(WXYZ) — From custom and border protection officers to TSA agents, to air traffic controllers, metro Detroit workers are feeling the heat.
"Should we take the money we have instead of getting back and forth to the airport to look for another job because we don’t want to continue to go through this?" is the question agents are now asking themselves, according to Deborah James, a union rep for the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA workers.
TSA workers are gearing up to receive their last check, on January 11th. As essential employees, they've been expected to show up to work, with no promise of pay.
That includes the people responsible for keeping the border safe, CBP officers, who expect to miss their first check next week, not to mention the people that keep us safe when we fly, air traffic controllers who are waiting on pins and needles to see if they get paid next Tuesday.
TSA’s union says they have workers already resigning over the shut down, as airports nationwide say they’re worried about baggage screening absences if the shutdown continues. It’s all raising serious questions about staffing and safety.
"If they talk about border security, what about security for the flying public? Are you going to want to get on a plane after the 11th," James said.
On Thursday, workers are coming out to protest. At noon, they’re holding a rally at McNamara building downtown to make their message loud and clear that they want the government re-opened and they want to be paid.
