TSA employee: I may take out loan due to shutdown

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A woman who works at the Indianapolis International Airport said the government shutdown is forcing her to consider taking out a loan to pay the bills. 

Renae McCammon said she is working without pay. She is the union president for Transportation Security Administration workers in Indianapolis, Evansville and Fort Wayne. Those are the workers who check your luggage and provide security at airports.

“We need our pay. That’s why I’m out here,” she said at a protest in downtown Indianapolis on Wednesday. 

McCammon said she had surgery a few months back and, as a result, she does not have as much in savings as she used to. She has a couple of pets to take care of and, without money coming in, she said she may take out a loan next week. 

“To pay mortgages, to pay utilities, to pay cellphone bill. There are certain things you can’t negotiate that you pay yourself,” she said. 

She said there hasn’t been any accommodation to help her change hours or even work part-time, so she could pick up other work. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development confirmed that employees working full time, even if unpaid, cannot apply for unemployment benefits. 

“You’re forced without pay, and they want you to take out a loan so you continue to go to work, and I can’t even say I, one, can make that first loan to pay it back,” she said.