Contrary to what critics like to suggest, the federal workforce is actually smaller relative to the U.S. population than it’s been in the past century. We’re paid about 25 percent less than our counterparts in the private sector for comparable jobs. And we’re spread out all over America: over 80 percent of us live outside the Washington, D.C. area.
The largest federal department in terms of employees is the Postal Service, whose more than half a million hard-working employees serve every U.S. address, rain or shine, six days a week. Rural Americans that private shipping companies don’t find it profitable to serve will suffer the most if this service is cut.
The next is the Department of Veteran Affairs, which operates hospitals throughout the country for veterans. As a result, a huge number of federal employees — roughly 300,000 — are health care workers.
Some of the most unnoticed but most critical work federal workers perform is protecting Americans by making sure businesses follow the law.
The Food and Drug Administration ensures that the food businesses sell is safe to eat. The Department of Labor makes sure employers respect the rights and safety of workers, including paying them fairly. The Environmental Protection Agency puts a check on corporate polluters, ensuring that our water is safe to drink and our air safe to breathe.
Without this work — and the workers who do it — our country would plunge back into the dark days of the robber barons, who regularly took advantage of workers, consumers, and families.
Of course, the federal government can be improved like any large institution. But the best and only way to do that is by listening to the ideas and needs of federal workers, not abusing and firing them.
At a time when the cost of living has increased for working people, we know that people are angry and looking for someone to blame. But federal employees aren’t the root of our problems. We are a necessary part of the solution. Government services are often some of the most efficient institutions because they’re operated to benefit everyone, not turn a profit. We’re serving the public, not minting millionaires.
We ask our fellow Americans to take action with us in defending our livelihoods — so that we can continue to serve you all.