As we approach the one-month mark since the start of the government shutdown, here’s a rundown of actions AFGE and our allies are taking to challenge the administration’s actions and provide you and your families with the resources and support you need during this difficult time:
Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston granted our request to add employees represented by three additional labor unions to the lawsuit AFGE and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) originally filed Sept. 30 challenging the administration’s plans to fire employees furloughed during the shutdown and ordering employees to work unpaid during the shutdown to carry out the mass terminations.
The lawsuit now includes federal employees represented by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE). The lawsuit previously was expanded Oct. 17 to include employees represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
“The administration’s move to fire thousands of patriotic civil servants while the government is shut down is patently illegal, and I’m glad we are able to expand our lawsuit to protect even more federal workers from facing termination,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “President Trump has made no secret that this is about punishing his political enemies and has nothing to do with the actual work that these employees perform. Data provided by the administration under court order illustrates how vast and unlawful these intended firings are and validates our union’s determination to challenge this illegal action. We will not stop fighting on behalf of our members and every federal employee who serves this country.”
Every Cabinet department and 24 independent agencies are included in the lawsuit. Offices and programs, projects, or activities (PPAs) within these agencies are covered by the lawsuit only if a plaintiff union has members there.
In response to our lawsuit, the judge issued a temporary restraining order on Oct. 15 preventing the administration from enforcing the reduction-in-force notices it had already issued or issuing any further RIF notices to employees in offices at the defendant agencies where the unions represent employees. During a subsequent hearing on Oct. 17, she clarified that the temporary restraining order applies to all agency offices where the unions have members or bargaining units – even those where contracts were terminated by the administration.
We have asked the court to issue a preliminary injunction extending its order barring the administration from firing any workers as the litigation proceeds. A hearing on our request for a preliminary injunction has been scheduled for Oct. 28.
The longer the government shutdown continues, the more challenging it becomes to take care of yourself and your loved ones. Luckily there are places you can go for assistance.
The Shutdown Assistance Map specifically identifies resources for federal employees affected by the shutdown in your community – including assistance with groceries, utilities, transportation, and other needs.
The online map is crowdsourced, meaning anyone can contribute information on special deals or offerings so all employees can benefit. If you know of a local business or organization that is proud to support our federal workers, please encourage them to add an offer of assistance to the map. It's fast, easy, and can make an incredible impact in your community.
The Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund is offering $150 microgrants to certain federal employees impacted by the shutdown to cover essentials like groceries, gas, diapers, and other basic necessities.
To qualify, employees must earn less than $60,000 a year, including locality pay, and will need to provide documentation of their shutdown status and most recent paystub. Click here to fill out the application.
Help for your utility bills could be coming soon, if certain members of Congress have any sway. On Oct. 22, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., led a group of 53 representatives in urging major utility companies to suspend late penalties and utility shutoffs for federal employees and contractors amid the federal government shutdown.
“In light of the ongoing federal government shutdown, we write to urge you to suspend all utility shutoffs and late payment penalties for federal workers or federal contractors affected by the shutdown. Both essential and involuntarily furloughed employees are currently without pay. These workers should not face the additional hardship of losing access to running water, electricity, or internet simply because their paychecks have stopped through no fault of their own,” the lawmakers wrote.
Two bills were introduced in the Senate Oct. 23 that would pay federal employees, military service members, and federal contractors during the shutdown.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., led a coalition of more than 20 senators in introducing legislation Oct. 23 that would require both excepted and furloughed federal workers to be paid during the shutdown, as well as military service members and federal contractors. Similar legislation was introduced by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. Van Hollen’s bill also would prevent the Trump administration from firing workers during the shutdown.
While the bills were not allowed to advance due to opposition led by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., AFGE continues to encourage members of Congress to support legislation ensuring all workers are paid during the shutdown.
“Whether they are declared excepted workers or are furloughed, civil servants are generally not paid for the duration of a funding lapse. Yet their obligations to pay mortgages and monthly rents, credit card bills and automobile loans, and college tuition and charitable pledges remain,” AFGE Legislative Director Daniel Horowitz said in a letter to Senate members. “Every missed pay period deepens the financial hole in which our members and their families find themselves. By the time Congress finally reaches a compromise, the damage has been done – to their bank accounts, to their credit ratings, and all too often, to their health and dignity.”
The Trump administration’s promotion of partisan language blaming Democrats for the government shutdown on federal websites, employees’ out-of-office messages, and employee communications is the subject of a new probe by the minority leader of the House oversight committee.
Rep. Kweisi Mfume, ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations, introduced a Resolution of Inquiry to demand answers regarding the Trump administration’s use of partisan messaging displayed on official government websites and included in official government emails. These messages could be a violation of the Hatch Act and federal appropriations law, which are meant to safeguard civil servants from political pressure and ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan manner.
Rep. Mfume’s resolution specifically calls on the administration to disclose information into the altering of Department of Education employees’ out-of-office emails to blame Congressional Democrats for the government shutdown, the posting of a message on the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s website blaming “the Radical Left in Congress” for the government shutdown, and the Office of Management and Budget's request for federal agencies to send language to their employees blaming Congressional Democrats for the government shutdown.
All across the country, AFGE members are voicing their objections to the government shutdown and calling on Congress to reopen the government at once.
Local media outlets and your communities want to hear from you about how locking out government workers from their jobs is having a damaging impact on the services we deliver to the American public.
By joining the AFGE Speakers Bureau, you will help strengthen and expand our collective voice as we work to bring this destructive government shutdown to an end.
Help make a difference today! Click here to join our AFGE Speakers Bureau.
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