NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — TSA officers are feeling the effects of partial government shut down as it hits the two week mark.
A Committee of White House negotiators are said to be working through the weekend to try and end the government shutdown.
10 On Your Side spoke with a local president of The American Federation of Government Employees Local 448 Scott Robinson to see how this is affecting TSA officers at the local level.
TSA officers who are required to work through the partial government shut down without paychecks are feeling the effects. Robinson says TSA officers are trying to make ends meet at this point.
Related: Local air traffic controllers, among thousands working without pay, anxious as bills mount
“Many of the TSA workforce do work paycheck-to-paycheck, so they’re having to report to work with no guarantee of when they’ll receive that next paycheck,” said Robinson.
He says between childcare expenses, commuting expenses and mortgages, it’s become extremely distressful to the workforce.
Robinson says TSA officers take their jobs seriously and if they aren’t operating at ideal staffing levels, then there will likely be an increase in stress,
“If there are increases in call-outs, that would affect security posture. We are staffed to be able to provide the greatest service we can and if our staffing falls below what is recommended or required, then it definitely affects the security posture,” said Robinson.
Robinson adds, “The soonest a TSA officer would receive a paycheck would be Jan. 25, so that would be a month without a paycheck and that’s if everything goes ideally.”
