With the partial government shutdown inching toward the one-month mark, some Transportation Security Administration workers in Alabama are resorting to desperate measures to make ends meet – including selling their plasma.
inching toward the one-month mark, some Transportation Security Administration workers in Alabama are resorting to desperate measures to make ends meet – including selling their plasma. B.J. Mathis, an official with the union for TSA workers, told FOX10 News that federal workers have been looking for side gigs.
But he added that it is harder for TSA employees because any outside work has to be approved, and the hours have to be flexible enough to fit around workers’ primary duties. “It could range anything from plasma donations, Uber to security guard jobs on the side, or just pretty much any private thing,” he said. “But you still have to report it and get it approved.” Mathis is a steward with the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 555. His council of the TSA branch covers three states, and he represents employees at Alabama’s seven airports. For the last five years, he also has been working at Mobile Regional Airport, screening passengers and performing other TSA duties. Federal employees recently missed their first full paychecks, after receiving partial pay during the previous pay period. Unlike many federal workers, though, TSA officers are deemed “essential workers,” which means they have to keep showing up to work or risk losing their jobs. “This is going to have long-lasting effects when this is over with,” he said. “Yes, we will get paid when the shutdown is over. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop your car insurance lapsing, your losing your tag, late fees.” Andy Wilson, executive director of the Mobile Airport Authority, said the agency is coordinating a food distribution event in the airport’s employee parking lot on Wednesday. He said Mobile has not experienced the disruption of some bigger airports, which had more than 8,000 delayed flights over the weekend and a ground stop at Los Angeles International Airport. “I think you’ll see more of an impact there than you will here for us not having employees available,” he said. “And the reason I say that is, you know, the larger controller stations require a lot more employees to work during busy periods.”, said his food bank has set up mobile food distribution efforts to take food close to workers – including near the airport. He said Feeding the Gulf Coast, which serves a region from Louisiana to Florida, has delivered more than 65,000 meals to federal workers. “We’ve been working to try to make sure that these folks, who typically wouldn’t necessarily rely on our assistance, know who we are, how to contact us and how we may be able to contact them,” he said.for food stamps. He compared it to responding to a large natural disaster. “It doesn’t look like a hurricane, that kind of a disaster,” he told FOX10 News. “But if you don’t have a paycheck, or your SNAP benefits have been discontinued, it could be a disaster for you. And so we’re treating it as such.” Mathis, the union rep, said there is a fair amount of red tape for TSA employees to deal with. He said the management at Mobile Regional has been fair, but he added that is not always the case at other airports. “I have had issues where people are being expected to bring in, you know, sick notes,” he said. “Every little absence, every little late, is being run over with a fine-tooth comb.”Mathis called on Alabama’s congressional leaders to find a way to end the shutdown. And he asked for patience from creditors. He pointed to a letter provided to employees by the Department of Homeland Security at the beginning of the shutdown, explaining to businesses that government workers would be without pay but eventually will be paid back and able to meet their financial obligations. “But there’s no incentive for them to comply with it, and there’s no repercussions if they don’t,” he said. Mathis said TSA employees are dedicated and resilient. But he added that a prolonged shutdown risks jeopardizing public safety. “It would be ill-advised me to say that it was, but let’s be honest,” he said. “If you’re worried about how you’re gonna pay your bills, how to feed your family, how you’re gonna survive this, it’s gonna have a strong mental and emotional effect. However, we have some of the strongest government employees that there are.”
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