[This is exclusive to the New York Times: It is being sent to you rather than to my home town daily (the Santa Cruz, CA “Sentinel”) because you are the New York Times. Enough said. If you plan to publish it, please let me know by email
To The Ed, Those government workers most directly and negatively affected by a Trump-ordered shutdown, just happen to be the very same people who can REVERSE the shutdown order by calling a STRIKE. Only, in this case, instead of walking out, they walk in. They stay at their jobs. They keep the government running as usual, TSA checks baggage. Airliners use air traffic controllers to manage the thousands of aircraft in the air and on the ground. And the US Treasury issues paychecks to government employees and income tax refunds just like always. The employees have it in their power to do this. And if they make it clear they will, indeed, call a reverse strike if Trump tries to shut down their government, not his government, their government. So, to set the stage for just such a face-off, every government employee should sign a pledge stating the intention to continue work as usual in the event Trump doesn’t get his way and calls a shutdown as he has done before and threatens to do again. As they say: Time is of the essence”!
Sign the pledge!
sample pledge REVERSE STRIKE
I………………… ………………………….. am an employee of the United States 0f America,………………………..Dept. PRINT FULL NAME
my specialty:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
I hereby pledge that, in the event of a shutdown of the United States government by executive order, I will continue at my job as usual as though no order had been given to do otherwise.
Signed …………………………………………………………………date……………………
When signed, please submit this pledge to your Union Steward who shall retain custody and possession of same until further notice. If you are not a union member, keep your copy in a safe and accessible place. . Respectfully submitted,
Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>