Sacramento Valley Union Labor Bulletin

Owned and Published by the Sacramento Central Labor Council and the Sacramento-Sierra’s Building & Construction Trades Council, official councils of the AFL-CIO

Local political leaders including Congressman Ami Bera (center) stood with federal workers protesting the shutdown of government which has left them without pay. - Courtesy of Congressman Ami Bera
LABOR BULLETINSLIDER

Federal airport workers on the job with no pay

Labor Bulletin

By Elsa Swanson

Federal airport workers were joined by labor leaders and allies at the Sacramento International Airport in October to speak out against the effects of the government shutdown on workers.

James Mudrock, president of AFGE Local 1230, which represents airport workers, said about 250 local Transportation Security Administration employees have been affected. “It’s absolutely wrong that these people should be being made to work under these circumstances,” Mudrock told reporters.

Nearly 750,000 federal workers have been furloughed nationwide since the government shutdown began on October 1, forcing countless TSA Agents and Air Traffic Controllers to report to work without pay. Across the region, there are about 11,000 federal workers.

TSA employees are among the nation’s essential federal workers—responsible for keeping airports secure and the public safe. Yet, too often their work goes undervalued. Workers are calling attention to the urgent need for fair treatment and consistent pay that reflects the critical role they play in our nation’s security, the union said in a statement.

“If our jobs are essential, then paying us for them must be essential too,” said Mudrock. “We’ve dedicated our lives to public service, keeping travelers safe for decades. We deserve better.”

Rep. Ami Bera, state Sen. Angelique Ashby, Assemblymember Maggy Krell and Sacramento City Councilmembers Karina Talamantes, Eric Guerra and Mai Vang also joined the event.

“It is unacceptable that TSA agents and air traffic controllers are being forced to work without pay,” said Bera in a statement. “These essential workers continue to do their jobs, but President Trump and Speaker Johnson aren’t doing theirs. We need to reopen the government, pay these workers, and protect access to affordable healthcare for millions of Americans.”

Speaking on the first day of the shutdown, AFGE member Gilbert Galam told media, “There are a lot of unknowns, a lot of uneasiness, and everyone doesn’t know what to do going forward.”

On the day of the event, TSA worker Wallace Wade, said, “We have folks here right now who are struggling paycheck to paycheck.

“I have to be here and it’s my money, my gasoline, my time, my food, everything else. And they’re not paying us,” Wade said. “This is actually a self-made disaster.”