ATLANTA — Friday marked a tough day for workers impacted by the partial government shutdown: A payday without the paycheck.
Octavius Miller, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employee at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, said he is taking out a short-term loan to make ends meet and support his 11-month-old girl, Jace Imiah. Her daycare bill, along with food, gas and utilities adds up quickly.
“When we do things like this for political show-boating, I feel like the people become pawns, and I feel like me and my coworkers have become pawns in this game,” Miller said. “I have a lot of responsibilities I have to take care of.”
Miller and some of his coworkers rallied to express their angst at the situation at a protest outside Hartsfield-Jackson this week, but Miller said they check their feelings at the door and are still showing up for work.
“I can’t speak for other airports, but here in Atlanta, me and my coworkers have been coming to work every single day,” Miller said.
He lives about 45 minutes from the airport and said he keeps working because he wants to make sure he has a job at the end of the shutdown. He also has a message to legislators in gridlock over budget talks.
“What we did to elect you, we supported you financially,” Miller said. “We’ve been out and rallied for you and helped you get elected, and now you need to do something for us.”
He also offered words of encouragement to others like him who are taking a financial hit during what is expected to be the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
“The message is, you’re not alone,” Miller said.
Some organizations, like United Way Atlanta, are ready to step up and help furloughed and unpaid workers with things like bills, groceries and healthcare.
“If you need help, you do not need to feel isolated and know that we will step up and try to help you,” said Protip Biswas with United Way Atlanta.
Those who don’t know where to start can call 211 for resources based on their zip code. Big national companies are also stepping in to help the 800,000 impacted federal workers. Bank of America, Wells Fargo and other large banks are offering fee waivers or loan modifications for affected workers, according to Fortune.
Cell phone carriers like AT&T, Sprint and Verizon are also offering customers options to keep their services running, offering later payment dates, fee adjustments and “promise to pay” programs while the partial government shutdown is still in effect.
In Atlanta, Sweetwater Brewery is offering furloughed employees two free beers with valid government ID.