9 months ago
US Government Shutdown Leaves Thousands of Overseas Workers Unpaid
Imagine people who work at American bases in other countries, like Italy and Portugal.
They do all sorts of important jobs, but they are paid according to their own country's rules.
Because the U.S. government is having a big disagreement and shut down, the money to pay these workers has stopped.
This means thousands of people have not received their paychecks for weeks.
Some countries, like Germany, are paying their citizens who work on these bases, hoping the U.S. will pay them back later.
In Italy and Portugal, workers are still going to their jobs even though they aren't getting paid, because they could get in trouble if they don't show up.
Local governments in Portugal have even arranged for temporary loans to help these workers.
The U.S. government has said they value these workers but haven't given many details on when they will get paid.
Thousands of local workers at U.S. military bases in Europe, including Italy and Portugal, have gone unpaid due to the extended U.S. government shutdown.
In Italy, approximately 2,000 workers at Aviano and Vicenza bases missed their October pay, while over 360 Portuguese workers at Lajes Field in the Azores are also unpaid.
Affected workers continue to report to their jobs despite not receiving salaries, as failing to do so could lead to disciplinary action under their contracts.
Some host nations, like Germany, have covered the salaries of their citizens working on U.S. bases, with an expectation of reimbursement from the U.S.
Local governments in the Azores have approved interim loans to pay Portuguese workers, while Italy's foreign ministry is in talks with U.S. officials to resolve the payment issue.
- Who
- Local national employees working at U.S. military bases in Europe and other overseas locations.
- What
- Salaries have been interrupted or unpaid due to the U.S. government shutdown.
- Where
- U.S. military bases in Italy, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Poland, Lithuania, and Greenland.
- When
- The disruption began with the U.S. government shutdown, which lasted nearly six weeks, affecting paychecks for October and potentially subsequent months.
- Why
- The U.S. government shutdown has halted funding mechanisms for these employees' wages.
Affected Local Workers
US Government
Payment of Wages
Affected Local Workers
Local workers at U.S. military bases in countries like Italy and Portugal are not receiving their salaries due to the U.S. government shutdown, facing financial difficulties and struggling to meet basic needs like mortgages and fuel.
US Government
The U.S. government shutdown has caused payment disruptions for local national employees, who are expected to continue performing their jobs in accordance with their work contracts.
Government Intervention and Support
Affected Local Workers
Some local governments, like Germany and the Azores regional government in Portugal, have stepped in to pay workers while awaiting reimbursement from the U.S. A union in Spain also reported a resolved delay with government help.
US Government
The U.S. Department of Defense acknowledged the 'important contributions' of local national employees but offered no specific details on addressing the pay disruption and did not respond to extensive inquiries from the AP.
Key facts
- Affected Countries
- Italy, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Poland, Lithuania, Greenland
- Number of Unpaid Italian Workers
- Approximately 2,000
- Locations of Unpaid Italian Workers
- Aviano Air Base and Vicenza army base
- Number of Unpaid Portuguese Workers
- Over 360
- Location of Unpaid Portuguese Workers
- Lajes Field base in the Azores
- Number of Local Employees Paid by German Government
- Nearly 11,000
- Cause of Payment Disruption
- Longest U.S. government shutdown on record
Quotes
Angelo Zaccaria
union coordinator at the Aviano Air Base in northeastern Italy
“There are workers struggling to pay their mortgages, to support their children or even to pay the fuel to come to work.”
indianexpress.com
“It’s an absurd situation because nobody has responses, nobody feels responsible.”
indianexpress.com
Amber Kelly-Herard
a public affairs spokesperson for the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa
“We value the important contributions of our local national employees around the world.”
indianexpress.com
The Pentagon
US defense department
“We value the important contributions of our local national employees around the world.”
indianexpress.com
Paula Terra
head of the Lajes base workers’ committee
“But this week, the Azores Islands regional government approved a bank loan to pay the Portuguese workers at the base in the interim.”
indianexpress.com
Linda Bilmes
a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and an expert on public finance
“But I doubt anyone anticipated this length of delay.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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