OGDEN, Utah — The Ogden community stepped out in front of the federal building on Wednesday night to rally for the federal workers in their area.
The loud and clear chant was “Stand up, fight back.”
The Department of Government Efficiency plans to lay off thousands of IRS probationary employees. This includes their Ogden office.
The president of the local National Treasury Employees Union, Robert Lawrence said many of these employees who are a part of this layoff are on a low pay scale.
He said many of them only make between $36,000 and $40,000 a year.
One woman at the rally, Alixzandrya Brown said she moved to Ogden all the way from Georgia, just to work for the IRS.
“I recently got hired at the IRS, and then my job was paused due to the government,” Brown said. “I lost it as soon as I got it.”
Other people we spoke to are also in their probationary period at the IRS, and they’ve made connections and friends throughout their time there.
“Being in that period we thought we were safe, but it’s been ripped from us,” Samantha Long, a current IRS employee said.
Long said she expects to get fired in the next few days.
The man who trained her, Luke Martin, stood beside her at the rally.
“My entire department is going to be gone tomorrow basically, that I spent the last six months training one on one,” Martin said.
Over the next few months – Robert Lawrence said he believes about one thousand employees will be laid off, and about 100 in the next week or so.
Many people in attendance agreed that this is going to have a devastating effect on the community.
"We just want to bring attention to the fact that when you lay off this many people it's going to effect the entire community, entire city and surrounding cities,” Lawrence said.
“I have neighbors on the corner, one works at IRS one works at Hill Air Force Base, and they’re my favorite neighbors,” Pam Harrison, an Ogden native said. “I’m worried that they’ll lose their house if one of them gets knocked off the payroll.”
Harrison, like many others in her community, was once a federal worker.
People like Ben Flores, who is a NETU (National Treasury Employees Union) steward, said the morale in the office was at an all-time low.
Flores is urging people to ask questions.
“Please get on the website and educate yourself. Send those letters to Congress and help the federal workforce because again we are here serving each and every American at home,” Flores said.
Although those at the rally said this will be a long ride and they’re not sure what the next steps are, they’re hopeful that these employees will be hired back on in the future.
“I’m just going to keep showing up,” Brown said. “Letting my voice be heard and say hey this isn’t right.”
