Thanks to the CDC about 90% of these lethal chemical agents – mainly mustard and nerve agents – have been safely destroyed without harming workers in the plants and the communities outside the facilities. But when Congress shut down the government in October 2013, questions were raised regarding safety and security of everyone involved. Marilyn Radke, a CDC medical officer and an AFGE member, was one of the scientists and researchers who were told to leave the fatal stockpiles behind for the duration of the shutdown that lasted 16 days.

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It’s absurd, we know. The last shutdown wreaked havoc on many fronts, but many elected officials, driven by their ideological agenda – this time over funding for Planned Parenthood, are shooting for a sequel. As a federal employee, you are directly affected by the shutdown. Here are the answers to some of the important questions you may have regarding the shutdown:

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Congress seems to have very short memories when it comes to funding the government. Even with a potential shutdown looming in the near future AFGE members continue to do the best they can in spite of savage budget cuts. The important programs that have helped keep Americans safe require after 9/11 adequate funding. 

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The 2013 government shutdown cost the economy $24 billion, and it could happen again at the end of this month. That’s why AFGE is mobilizing support for the Federal Employees Fair Treatment Act of 2015 (FEFTA) to be introduced by Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland to ensure that all government employees receive guaranteed back pay for their work in the event of any future government shutdown. 

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The war on federal employees and their unions marches on as elected officials in the Senate seek to make the IRS an independent agency and get rid of its union.

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If you work hard and invest into something, you should reap the benefits. But next year, 11 million Americans who have worked hard and paid into Social Security for 22 years on average stand to lose a big chunk of their hard earned money – nearly 20% to be exact.

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Thanks to pressure from the labor movement, hundreds of House lawmakers last Friday blocked a job-killing international trade agreement package from moving forward.

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Sometimes it’s hard to tell, but this group makes it easier to at least identify those who are publicly and aggressively trying to sabotage you.

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Undeterred by a June shower, labor activists from across the country on Tuesday gathered at the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C. before marching to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), demanding to see the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a secret trade agreement between the U.S. and 11 other countries.

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Congress is mounting an attack on collective bargaining and official time. Again.

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In the latest threat against military grocery stores that have long helped military personnel and their families make ends meet, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to cut this major source of financial relief and hand over the commissaries to for-profit businesses.

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What should a 21st century civil service look like? Not what’s happening to the federal workforce right now: pay cuts, furloughs, shutdowns, testified AFGE President J. David Cox Sr. before a Senate subcommittee on regulatory affairs and federal management on 21st Century Ideas for the 20th Century Federal Civil Service.

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The House and Senate Budget Committees completed their conference of the FY 2016 non-binding budget blueprint at the end of April. Although the language is somewhat vague, the conference report appears to assume the following about federal employees. For some, this could be up to a 12% pay cut.

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It took the House Armed Services Committee all day and all night on Wednesday to go over nearly 300 proposals in its 2016 Defense Authorization bill, but they finally approved it at around 4:30 a.m.

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Watching the discussion around the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) gives President Cox a nasty sense of déjà vu.

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