Forcing federal corrective officials to show for work during government shutdowns without salary is not just inappropriate – it is careless, and it risks life.
Once again, we are staring at the barrel of a government shutdown. For corrective officials in Thomson Federal Jail – and thousands and more across the country – it means that coming into one of the most difficult, most dangerous tasks in the US, suit, suit, and all salary, while their salary is kept until the Congress decided to do its work. Is that sound just? no way. Is it dangerous? Absolutely.
Think back to 2019 shutdown, which Went for 35 daysIt is going to do its work for 35 days corrective officials – while maintaining peace inside the federal jails, some of the most unstable situations imaginable – without salary. Pictures trying to hire, fill your gas tank for a 30 -minute commut, or keep food on the table for your children, when you are told that your work is “necessary”, but not your salary.
During that shutdown, the food banks became a lifeline for thomson and employees across the country. And no, this is not an exaggeration – people were tasked to keep the public safe, they had to rely on donations to feed their families. With the cost of survival, more and more officers are living Pachek-to-Pechek.
Some could not take care of the child, so they had to face a cruel option: stay at home and risk losing their jobs, or come in and leave their children to see anyone. It is not just about money. It is about dignity, stability and peace of mind.
This is not just a thomson problem. Federal prison is struggling to recruit and keep employees everywhere. Every shutdown makes things worse. Why will you take a job where you put your life at risk daily, pay less than the local police, and then it is said, “Sorry, you will have to wait for your check – but you still need a clock?”
The truth is, more people are saying, “No thanks.” It is a disaster in making.
Reform officers are law enforcement. They tolerate some of the highest risks in the region. About their suicide rate Seven times higher than normal population – Even more than police officers. This work is stressful and dangerous, even when things are running smoothly.
When you stack on the stress of knowing how you will pay your bills, it is a recipe for burnout, mental health crises and mistakes that all – staff and prisoners endanger.
When there are shutdowns, politicians responsible for this dirt keep paying, while real work people sprinkle for groceries and gas money.
The Congress needs to face reality: every shutdown harms real people. It hurts the families of corrective officials who have to convince their children why there is no money for groceries. This is the chips away from the mental health of the workers who already carry more stress than most of us. And every time it happens, it drives more than these jobs, which makes our gels less safe and our communities are less safe.
What are we asking for the Congress here: Support law enforcement, pass a budget and give a fund completely to the Federal Bureau of Jails. Stop treating the reformer officers later. Do not force them to select them between unpaid showing or losing their jobs. Do not trust them on food banks. Pay them – on time, every time. Their service, and our safety, is nothing less.
John Zumkehar is the chairman of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 4070.
