Washington, D.C. (January 10, 2019) – Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement today on the federal government shutdown:

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers, including thousands of LIUNA members, have now weathered more than two weeks of uncertainty and severe financial hardship following the partial shutdown of the federal government.

LIUNA urges the Administration and Congress to work on a bipartisan solution to quickly end this shutdown and put public service workers back on the job.

The dedicated, hard-working public service employees who work for the federal government deserve better than this. They deserve to be paid whether they have been deemed “essential” and have been forced to work without compensation or have been summarily furloughed because of the ongoing political disagreement. And, each and every one of these workers deserve our thanks and gratitude for the work they have done and will do to keep our country running, our families safe, and our economy secure.

The strong, proud, and united members of LIUNA will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with all of our brothers and sisters in public service. 

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The half-million members of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – are on the forefront of the construction industry, a powerhouse of workers who are proud to build America.