Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Hill Air Force Base workers are facing financial and emotional strain during the ongoing government shutdown.
- Union leaders criticize Congress for not being furloughed and failing to act.
- Employees rely on loans and food banks amid paycheck uncertainty and demoralization.
LAYTON — As the federal government shutdown drags on with no end in sight, thousands of civilian employees at Hill Air Force Base are feeling the strain financially and emotionally.
Some have turned to zero-interest loans and local food banks to get by. But for many, the uncertainty of not knowing when their next paycheck will come or whether they'll even return to work is taking a toll.
Brenda Jaramillo, President of the American Federation of Government Employees union, which represents the 8,000 civilian workers on base, said the situation is demoralizing.
"We have jobs that we take pride in," she said. "When did the federal employees become the enemy? And why isn't Congress and the Senate being furloughed? They're federal employees, and they're the ones not doing their job."
Jaramillo and others say the shutdown is hurting families who have dedicated their careers to public service. Union secretary Jason Goff said it's hard to make ends meet.
"I'm a single parent (with) two boys," Goff explained. "My ex-wife has worked for the IRS, give or take about 22 years. She's furloughed."
Union representatives also claim the Office of Personnel Management stopped the practice of allowing union members to have their dues deducted from paychecks, which they believe is an effort to weaken or eliminate union representation.
The frustration is growing, not just among workers, but among their families and communities.
"It's ridiculous that they're causing the whole nation, the people they're supposed to represent, to have this kind of stress in their life," Terry Grant, local AFGE Master Chief Steward, said.
As Congress remains gridlocked, those on the ground say it's time for lawmakers to grow up and take responsibility.
"We have people that are paycheck to paycheck, and they're worrying now that they don't have any money coming in," Jaramillo said.
