ATLANTA — City leaders and union members rallied at the world's busiest airport against a possible government shutdown.
"If you think the lines are long now, just imagine if you have half of the workforce not being able to show up because they don't have the means," said Aaron Barker, President of American Federation of Government Employees Local 554, which represents TSOs at Hartsfield-Jackson. "The lines will be out the door and backed up to 285."
Congress has a week to maintain funding for the federal government to avert a shutdown. This comes after President Joe Biden signed a last-minute bill on Oct. 1 in a bipartisan deal and a chaotic rush to find a new House speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted. The temporary funding will end on Nov. 17.
"We have an obligation to make sure that we're standing up for the workers who keep us safe, who keep the economic engine of the southeast going every day and so that's why I'm here," said Congresswoman Nikema Williams (D-Georgia). "I stand ready to do the job that Atlantans sent me to Washington to do."
AFGE Local 554, represents a number of federal employees like Transportation Security Administration expert officer Adrienne Y. Walker.
"There's uncertainty because we have officers that may not be able to withstand a long, long time without getting paid," she said. "They'll have tough decisions."
Joining the federation members are U.S. Representative Nikema Williams, City Council members Keisha Waites and Antonio Lewis, Senior Advisor to Mayor Dickens and other members of the state and local government.
According to a former Georgia lawmaker, an estimated 140,000 Georgians are employed by the federal government, so a shutdown would have wide-ranging implications. That impact starts with their wallets. If the shutdown happens, all non-essential federal personnel will be furloughed without pay.
Essential workers will still be required to show up for work but won’t be paid until the shutdown is over, which includes TSO and the travel industry overall, according to the federation.
Union members are rallying to inform congress members of "how disastrous a shutdown would be and to encourage them to cosponsor the Fund the TSA Act," the federation said in its news release.
The federation said the Fund the TSA Act would guarantee TSOs are paid during shutdowns.
"Our work is essential to keeping the American economy running," said Barker. "If a shutdown does happen, TSOs will continue to do their jobs unpaid. Our workers have rent payments, mortgages, and families to take care of. Expecting them to do this vital work for no wages is absurd and demeaning for the people who protect our skies."