Speaking Out for Federal Workers
August 27, 2014
When hundreds of thousands of federal employees found themselves suddenly out of work during the government shutdown last October, Census Bureau employee Natasha Rozier knew she had to do something.
Natasha, a proud member of AFGE Local 2782 in Suitland, Md., began speaking to local and national reporters about the impact the shutdown was having on federal employees like herself.
“It became really personal for me to be able to get out and share my story about how that would impact my family – not being able to go to work, not knowing if we were going to get retro(active) pay or not,” Natasha says. “Each interview, it became more exciting to me to get out there and let my voice be heard.”
Natasha shares her story in the latest documentary produced by the AFGE, which represents more than 4,000 bargaining unit employees throughout the Census Bureau. The documentary series is part of AFGE’s year-long campaign, “I Am AFGE,” to raise public awareness of the valuable services federal employees deliver.
The data collected by the Census Bureau is used to make funding decisions on things like school and road construction, job training, and neighborhood improvements. That work came to a halt during the 16-day government lockout, Natasha says.
“The information that we collect is very vital because other state and local governments, even non-profit agencies use our information and they depend on it to help them in their jobs,” she says.
Natasha’s story is part of AFGE’s year-long campaign to increase the public’s awareness and appreciation of the women and men who work for them every day.
You can become a part of the conversation yourself. Here’s how:
- Submit a “selfie” photo using your smartphone to [email protected] (or just use hashtag #IAMAFGE) and we’ll share on social media. Please be aware of agency policies regarding taking photos on government property.
- Share our videos and other content on social media using the hashtag #IAMAFGE
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