Federal employees in Chicago plan rally to protest sequestration

March 20^th National Day of Protest highlights need to end across-the-board budget cuts

CHICAGO, March 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Federal employees will rally outside the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building on Wednesday, March 20, to protest the across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration.

The event is one of about 100 rallies taking place across the country on March 20 as part of a mass demonstration organized by the American Federation of Government Employees. Events are taking place outside federal agencies and lawmakers' offices to highlight the impact of sequestration on everyday Americans, our local and national economy, and on the valuable work performed by federal employees at military bases, Social Security offices, federal prisons and thousands of other locations.

"Our message is very clear: sequestration has got to go," AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said. "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."

AFGE is organizing this National Day of Protest with help from the AFL-CIO, including state federations and central labor councils; Americans for Tax Fairness; and the Alliance for Retired Americans. The goal is to demonstrate to lawmakers and citizens that there are real consequences to the massive budget cuts called for under sequestration. In addition to the direct cuts in service delivery, 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," said Dorothy James, AFGE National Vice President-District 7. "Less money in their pockets means less money to spend locally on food, clothing and other goods and services."

Here are details regarding the March 20 event:

Time: 11:30 am-12:30pm

Location: John C. Kluczynski Federal Building Plaza, 230 South Dearborn, Chicago, IL

Participants: Federal civilian employees represented by AFGE at the Bureau of Prisons; Departments of Agriculture, Education, Commerce, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and Veterans Affairs; Environmental Protection Agency; Railroad Retirement Board; and Social Security Administration; in conjunction with the Chicago Federation of Labor and the Illinois AFL-CIO.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 670,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees

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