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☆ Opinion: Government shutdown means Congress gets paid while most federal workers don’t
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Cristian Arroyo-Santiago | Opinion Rob Rosenthal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The great majority of our almost 4 million federal employees would be furloughed without pay. But strikingly, one group of federal employees would not stop receiving their paychecks: members of Congress. Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution requires that members of Congress be paid while in office. What would it mean if those members of Congress who forced a shutdown of the government faced the same economic consequences as the average AFGE employee? The division between making the plan and living the plan is not inevitable or universal.

Persons: Rob Rosenthal, John E, Andrus, ” Everett Kelley, AFGE, ”, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Volodymyr Zelensky, Pell, aren’t Organizations: Wesleyan University, CNN, Transportation Security Administration, TSA, Federal Drug Administration, Occupational Health, Safety Administration, Environmental, Agency, Parks, SNAP, WIC, American Federation of Government Employees, Pew Research Center Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv, America

☆ Government shutdown 'a detriment to our economy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsGovernment shutdown 'a detriment to our economy'PostedEverett Kelley, National President of The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) said on Wednesday (September 27) that employees represented by the labor union are bracing for a government shutdown while hoping its averted before Sunday (October 1).

Persons: Everett Kelley Organizations: Government, National, The American Federation of Government Employees

Across the country, federal workers still stung by the memories of past government shutdowns are grimacing and bracing for another potential extended closure. Johnny J. Jones, secretary-treasurer of the TSA workers unit within the AFGE, said even a temporary loss in pay is a massive disruption for government workers who live paycheck to paycheck. LaPointe, a mother of four who is also a union leader for 30,000 Social Security workers through AFGE, said a shutdown would be “a catastrophe" personally. A Partnership for Public Service survey ranks the Social Security Administration last among agencies in the “Best Places to Work” government-wide index. “We don’t often feel like it’s worth it to be federal employees at the time of a shutdown,” LaPointe said.

Persons: — John Hubert, Steve Reaves, Jessica LaPointe, she's, “ We’re, ”, Hubert, “, Washington gridlock, we've, Tom Vilsack, Johnny J, Jones, ” Jones, LaPointe, ” LaPointe, Reaves, — Organizations: WASHINGTON, Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Social Security, Disney, TSA, American Federation of Government Employees, Democrats, White House, USDA, Social, Republicans, Public Service Locations: Fort Lauderdale , Florida, Madison , Wisconsin, Washington, AFGE

☆ Ron DeSantis is eyeing cutting Social Security for people 'in their 30s and 40s' — but 'totally not' for seniors
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis told Fox News he would consider cutting Social Security for younger Americans. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have sparred over changes to Social Security. DeSantis' campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on how the candidate would reshape Social Security. "Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security," Trump said in a January video. Save Social Security, don't destroy it."

Persons: Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump, Trump, Julie Tippens Organizations: Fox News, Social Security, Service, GOP, Republicans, Social, Medicare, Security, Social Security Administration, American Federation of Government Employees, SSA Locations: Wall, Silicon, Florida

☆ Social Security recipients could face 'a rapid increase of wait times' to receive benefits if Congress fails to increase funding for the program, according to the union representing its workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

House Republicans are proposing funding cuts for the Social Security Administration. The union said Social Security recipients could face longer wait times to receive benefits. The union warned that the already underfunded agency could see its standing issues, like long wait times for accessing benefits and long lines at its offices, only worsen. "If you read our Commitment to America, all we talk about is strengthening Medicare and Social Security." Aside from Social Security, lawmakers could be facing a budget showdown this fall over a number of contentious issues.

Persons: —, Julie Tippens, AFGE, Kevin McCarthy, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Sanders Organizations: Republicans, Social Security Administration, The American Federation of Government Employees, Social, Service, American Federation of Government Employees, Labor, Health, Human Services, Education, Security, GAO, SSA, Management, Social Security, Medicare, Federal, Aid, Democratic Locations: Wall, Silicon, America

☆ Exclusive: Staff at top U.S. farm research center file complaint alleging unsafe work conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Leah Douglas | Thomson Reuters | Washington-Based Award-Winning Journalist Covering Agriculture | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) near Washington D.C. is the largest research facility owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and has long been the flagship of U.S. farm research. “Our employees’ health and well-being is our top priority," a spokesperson at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which oversees BARC, told Reuters. STAFF CUTSFounded in 1910, the BARC facility spans nearly 7,000 acres in Prince George’s County, Maryland, near the nation’s capital. The unreliable conditions are affecting research outcomes, making it at times impossible to complete experiments or replicate their findings, said two research employees. On February 22, several BARC employees met with Thomas Shanower, the director of USDA’s Northeast Area, a division that oversees 15 research centers, including BARC.

☆ Social Security is in the 'worst public service crisis in memory,' labor union says. What it may take for services to improve
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Social Security beneficiaries who call the agency's toll-free number may face hold times of more than 30 minutes. Long lines and shortened hours are common at many of the agency's field offices where beneficiaries may seek in-person assistance. Moreover, applicants for disability benefits face waits of more than six months for decisions from the agency, a panel of experts from the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 40,000 Social Security Administration employees, said Monday. The service delays facing the program's approximately 67 million beneficiaries are signs of "an agency in crisis," according to Rich Couture, Council 215 president at the American Federation of Government Employees. AFGE leaders spoke out about the Social Security Administration's diminishing services amid funding constraints that have lasted for more than a decade.

☆ The workers who are supposed to lead the US response to the climate crisis are feeling 'burned out'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There's a staffing crisis at the nation's top environmental agency, union officials say. The number of Environmental Protection Agency employees today is similar to the Ronald Reagan era. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. "People are burned out," Marie Owens Powell, an EPA employee and the president of its union chapter known as AFGE Council 238, told Insider. "Communities need to implement these programs, whether it's replacing lead service lines for drinking water or cleaning up environmental pollution."

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