Resource fair at Sea-Tac for federal workers amid shutdown

The following is from the Port of Seattle Commission:

SEATAC (Jan. 11, 2019) — The Port of Seattle is coordinating a resources fair beginning today at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to help federal safety and security employees who are continuing to work without pay during the current federal government partial shutdown. The fair will bring together providers of short-term loans, employee assistance programs, and others to make it easier for federal employees to learn about the services that are available and quickly get help.

Federal workers are encouraged to visit the Sea-Tac Airport Central Auditorium on the mezzanine level above checkpoint 3 from noon to 5 p.m. today (Friday, Jan. 11) and Monday, Jan. 14. Based on the response and needs expressed over the first two days will determine if the fairs need to be repeated beyond Monday.

The following organizations will attend and offer services:

• Boeing Employees Credit Union (BECU)
• Washington State Employees Credit Union (WSECU)
• Seattle City Light
• Puget Sound Energy
• United Way of King County

The Port is working with representatives from Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Federal Aviation Administration to ensure their staff are aware of the opportunity.

“The federal workers who serve critical functions at the Port — as air traffic controllers, security checkpoint screeners, safety inspectors and other vital roles — deserve to be paid in a timely fashion for the work they do,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Ryan Calkins. “Until our federal government ends this unnecessary and harmful shutdown, we will do everything in our power to help workers in our facilities find the resources they need to pay their bills.”

Operated by the Port of Seattle, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is ranked as the 9th busiest U.S. airport, serving 46.9 million passengers and more than 425,800 metric tons of air cargo in 2017. With a regional economic impact of more than $22.5 billion in business revenue, Sea-Tac generates more than 151,400 jobs (87,300 direct jobs), representing over $3.6 billion in direct earnings and more than $442 million in state and local taxes. Thirty-four airlines serve 91 non-stop domestic and 28 international destinations.