Brian Bryant, International President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union), has called on Congress to take bipartisan action to prevent a government shutdown. The IAM Union represents about 600,000 members, including tens of thousands of federal employees and contract workers.
Bryant stated, “The IAM Union strongly urges Congress to fund the federal government and avoid a shutdown, which would affect tens of thousands of IAM federal employees and federal contract workers, as well as countless others across our nation.”
He emphasized the need for cooperation between political parties: “The IAM strongly urges a bipartisan funding solution, which should be negotiated in good faith to reach a solution between both Democrats and Republicans to offer a temporary funding measure and avoid a shutdown.”
Bryant also criticized recent statements from the White House regarding potential firings during a shutdown. “The IAM also strongly condemns the White House’s threat to use a shutdown as a means to justify illegally firing scores of federal workers. Threats of such an action are unjust and cruel to civil servants, many of whom are Veterans who have already sacrificed and given so much to our great nation,” he said.
He added that civil servants should not be used as bargaining chips in political disputes. “Federal workers should not be treated as political pawns in such a fight. These civil servants are so crucial for our nation, from our food inspectors, to social security, air traffic controllers and TSA agents, and even to the military personnel we depend on every day to keep our nation moving forward.”
The union includes members represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM), an affiliate representing around 110,000 federal workers across the United States.
Bryant highlighted that government shutdowns can have even more severe consequences for private sector contract workers who often do not receive back pay after disruptions end. “Government shutdowns are even more destructive for our private sector federal contract worker membership, who work alongside federal employees and perform equally essential work for our nation and often do not get any backpay at all after a shutdown ends,” he said.
