After missed paycheck, federal workers in Minnesota 'feel the crunch' of the government shutdown

NINA MIONI: The government shutdown has lasted nearly a month now, and there's no indication that Congress is any closer to resolving the budget conflicts before funding ends for several key programs on November 1. Minnesota is home to 18,000 federal workers, many of whom have been told to stay home and not work or work without pay. This week marked the first where many didn't receive a paycheck. We wanted to get a sense of what conversations federal workers have been having around the dinner table as uncertainty grows.

We checked in with Abby, a federal worker here in Minnesota. MPR News is not sharing Abby's last name or the agency she works for because she fears workplace retaliation. She told us, quote, "I had to go to the pharmacy on Monday and pick up a bunch of prescriptions. I double-checked my bank account to make sure I had enough to cover it. It was tough, and I knew I had to buy a bunch of other things as well. Our team at Morning Edition also checked in with Paul Eger, a TSA agent at Duluth International Airport.

PAUL EGER: We've missed a paycheck now completely. The previous paycheck we got was anywhere between 50% and 75%, so we are really starting to feel the pain. I myself have been working for TSA for almost 15 years and have been through three or four different shutdowns at this point, including the longest one a few years back of 35 days. So I have some experience. Financially, it's kind of a game of figuring out how much money you have and what things you can trim down, how much you can cut back. You maybe stop going out to eat as much, take fewer breaks. You Have less things that you can do that are considered nonessential spending.

So you have that figured out. If you have savings, you maybe dip into those. We have a stressful job anyway, as we're doing all sorts of different positions and making sure that we are covering and making sure nothing gets on airplanes and nobody gets on airplanes that has bad intentions. This takes away from that focus. So when you're sitting at an X-ray machine should be focusing on what's going through the X-ray. But it's harder to do that when you're thinking about how am I going to pay the Bills. How am I going to buy gas. How am I going to get food for my family or childcare.

NINA MIONI: That's TSA agent Paul Eger there. Now we're going to check in with Ruark Hotopp, the national vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees District 8, a union that represents federal workers here in Minnesota and other Midwest states. Thanks for your time this afternoon, Ruark. Really appreciate it.

RUARK HOTOPP: Glad to be here. Wish it was better circumstances.

NINA MIONI: Yeah, you know, we have been wanting to connect with federal workers. As we mentioned, some are in fear of retaliation. Some are speaking out, like Paul that you heard from there. What are you hearing from employees that obviously feel safe coming to you as their union, and what are the experiences that you're hearing? They've got to be pretty similar to what we heard there. About just everyone is trying to figure out where to cut back.

RUARK HOTOPP: Yeah, no, my brother Paul, he hit the nail right on the head. And something that he didn't mention that I do really want to call attention to is the fact that we have federal government employees now that are having to go to food banks and stand in food lines in order to find food for themselves and their families because they're missing paychecks. And no one in America should be subject to that. But our folks are still protecting lives and safety of American citizens on behalf of the American public. And it's just a shame to see these folks not be paid and try to struggle to even feed themselves.

NINA MIONI: A lot of federal workers, too, like we mentioned, have been pretty hesitant to speak out publicly. Why do you think that is? Are people feeling like they won't get another job within the government, or are they just kind of fearing different kinds of retaliation?

RUARK HOTOPP: Yeah, certainly. The TSA administrator had sent out an email to the TSA folks. My brother Paul would have received one, letting them that it's against TSA policy to speak to the media, to speak out about this. They're not authorized to speak about the shutdown or about things in TSA. And that's just TSA specific. But we've seen this across Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration, and the VA as well. So folks have been outwardly threatened by their management teams that they're not to talk to the media.

NINA MIONI: Does that make you feel like it's more, you have to do more talking on behalf of folks to make sure their stories get out?

RUARK HOTOPP: Oh, certainly. I mean, and with my job, it's kind of a visible position anyway, and certainly much more visible than the folks in a local position. But I'm proud to advocate for my brothers and sisters. I'm happy to stand next to them and tell their stories when they are afraid or they're being threatened and they can't tell that I'm more than happy to do it. And that's why I'm here today.

NINA MIONI: Do you have any indication-- obviously, we don't know when the government may reopen, but is the federal government sharing anything with employees? I just imagine if a lot of people may go in a different direction and seek other employment.

RUARK HOTOPP: Yeah, no, and that sentiment has been expressed to me numerous times by our folks now that they're starting to really feel this crunch, where they're saying, well, I'd like to go get another job, but I've been told I have to continue to report to my government job. And I took an oath to do this government job. And, you know, many of our folks are former veterans as well. Over 40% of the federal workforce served in the United States military. This was another career post military for them to serve their countries yet again. And so it becomes a conflict internally, where they say, well, I want to do this job, I'm proud to do this job.

NINA MIONI: Mm-hmm.

RUARK HOTOPP: And I'm serving my country. And now I'm having to consider other alternatives just to make ends meet. And it's certainly a very moral crisis for them.

