Internal Revenue Service

‘We Want to Go Back to Work': Protest at Mass. State House on 27th Day of Shutdown

Hundreds of frustrated federal workers rallied outside the Massachusetts State House Thursday afternoon as the longest government shutdown in history entered its 27th day.

The protesters, who are either furloughed or working without pay, demanded that the government put them back to work.

"We want to go back to work," said Gary Karibian, who works for the IRS. "We deserve to be paid for going back to work."

Others said the shutdown is potentially threatening their good credit.

"I'm one of those people who live paycheck to paycheck," said Mary Maldonado, who also works for the IRS. "Calling my creditors to let them know that I couldn't make my payments when I've always made them."

At Logan International Airport, where air traffic controllers are working without pay, union members handed out fliers to passengers, calling for an end to the shutdown.

For them, it's not about politics; it's about safety.

"Eventually, the staffing, because of this, is going to deteriorate to the point where we can't keep up the capacity of the system," said Mick Devine of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

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