Union representatives, elected officials speak on behalf of TSA officers who are not being paid during government shutdown

For more than three weeks now, before heading off to work at Los Angeles International Airport, Victor Payes has taken extra time each morning to reflect on his future, his family and his job.

A job he’s done for nearly a month without pay.

Payes, 29, of Hawthorne, has worked as a Transportation Security Administration officer at LAX for 11 years. For the last 26 days, he’s tried hard not to think about the hopelessness of not being able to provide for his two daughters.

A single father, Payes said he’s been fortunate enough to have the support of family members, who have been able to pitch in and help with finances and care for his 10- and 7-year-old girls.

But he’s not the only single parent working as an officer at the airport, he said.

“I try not to worry about it too much,” he said, “but it’s tough when it hits you in the face.”

Payes is one of about 2,000 TSA officers at LAX – and about 47,000 nationwide – working without pay during the government shutdown, which stretched into its 26th day on Wednesday, Jan. 16.

The officers conduct security screening of passengers, baggage and cargo at airports to prevent deadly or dangerous objects from being brought on aircraft.

On Wednesday, TSA officers joined the American Federation of Government Employees and city and county elected officials in calling out to Congress to end the shutdown and pay federal employees in a conference held in front of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.

They claimed that while the focus was on border security, airport security is suffering as officers become preoccupied with the worry of not being able to provide for their families.

Bobby Orozco, president for AFGE No. 1260, the union representing TSA officers in Southern California, said while officers at LAX aren’t calling out of work as frequently as they are at other airports and wait times have not seen much of an increase, the lack of pay has had an impact on morale and has been a distraction.

“The big issue here is anxiety,” Orozco said. “Not only are the officers not getting paid, they don’t know when their next check is coming. It’s harder to focus when your family’s life is on the line.”

Elected officials sent a message to the president and encouraged local representatives in congress to work to stop the government shutdown in order to pay some 800,000 federal employees, who have missed one paycheck since the shutdown went into effect, Dec. 22.

Meanwhile, some Los Angeles elected officials said they were concerned the shutdown could lead to some workers becoming homeless.

“We are fighting to get people off the street and into housing,” said Herb Wesson, president of the Los Angeles City Council. “We can ill-afford to exacerbate that situation.”

Still, most TSA officers were working Wednesday, ensuring travelers made it to their destinations safely.

“We took that oath when we got here and we’re not even getting what we deserve,” Rosa Guzman, a five-year TSA officer at LAX, told the crowd. “My heart literally hurts, not because I’m struggling at home, but because everyone I work with is struggling with me.”

Payes was one of them. He said missing the mid-month paycheck hasn’t had a major effect yet, but missing another could be detrimental as it would be needed to pay rent.

If the shutdown continues much longer, Payes said he may have to reconsider his position as a TSA officer.

“I’d hate to give it up,” he said, “but my family comes first.”