Jacksonville, FL – AFGE (American Federation of Government Employees) held a rally and march to end the government shutdown on January 19. Over 10 unions were represented, including teachers, electricians and nearly a dozen rank-and-file Teamsters. Several speakers gave personal accounts of how they and their families had been affected. The 70 union members marched down to a busy intersection while chanting “End the shutdown, call the vote!”

Protesters held signs that read “29 days without pay” and “Do what is right.” They stood and waved to honking cars and semi trucks. Bike police couldn’t resist coming over to harass the members near the end of the rally, but protesters stood fast. Union members gave several testimonies to local media that covered the downtown rally.

Joyce Westley, CWA retiree, gave her thoughts on the shutdown: “I think it’s unfair to those workers affected because they are just being used as pawns. It is inconsiderate to those families, the hardships that are being caused. And not just for the workers who are going to be paid, there are more who will not get to be caught up with their money so I’m standing out here for them. I hope our congress; the senate and the president can come together to get this resolved. The wall – that’s not a major issue here. It's terrible to cause so much hardship for so many people. It needs to stop now.”

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