DETROIT – Federal employees will rally outside the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building in Detroit on Thursday, October 10, 2013, to protest the current federal government shutdown.
The event is one of over 100 rallies taking place across the country as part of a mass demonstration organized by the American Federation of Government Employees. Events are taking place outside federal agencies to highlight the impact of the Government "Lockout" on everyday Americans, our local and national economy, and on the valuable work performed by federal employees at military facilities, Veterans Administration offices, federal prisons, our borders, and thousands of other locations.
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"The moment we have been dreading has arrived. The House of Representatives has shut down the federal government, locking out 800,000 federal employees who want to go to work to support the American people.
AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said. "President Obama has promised that he will not negotiate to end this crisis, and we strongly support that position. Recent similar standoffs have been resolved largely on the backs of federal employees, taking away our pay, retirement, and jobs. This time, we expect the administration to hold firm, and resist the temptation to give in by cutting federal retirement or Social Security. There is no justification for using federal employees to pay ransom."
AFGE is organizing these protest and rallies with help from the AFL-CIO, including the Michigan AFL-CIO and the Metro Detroit AFL-CIO. The goal is to demonstrate to lawmakers and citizens that there are real consequences to the government lockout. In addition to the direct cuts in service delivery, furloughing more than 800,000 federal workers across the country will have a trickle-down effect on local businesses.