my credit card bills…I am an upstanding citizen of these United States. I pay my taxes and my bills. I volunteer for many community activities. I understand that something must change, what I do not understand is why my family must suffer, or why everything I have worked so hard for in life must hang in jeopardy. I go to work every day, I work hard for this nation. I am proud of the job I do and I am grateful for the opportunity to work for my nation.”
“I am in my last three years before retirement, so there is concern about how this may affect my retirement bottom line, not to mention a 20% cut in pay impacting my family. That aside, I deliver health care to the active duty army, When our clinic staff gets furloughed, the availability of patient visits will be reduced and service to our soldiers degraded accordingly.”
Message Board Link: http://www.quicktopic.com/50/H/6F5wDrDVdjY