(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) — Due to the partial government shutdown, many federal employees are working without pay.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) represents 700,000 members, with 20,000 in the northeast, including Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents and correctional officers.
“They are not going to restaurants, they are not spending money at a grocery store. People are required to go to work who are engaged in work that involves public safety. So, incarcerated criminals are still going to be behind bars, and corrections officers are still going to risk their lives,” AFGE spokeswoman Jackie Simon said.
Simon said flights will be safe, and so will other public safety agencies, but these employees cannot work without getting paid for long.
Update: special instructions released by the White House said that the affected federal employees will not receive pay until "after the lapse has ended."
WBZ NewsRadio1030's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports