The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

March 16, 2013

Federal employees plan to rally against sequestration

By Wendy Holdren Register-Herald Reporter

Federal Bureau of Prisons employees plan to rally in Beckley Wednesday to protest sequestration and the need to end across-the-board budget cuts.

Charlie Yates, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) at the Federal Correctional Institution at McDowell, said employees will rally outside the federal courthouse in Beckley at the park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Organized by the AFGE, this event is one of about 100 rallies across the country on March 20 to highlight the impact of sequestration on everyday Americans, the local and national economy, and the work performed by federal employees at military bases, Social Security offices, federal prisons and thousands of other locations.

AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said their message is clear: “Sequestration has got to go.”

“If federal employees are furloughed without pay, if offices and plants are shut down, if vacancies aren’t filled because of these across-the-board budget cuts, then federal employees won’t be able to do the work that the American public expects them to do.”

This national day of protest has set a goal of demonstrating to lawmakers and citizens that there are real consequences to the massive budget cuts called for under sequestration. Additionally, furloughing more than a million workers across the country will have a trickle-down effect on local businesses.

“Federal employees are hard-working Americans just like everyone else and forcing them to take pay cuts of between 20 and 40 percent will have a direct impact on our local economy,” Yates said. “Less money in their pockets means less money to spend locally on food, clothing and other goods and services.”

Participants for this event will include participants: Charlie Yates, AFGE Local 480, Jill Carver, AFGE Local 404, Dwayne Person, Mid-Atlantic regional vice president, Council of Prison Locals 33, and Mike Browning from Sen. Joe Manchin’s office.

For more information, contact Charlie Yates at 304-222-0553 or cyatesjr@aol.com or Jill Carver, president of AFGE 404, at 304-222-1634 or carverjill@hotmail.com.

— E-mail:  wholdren@register-herald.com

 

Text Only
Local News