Cheap bread. Second jobs. How KY TSA employees are surviving without paychecks
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- TSA employees in Kentucky work unpaid for 30 days, relying on loans and aid
- Staff pick up second jobs, food drives and donor cards to bridge lost income
- Union cites morale, eviction risk and calls Congress to pass a funding resolution
Kentucky Transportation Safety Administration employees are taking out loans, scrambling to find cheap food and considering second jobs as the federal government shutdown hits the 30-day mark, union officials said.
Shannon McCallister, an executive vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 616 and a TSA employee at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, said the last time TSA employees were paid was Oct. 10, and that was a partial paycheck.
Many airport security employees are beginning to feel the pinch as they continue to work without pay.
“People are picking up second jobs,” McCallister said. “A lot of people are Door Dashing.”
McCallister is also considering Door Dash. Her last partial paycheck was about $350 less than what she is typically paid. TSA employees were supposed to be paid Oct. 24.
The shutdown happened after Congress could not come to an agreement on spending bills that would keep the government open. Democrats wanted assurances that Affordable Care Act tax credits, which helps subsidize insurance premiums, would be extended. Republicans have balked and said more changes need to be made to the Affordable Care Act before an agreement can be inked.
According to the Congressional Research Service, as of September 2024, there were 24,000 federal employees working in Kentucky. That figure does not include military personnel at Fort Knox or Fort Campbell or federal contractors.
Many federal employees have been furloughed during the shutdown, which started Oct. 1. Others, including TSA, Social Security, military personnel and various law enforcement employees, continue to work without pay.
McCallister, who spoke as a union official and after her TSA shift, said some TSA employees have opted to get loans against their government retirement accounts. Some banks are also offering no-interest loans.
Many are doing what they can to cut costs.
“I want to the grocery store last week and tried to find the cheapest bread. But the cheapest bread was all gone, so I had to find the next cheapest bread. Everyone is going through a tough time right now. This shutdown is affecting everyone,” McCallister said.
Some banks are understanding when it comes to mortgage payments. However, some landlords are not. One single mother of a young child told McCallister she is worried she will get evicted after Nov. 1 because she doesn’t have the money to pay her rent.
“Unfortunately, that can stay on your credit report forever,” McCallister said of a notice of eviction.
TSA employees, including supervisors, are doing what they can to help. One supervisor recently brought in a large tray of muffins. Someone has also donated Starbucks gift cards. They are talking about starting a food drive to help co-workers who are struggling, she said.
Management has stayed on top of payroll so when the government reopens or Congress finds a way to pay TSA employees, people can be paid in three or four days, she said.
“We are incredibly grateful for the management we have,” McCallister said.
McCallister, who has worked for TSA for 23 years and has been through other government shutdowns, said the emotional strain of not knowing when that next paycheck will come is draining employee morale. The last shutdown was in December 2018 and January 2019 and lasted 35 days.
The fun people at work — the ones who made airport security less of a grind — now wear their worry on their faces, she said.
“We are trying to keep people spirits up,” McCallister said.
McCallister said she doesn’t blame Republicans or Democrats for the shutdown. It’s like a group project at school. Some people don’t pull their weight. There’s a lot of finger-pointing and blame, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. Everyone gets the same grade.
“Congress that has this assignment every single year to put this budget together,” she said, but they can’t seem to complete that assignment. “Both sides need to do what they were elected to do, what the American people expect them to do and get a budget or a continuing resolution so the American government can function the way it needs to function.”
