Letter to the 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 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 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. After all, along with the rest of the federal workforce, they have had their pay frozen for the past three years. Not only that, many of them had to undergo unpaid furlough days earlier this year because of sequestration.
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.
Thank you,
Miguel Flores
President
NTEU Chapter 178
Eagle Pass, TX
