• Hundreds of TSA screeners are calling in sick to find paying work amid shutdown
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http://fortune.com/2019/01/04/tsa-shutdown-workers-call-sick-childcare-pay-bills/ Hundreds of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners at airports have called in sick this week at four major airports, CNN reports. TSA officers are considered essential government personnel, and have been required to report to work, even though they are not being paid during a shutdown of about a quarter of the federal government. This could open a security gap by reducing scrutiny of passengers, or slow down processing and snarl airports. Workers aren’t skipping work as a protest, a TSA union official told CNN, but rather because they can’t afford to continue without a paycheck. The official said some union members cannot pay for child care, while others are taking temporary jobs to earn the cash needed to pay bills. Following previous shutdowns, government employees both required to stay on the job and those furloughed and ordered to not work have received back pay. That isn’t guaranteed, however. Government contractors and their employees, including those providing custodial and maintenance services often at quite low wages, typically lose out entirely on fees and pay. The number of TSA workers calling in sick is two to three times the routine number at Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport, according to CNN. The AFGE’s president told the network that “This will definitely affect the flying public who we [are] sworn to protect.” Other airports have reportedly seen lower rates that are still above those typical for this time of year. About 55,000 TSA workers remain on the job.
Gee, the Trump shutdown to force Congress to improve border security is harming border security. It's almost like you can't accomplish anything by taking hostages.
Funny thing about Trump making sure Mexicans aren’t taking American jobs is that we don’t even need Mexicans allegedly stealing jobs, Trump’s doing a great job preventing people working.
They can't steal the jobs if the jobs aren't there anymore.
It is fucking ludicrous that these people are required to continue working without pay for a literally unknowable amount of time.
When you accept work that is considered mission essential (Aka open 24/7 and operates under any condition) then that is a risk you take. It doesn't make what is happening right, but when you accept the job you are fully explained this (I've worked in a mission essential position before).
Maybe don't have the ability to revoke mission essential pay on a whim...
So dumb question but do they get paid for the work they did during shutdown once it's all over, or are they literally forced to pay for free?
Following previous shutdowns, government employees both required to stay on the job and those furloughed and ordered to not work have received back pay. That isn’t guaranteed, however. Government contractors and their employees, including those providing custodial and maintenance services often at quite low wages, typically lose out entirely on fees and pay.
yes, they get backpay when the shutdown is over
Welcome to civil service, you have to do your duty regardless of what is going on. They get back pay if they work. If they don't work they don't get paid.
Normally situations that cause a shutdown are due to matters bordering a national crisis but in this case its because the manbaby-in-cheif isn't getting funding for his hair-brained scheme to keep out "the brown people"
Yeah except being fucking paid is mission essential for the workers so the mission has already fucking failed. If the government doesn't uphold its end of the agreement the agreement should be fucking void.
Let me make this clear - I don't agree with any of the gov't shutdown that have happened, current and past. All the shutdowns that have been occuring have been basically political moves which uses their own citizens as pawns. I've been directly affect by the furlough in the past and have friends, family, and co-workers who are affected currently. However, the people whom I speak off are civil servants who actually provide a role in Law Enforcement Security. These are essential jobs which have to be done otherwise everything comes to a standstill. If that happens things get worse for everyone. While it does suck it isn't a totally hopeless situation - everyone that works has got backpay in the past and they will get it again. It puts those who do not work and do not get paid in a bad spot. I cannot really speak for their experience. My whole point in saying what I said is when you take a civil service position this comes in the whole package deal. If you cannot handle that or do not want to risk it then do not become a civil servant. I understand why TSA agents are calling in and I'm not surprised. I just find it funny that people act shocked, just because a budget shuts down doesn't mean internal mechanisms are going to stop working. For everything to shut down it could be catastrophic. Imagine if the entirety of the TSA shut down, imagine if airports shut down, people cannot travel, imagine the impact on the economy, businesses, and individuals. Now these are things our "leaders" should be thinking about. Yeah, you don't have to work. Just if you do not, do not expect to get back pay. Work without pay you will get back pay. So it really boils down if the individual wants to do it on principle or not. I fully agree that their needs to be protections for mission essential workers which guarantees their pay regardless of budgetary issues. It shouldn't be happening period and our "leaders" shouldn't be holding our gov't hostage to pass shitty bills. So unless there is a radical change within the gov't and more protections this will continue to happen.
People that thought that was a good idea probably never thought the US would have a president that would threaten to keep the government shutdown for years, really fucking dumb seeing as people need money to live and ergo being able to fucking work, it's hard to work if you can't buy food or pay any bills. Even fucking slaves would at least be given food and water so they wouldn't die and be able to keep working.
You don’t have to pretend the TSA actually does anything useful to point out how stupid this shutdown is.
Whether or not the TSA is actually good for anything, it is officially supposed to be a line of security. When most of the workforce is at home, or at a temporary job that actually pays on time, it's pretty hilarious to claim you're being "tough" on border security. A fat mall cop may not be very good security but the mall doesn't get any more secure or safe by him not being there, and eventually someone's going to get hurt or robbed.
I can't wait for the .0001% or so chance of someone actually sneaking a bomb onto a plane to happen as a result of this shutdown effecting the manpower and funding of airport security, only to result in Trump and his followers putting the blame on the Democrats because of their unwillingness to fund the president's vanity project which totally would have prevented such a thing from happening (???). It's a completely unrealistic conspiracy theory but you just know that would actually happen.
I went through Philadelphia Int’l Airport yesterday, the TSA only had 2 screening lanes open.
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/134246/30a9f8c3-ec34-4fd5-9e10-79ccb2254be1/image.png Sigh
I've already stated my stance on government shutdowns and the bullshit that entails, but for fuck sake. Pay is a fucking essential service, and no one should be able to fuck with someones livelihood over legislative bullshit.
Then why are these TSA agents calling in sick? It seems they are expected to work and are calling in sick to have a "legitimate" reason not to come in.
They're calling in sick because they're expected to work and are being scheduled. As you already stated. If they don't show up to work it is called being AWOL, which can get you fired. If you call in sick you are generally covered, but if you actual get paid with sick leave is another question. They can call in sick all day and every day, but the use of sick leave has to be approved. After so many days you call out in a row you have to provide medical proof. If you are sick for over so many days you usually have to start filing for disability through internal HR routes in order to use a large amount of sick leave. It's a really short term solution for a potentially long term problem.
So, again, they do have to work.
tbh TSA agents are regularly known to steal and do all sorts of bullshit. fuck em, no sympathy. for all the other government workers continuing to work without pay though, i hope something happens soon
Do we really have to do this? Or can you understand why generalizations like this aren't helpful?
If it's so essential that someone HAS to be doing the work, then those people should HAVE to be paid. End-of.
Don't be a cunt, this is unacceptable no matter bow you look at it.
So yeah they have to work, or else they can get fired. Essentially your argument boils down to "They work (which they have to or else they'll get fired) and they will (maybe possibly if the government is feeling nice) get paid in the future." That's not the fucking point here man. The point is that these people are essentially forced to go to work or get fired, and in the mean time they won't be getting essential pay that they need to fucking live their daily lives to lives. Yeah they could just not work, but that's going to get them fired. That's just not an option for some people. This entire situation is ludicrous. If someone is mission critical and they need to go to work, they should get paid for that work at the time they fucking do it, not later. Just because they get paid later, doesn't make it right.
Didn't know OIFY turned people into apathetic pricks.
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