It’s been close to two weeks since the federal government partially shutdown and there’s still no end in sight as Republicans and Democrats continue to spar over money for President Donald Trump’s promised border wall.
For the 800,000 federal workers either forced to work without pay or furloughed, their paychecks won’t hit their bank accounts on the next pay date for most federal employees which is on January 11th.
The earliest federal workers could be January 25th, which is their next pay date, according to reports.
Joe Mayle, an Ohio federal prison employee and AFGE Local 607 representative, says the shutdown is unacceptable. Mayle says he’s been working without a pay since the shutdown. He says the inmates at the jail are getting paid but the workers aren’t.
“When I don’t get that paycheck next week, I wont be able to pay my bills,” he said. “I will have to embarrassingly call my creditors and ask for extensions.”
Mayle says he believes the public thinks federal employees are paid well, but he says the average federal worker salary is $40,000. He says most workers live paycheck to paycheck.
“This shutdown isn’t just a Washington problem,” he said.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal workers’ union, filed a lawsuit against the federal government calling the shutdown inhumane. The organization hopes to get workers paid.