Brian Bryant, International President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union), has called on Congress to reach a bipartisan agreement to fund the federal government and prevent a shutdown. The union represents about 600,000 members, including tens of thousands who are federal employees or contract workers.
Bryant said in a statement, “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 the White House for reportedly considering using a shutdown as grounds for mass firings. He stated, “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 added that government employees play vital roles across agencies: “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.”
IAM Union includes thousands represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM), an affiliate with approximately 110,000 members nationwide.
Bryant noted that private sector contract workers often suffer most during shutdowns because they typically do not receive backpay once operations resume. He said, “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.”
