“These are good-paying jobs, these are federal employees with good health insurance, good salaries and good retirement benefits. This is not like losing a low wage job.”
(Gabriel Pedreira, regional union organizer for the American Federation of Government Employees)
That is if Congress doesn’t move swiftly to bail out the agency that processes applications for citizenship among other things.
The Dems must be going nuts because this is just the season when their push to get more Democrat voters through the citizenship process in time for the November election is usually in full swing.
The story is from the Vermont Digger, a publication I highly recommend to readers interested in what is happening in the people’s republic of Vermont. (Hat tip: Brenda)
Vermont USCIS employees face furlough due to budget shortfall
Thousands of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employees across the country, including some based in Vermont, may be furloughed next month due to a shortfall in the federal agency’s budget.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a “dramatic” decrease in revenue the agency relies on, generated by applications and petitions related to citizenship, according to a USCIS spokesperson. In response, 13,400 USCIS employees nationwide may be furloughed as a cost-saving measure.
Vermont is home to one of five USCIS service centers that are responsible for processing millions of citizenship applications, according to a 2017 report to Congress. The agency employees people primarily in St. Albans and Essex.
During the 2016 fiscal year of the five service centers, Vermont’s had both the highest allowed employee spots of 1,021 and the highest number of working staff of 959 employees.
Union organizer Pedreira
Gabriel Pedreira, a regional organizer for the American Federation of Government Employees, the union that represents USCIS employees said the situation for Vermont is particularly dire.
[….]
According to the USCIS spokesperson, the shortfall is due to a projected drop of 61% in citizenship applications and petitions through the end of the 2020 fiscal year.
[….]
Cross-border travel into the United States has slowed drastically during the Covid-19 crisis, as travel restrictions have been imposed — including the partial closure of the U.S.-Canada border.
[….]
Pedreira said in a time of economic decline in the United States, the loss of pay for USCIS employees affects more than just those workers — it affects the entire economy.
“These are good-paying jobs, these are federal employees with good health insurance, good salaries and good retirement benefits. This is not like losing a low wage job,” Pedreira said. “So these are employees who because they make a good salary contribute to the local economy.”
Who cares about the rest of you low wage nonessential workers hurt by the Chinese Virus—these are good jobs!
Continue reading hereand see that the old curmudgeon Senator Patrick Leahy is on the case.
Why would anyone want to come here anyway. We’re a raciss country, right?
Boo Hoo. Get rid of therm all NOW.