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 IAM Union represents 600,000 members, including tens of thousands of federal employees and contract workers who could be affected by a potential closure.
Bryant issued a statement urging both Democrats and Republicans to negotiate in good faith for a temporary funding measure. He said, “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 what he described as threats from the White House regarding the use of mass firings during a possible shutdown. 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 emphasized that federal workers should not become bargaining chips in political disputes. “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,” Bryant said.
The IAM Union includes thousands of federal employees represented through its affiliate organization, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM), which covers about 110,000 federal workers across the country.
Bryant noted that government shutdowns have significant impacts on private sector contract workers as well. He explained that these individuals often work alongside federal employees performing essential tasks but typically do not receive back pay once operations resume. “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,” he said.