NINA MIONI: And we heard from people, like in the TSA, who are working without getting paid right now, obviously, with the hope that they'll get back pay whenever the government opens, whenever Congress chooses to do that. In 2018, there was a government shutdown. Can you talk a little bit about how the situations differed, how that one was resolved?

RUARK HOTOPP: Certainly. Yeah, back then, in the last government shutdown, there was no guarantee that federal employees would receive paychecks--

NINA MIONI: Right.

RUARK HOTOPP: --after the shutdown ended. And following that shutdown, Congress, including President Trump, signed into law an act that guarantees all federal government employees be paid following the resumption of government services and the government reopening. However, President Trump has come out and he has said that you know, all these furloughed employees that are not receiving a paycheck, we're not going to pay them.

The members of the House of Representatives and the United States Senate that I've spoken to have rejected that claim, and on both sides of the aisle, and have said that no, the law says what it says, and these government employees are going to get paid. So given that mindset from our congressional leaders, it doesn't seem that there's a sense of urgency from them to find a resolution this time around, whereas last time, there was.

NINA MIONI: What do you hear from folks about just what it's like to show up to work right now, really not knowing if you're going to get paid for it?

RUARK HOTOPP: Yeah, I mean, and that's terrifying. I mean, it becomes something where folks are having to decide, well, I got to put gas in my car to come to this job. Well, how do I continue to do that if the job isn't paying me? Or my kids need lunch money. How do I do that? It's not so simple as just cutting out some extra meals or canceling the Netflix subscription, those little luxuries that many folks enjoy. It becomes much more basic than that, and it becomes a lot harder.

And so like Paul mentioned in his piece, it's very, very trying on the psyche when you're standing at work and you've got all these outside influences and outside stressors.

NINA MIONI: Mm-hmm.

RUARK HOTOPP: It's really hard to focus on your job and to do the job that the American public deserves and expects.

NINA MIONI: So I understand you were in Washington, in DC last week to lobby for an end to this government shutdown. What was your sense for what was going on the Hill with lawmakers? What was your message to them?

RUARK HOTOPP: Yeah, no, I was. And I've actually been in contact with a number of congressional representatives in the last 24 hours over this. So this is something I continue to do and speak to our politicians on there in Minnesota. My message has been very simple. I understand partisan politics. Certainly, I can't work for the federal government and not that partisan politics is part of this entire thing. But when it comes to our jobs and our livelihoods, we check the partisan politics at the door.

My call is for both Democrats and Republicans, regardless of who is pointing the finger at who, to reopen the government. And let's let our hard working, dedicated civil servants get back to normal life. Let's let them start focusing on the job again instead of the hunger pangs they're feeling.

NINA MIONI: Have you begun to notice anybody quitting, Ruark, or do you think people-- you know, we just had a segment earlier on unemployment in these recent layoffs at Target and people entering this totally uncertain job market. I just wonder what you're hearing from federal workers, like, do I stick around with the uncertainty and hope that it takes another week, not another two months? What are you hearing?

RUARK HOTOPP: Yeah, certainly. I actually talked to a friend of mine that's an air traffic controller. They're represented by a different union. But we're all brothers in arms here and are communicating amongst ourselves. And he was telling me the same thing, that it's like, you know, I can't continue to do this. We all live within our means. But when your means go to complete zero, it becomes extremely difficult and extremely stressful. And he's like, I have to start looking at, do I just walk off the job, and go work somewhere else, because I can't continue to do this?

And his sentiment is shared amongst our TSA folks, certainly, the Bureau of Prisons. Our corrections officers in Minnesota are also continuing to go to work without a paycheck. And these are guys that are protecting the American public from some pretty awful criminals. So you know, it's certainly-- we need an end to this shutdown sooner as opposed to later, so that our folks can stop being the ones that suffer for partisan games and partisan politics.

NINA MIONI: Is there anybody else that you reach out to other than lawmakers and members of Congress in times like this, or do you just mostly rely on the public?

RUARK HOTOPP: Yeah, I mean, so that's all part of it. And one piece that I want to make sure that we do cover is our sister, our brother and sister labor unions through the AFL-CIO, they have also been extremely wonderful with providing support and services and public outreach, where they aren't necessarily directly impacted. They are still here to support us, and they've been very helpful in setting up food pantries and food tables and buying meals. I know that somebody has bought meals for our folks at the TSA security lines in Minneapolis.

So you know, that sort of charity has been wonderful to see, though, and I'm glad to that safety net is there. But I wish we didn't have to resort to these lengths.

NINA MIONI: A lot of people relying on each other right now, but wondering how long can that go on. Ruark, thank you so much for checking in with us. Really appreciate it.

RUARK HOTOPP: Hey, my pleasure.

NINA MIONI: That was Ruark Hotopp, the National vice president of the AFGE District 8, a union that represents federal workers in Minnesota.