Gov. Pritzker Delivers Remarks to American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) in the Midwest

CHICAGO- Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined a virtual leadership meeting of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) District 7 to offer guidance and support to leaders as they navigate new protocols from the White House. The leaders on-call represented over 43,000 federal workers of Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

“Federal workers are on the frontlines every single day keeping our country running – protecting our national security, cleaning up our environment, securing the financial future of our seniors, taking care of our veterans. This is some of the most important work in our society and it too often goes unseen,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I have been downright disgusted by the attempts from those in Washington to demonize these jobs – hard, essential work being done by ordinary Americans, for ordinary Americans. This isn’t really about efficiency or saving taxpayer dollars. If it was, we’d be hiring more employees and giving programs more funding. This is about disempowering working people and giving a big tax cut to the wealthiest Americans.”

The federal government is the second largest single employer in Illinois, behind the State of Illinois. Illinois is also the second largest employer of federal workers in the Midwestern region.

Recently, Governor Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL), and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) issued public information outlining Illinois employment law and the state’s insurance benefits process. Federal employees living and working in Illinois were encouraged to proceed with caution and stay informed about Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Illinois wage laws. The full press release and statement from the Governor can be found here.

“Federal workers are nurses, scientists, firefighters, engineers, law enforcement officers, attorneys, doctors, secretaries, and more. We do work that is vital to the functioning of this country. In recent weeks, we have been subjected to a daily onslaught of cruelty, disrespect, and chaos with the explicit intent to make us give up on the mission," said Jason Anderson, National Vice President, AFGE District 7. "Now more than ever, we need allies like Governor JB Pritzker, who has long been a champion for working people in Illinois and is now standing up for federal workers. We are grateful for Governor Pritzker’s leadership, solidarity, and support, proving once again that he stands with workers—in Illinois and across the federal government.”

“In the past few weeks, we’ve witnessed an all-out assault on our federal government workers,” said Tim Drea, Illinois AFL-CIO President. “These workers are the backbone of our country and provide us with the resources our communities need – from the EPA workers who ensure we have clean water to drink to the mental health professionals that staff the Veterans’ Crisis Line. The Illinois labor movement will not stand by while Elon Musk, an unelected, unchecked billionaire, chops up our government and sells it for parts. We have weathered challenges before and will continue to mobilize to stand up for all workers.”

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