x
Breaking News
More () »

VERIFY: Could federal workers help end the government shutdown by going on strike?

Imagine if federal employees walked off the job to focus public attention on the need to end the shutdown.

WASHINGTON — We're seeing a lot of social media chatter that urges federal workers to push for an end to the government shutdown by going on strike.

Imagine no TSA agents at work. Air travel would grind to a halt. And that might get the public mad enough to demand that government leaders end the shutdown.

Could that work? Could federal employees just walk off the job?

Verify checks the claims you see online, digs for the truth and shares the process with you in the name of transparency.

For this story, we scroll back through history to spotlight some critical pieces of legislation. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 and the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. They lay out all kinds of rules governing labor and management. And they bar federal employees from going on strike.

They have been tested, though.

Back in 1981, thousands of air traffic controllers went on strike to demand better pay and shorter work weeks.

President Ronald Reagan responded by firing those 11,000 people.

So we Verify, no, federal workers who are unhappy with the government shutdown cannot legally go on strike.

And if they hold an illegal walk-out, it might backfire big-time.

Before You Leave, Check This Out