SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — California had nearly 250,000 federal jobs in August, according to Beacon Economics. Forty-one thousand of them were in the Bay Area.
Now, due to the government shutdown, many federal employees are being furloughed.
And soon, their jobs could be permanently eliminated as the White House looks to cut costs.
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M.T. Snyder, a federal employee, found out on Wednesday that she was being furloughed.
She is also a member of the National Labor Relations Board Union.
“If someone comes and believes their rights were violated, for example, they were fired, for union organizing, they can file a charge with us, and we can investigate it,” said Snyder.
But with the government shutdown, federal employees will have to wait for help and will have no access to justice, according to Snyder.
Snyder is also worried about the possibility of more federal workers permanently losing their jobs.
“This is not a regular shutdown. Trump is threatening to lay us all off permanently, to close our agencies permanently. That’s why we need to get together with community members and stand up.” said Snyder. “Since Trump took office, 300,000 federal workers have lost their jobs.”
She says cutting more federal jobs would adversely impact our communities.
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“The impact would be huge, not just on all these federal workers who’ve lost their jobs. But again, on the communities who get disaster relief, from when if there’s a fire, if there’s an earthquake, that agency will be shut down. There won’t be any more of that. (It would impact communities) who get food support, veterans who get health care, other types of safety and security. (Federal job cuts could affect) access to your rights-your democratic rights that Congress passed in 1930 to say you have the right to unionize. That would have a huge impact on everyone all across the country and in California,” said Snyder.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is concerned about the possibility of the federal government cutting Social Security jobs.
“Even Social Security, they have said we haven’t touched benefits but they ‘re firing the staff,” said Speaker Emerita Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D).
The Social Security Administration employs thousands of federal employees in the Bay Area. Employees there are considered essential and are working without pay.
“It will have devastating impacts if he lays off Social Security workers, that will have an impact,” said Kim Tavaglione, the Executive Director of SF Labor Council.
Tavaglione says laying off federal workers will hurt Americans.
“Things won’t get done. People will have a hard time getting the basic services that the federal government already approves. What happens if there’s a disaster? Is he laying off FEMA workers? All these things affect everyday Americans,” said Tavaglione.
East Bay Congresswoman Leteefah Simon says she has 8,000 federal workers in her district.
She issued this statement on Thursday, saying:
“Trump’s threat to permanently fire federal workers during a federal shutdown is a low intimidation tactic and disregards hardworking people’s lives.”
So far this year, the Bay Area has lost 1,900 federal jobs, according to Beacon Economics and EDD estimates.
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