(Opinion) Letter to Editor from Furloughed NTEU Chapter 178 President
To the Editor:
As president of Chapter 178 of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), representing employees of the U.S Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations, Office of Information and Technology and Office of Facility and Asset Management I can tell you that my members want to work. We do not want to be furloughed by a government shutdown because our country is the reason we came to work for the federal government.
Americans rely on us to provide the services they need. Right now, though, nearly 800,000 employees at federal agencies around the country are out of work, furloughed because of the shutdown. I know this is causing great hardship for many of those I represent.
When I look at my members, I see middle class working people, subject to the same kinds of financial pressures most Americans feel. They pay rent, have mortgages, kids in college, elderly parents to care for, and all the everyday bills people regularly incur. They don’t deserve to have their paychecks taken from them this way. They want to work. End the shutdown.
Thank you,
Miguel Flores
President
NTEU Chapter 178
160 Garrison St
Eagle Pass, TX 78852
830-513-8605
