As the Boise Airport expects to see 165,000 passengers traveling through its doors for Spring Break this week, TSA employees continue to work without pay.
Since Feb. 14, the federal government has been in a partial shutdown. Until Congress passes a Department of Homeland Security budget, essential agencies like FEMA, the TSA and the Coast Guard are not being funded.
Local TSA Union Representative Cameron Cochems said no Boise TSA employees have quit so far but many are considering it.
“People are having those conversations with their families and seriously considering other career opportunities,” he said.
“I would say morale is tentative,” he added. “It seems like every day people are optimistic that something might be happening and then it goes away.”
As of Monday, it’s been 30 days since TSA officers received a full paycheck.
“What that means for my coworkers is that they don't have the funds to pay for childcare,” Cochems said. “People are asking me for gas cards and gift cards to go to grocery stores. It means that people have to worry about how they're going to pay their bills.”
Cochems said potentially losing career officers could mean longer wait times at the airport and security operations being staffed by employees with less expertise.
“If this administration wants to run the government like a business, what businesses around the Valley don't pay their employees for two months at a time?” he asked. “Businesses that go bankrupt, that’s who.”
TSA reports 300 employees have quit across the country during this latest shutdown,
Boise Airport has started a second Food Drive to help employees during this time.
