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As shutdown unfolds, some federal workers play waiting game

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 1, 2013: For Jose Ramirez, the government shutdown was a bewildering experience for himself and other federal employees.

Ramirez, who works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said his colleagues in the General Services Administration Building in north St. Louis were facing a lot of confusion on Tuesday – and plenty of uncertainty.

“They’re hoping it’s only one day. Some people are scared,” Ramirez said. “They’re like ‘you know, I can afford two days off. But more than two days without pay is going to be hard.’”

Ramirez is one of tens of thousands of federal workers in the St. Louis metro area who are affected by the federal government shutdown, which began at midnight after Congress failed to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded.

Some federal employees eventually engaged in “informational picketing” outside the GSA Building, located off of Goodfellow Road. In a press release sent out on Tuesday afternoon, the American Federation of Government Employees stated that “workers were held at their desks by St. Louis managers until 10 a.m. or later 'waiting on word from Washington.’”

Steve Hollis -- president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 5354 – said that the St. Louis area has about 30,000 federal employees. He estimated that the shutdown could cost the region up to $5 million every day.

“We’re hoping that the American people will get frustrated with Congress as we are and force them to do what they were elected to do – which is to govern this country in an intelligent manner,” Hollis said.

As the Beacon reported yesterday, the shutdown will shut down the National Parks Service – including the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse. Dozens of employees staffing those attractions will get furloughed.  

Thousands of civilian employees at Scott Air Force Base are also facing furloughs, including civil engineers, administrative officials and financial staff. Civilian personnel deemed “essential” will still required to work but won’t be paid until the shutdown is over.

(Congress passed – and President Barack Obama signed – legislation ensuring continued pay for military personnel during a shutdown.)

While the spotlight is on prominent institutions such as the Arch and Scott Air Force Base, other less visible government employees will likely face furloughs. Hollis noted that officials with the Veterans Administration, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Defense are based in St. Louis.

He went on to say that the last government shutdown in 1995 and 1996 was “pretty horrible.”

“During that shutdown, we were able to convince the people that it wasn’t the fault of the federal workers,” Hollis said. “We want to work. It’s the fault of the politicians.”

Frustration abounds

At least one respondent to a Public Insight Network query about the government shutdown expressed a concern from a different perspective.

Jack Hickman – a Fairview Heights resident and a retired member of the Air Force – said he doesn't know if he will still receive his military pension. The Defense News reported this week that an extended shutdown would cause the Department of Veterans Affairs to run out of money to pay disability and survivors’ compensation and pensions.

That, Hickman said, is problematic, since he depends on his military pension to pay his mortgage.

“One of the things on my agenda today is to contact my mortgage holder and ask them what plans they have if the continuance of military pension allotments doesn’t come through as scheduled,” Hickman said. “I asked them about it the last time the government pulled this stunt and they said they had no answer.”

Like Hollis and Ramirez, Hickman said he’s upset at Congress for not passing a continuing resolution. He went onto say it’s “an example of Washington being self-centered and self-serving to the point to where they’ve isolated and insulated themselves from the real world.”

“They aren’t going to be suffering if things fall apart,” Hickman said. “They aren’t going to be seeing the results of their inactivity. We’re just voters. All we’re good for is casting our vote for whoever spends the most money and sending them back to office. After that, we can pretty much count on being ignored.”

Many services would remain constant during the shutdown. For instance, the Washington Post reported Social Security checks would still get sent out. Airports, the U.S. Postal Service and Veterans Administration health services, according to the paper, are expected to continue as normal.

Gov. Jay Nixon told the Beacon last Friday that he did not expect a shutdown to have a substantial impact on state government. He put out another statement on Tuesday stating that his administration is “following developments in Washington closely, and will continue to work to assess and minimize the impact on state agencies and the services they provide.”

“Here in Missouri, we reach across the aisle to balance budgets, control spending and protect our AAA credit rating,” Nixon said “However, a prolonged shutdown will put jobs at risk and undermine confidence in our economy, so I urge folks in Washington to put an end to the gridlock and start working together to move our country forward.” 

Others had a different take on the federal shutdown's impact.

For instance, another respondent to the PIN query -- St. Louis resident Chuck Nagelvoort – predicted there will “be volatility in the various markets, but no other serious effects” because of the government shutdown.

“This is old news, and I have decided to rely as little as possible on government programs,” Nagelvoort said. “This is why taxes and federal programs should be lower and fewer, not more and greater. There are systemic problems that will not only be inefficient and expensive, but subject to shutdown risks or repeal.”

During an appearance on St. Louis Public Radio’s St. Louis on the Air, Lindenwood University economics professor Howard Wall questioned whether the shutdown’s economic impact on the St. Louis region would be significant.

“I think the shutdown in terms of the economic effect will be minimal, assuming that it doesn’t last too long,” said Wall, who is also is a research fellow at the Show Me Institute. “But say even a week or two, the economic effects will be minimal because first of all most certainly all of the federal employees that are furloughed will get their money. They’ll still be paid. That’s what’s always happened every time there’s been a shutdown."

“So this is not anything out of the ordinary," he said, adding there's been well over a dozen government shutdowns since the mid-1970s. "These things happen and it’s unfortunately part of the democratic process.”

Hollis said that furloughed workers indeed got paid after the last government shutdown in mid-1990s. But, he added, “we have no guarantee that will happen” after this particular shutdown.

And even if furloughed workers eventually get paid, Ramirez said a long-term shutdown could make it difficult for federal workers to pay bills or buy groceries.

“If you don’t have savings, it’s kind of hard. Especially depending on if they pay us,” Ramirez said. “Some people do get paid back, depending on what Congress passes. But then two days, three days without pay? I have two kids at home. I still got to feed them.”

“We’re American people. We’re working,” he added. “And we want to keep working. But they’re trying to use us as a bargaining chip to get your point across or get whatever you want changed. I just don’t think that’s right.”

Rallies planned this week

Hollis provided reporters with a flier indicating that “informational pickets” are set to continue throughout the week.

Besides picketing the Federal Center on Goodfellow Road, similar rallies could take place on Wednesday at the Ballwin office of U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, and the Maryville office of U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville.

Meanwhile, another rally is planned for tomorrow near the Veterans Administration Building in Downtown St. Louis. The Organizing for Action-planned rally will feature representatives from SEIU, Planned Parenthood, Jobs with Justice and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Jason is the politics correspondent for St. Louis Public Radio.