Community members and small businesses around the Great Lakes Bay Region are rallying around MBS International Airport’s air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration staff as they’re put at risk for missing out on their paychecks.
A partisan dispute over tactics employed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in recent weeks has left Congress in a gridlock over funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Thomas Roy, a Saginaw local, is leading the charge to collect donations for MBS staff and their families, echoing a similar effort he spearheaded the last time the government shut down.
“I fly out of MBS a lot, and when you go through the airport, the employees of TSA are always happy,” Roy said. “They're always willing to help and they're just good people. I just want to make sure that we keep our good people because if they're not getting paid, they're going to probably look for another job because they've got to support themselves.”
Roy is working with local restaurants and other businesses to help provide meals and gas cards for MBS staff.
“They help provide lunch to give the TSA workers because it's not only about feeding their families and all this, but they want to be able to eat while they're working, so that's what we try to do,” Roy said.
James Canders, the director of MBS, said it’s too soon to see how much workers will be impacted. The longevity of the partial shutdown is what will have the biggest consequences for workers.
“A lot of the TSA employees, they still [are] seeing a pay check, but the longer this drags out, we will start to see some delays,” Canders said. “It'll usually take a week or two before it starts to hit.”
A spokesperson for the office of Michigan U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said Peters voted to pass a resolution to keep negotiations around DHS funding open at the end of January.
"Senator Peters and his fellow Democrats are asking for commonsense reforms to DHS’ immigration enforcement, such as body cameras and clear identification of ICE and CBP officers," a Peters spokesperson said. "Senator Peters is willing to work with anyone who wants to negotiate a funding bill that includes these commonsense reforms that will protect Americans."
Mike’s Wrecker Service and Intermission Deli are some of the businesses that have already offered a helping hand.
“We want to make sure our skies are safe and want to make sure our TSA employees are happy and working well,” Roy said.
Roy is encouraging anyone in the Great Lakes Bay Region who is interested in making a lunch or supply donation to contact him at 989-239-4479.
A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Caledonia, has not yet responded to WCMU’s request for comment.
