Federal workers rally in DC after second DOGE email

WASHINGTON - Several union members, including those from the country's largest defense labor union, cheered on federal workers Monday as they headed into the office.

"Good morning federal workers, you are appreciated!" some shouted. The encouragement received nods in response, with one woman raising her hands to clap and cheer as she walked past.

A few dozen union members gathered outside the McPherson Metro Station's Vermont Ave. exit. They were members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union), the National Federation of Federal Employees, and more.

Federal workers rally in D.C. after DOGE email

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What we know:

"We're out here because we want to thank federal workers for all that they do in many ways. They do so many important things for our country. They're the backbone in our country in many ways and they've experienced a lot of negativities lately, so we would like to have a positive event, thanking them for what they do, and we hope this goes cross country," said Randy Erwin, president of the National Federation of Federal Workers.

"The workers are not the wasted. We need these workers. These workers are not working these jobs to be rich. They're working these jobs to take care of Americans -- and especially here at the VA, these people take care of our veterans and we want to say we have your back and we should be taking care of them," said Hasan Solomon, ESQ., the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Legislative and Political Director.

The IAM Union describes itself as the country's largest defense labor union, with over 600,000 active and retired members.

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Solomon told FOX 5 the fight to keep their members is not political, with about 35-40% of their members being Republican voters. He also mentioned that about 35% of their members are military veterans, which is one reason why the gathering took place at the Metro station just beneath the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The IAM Union Legislative and Political Director said the union is waiting to see how the Trump Administration will respond after a federal judge found the administration's mass firings unlawful.

"There is plenty of reason for protest for all that this DOGE has been doing - lost over 100,000 federal employees, about 30,000 of those have been Veterans so it's scary things happening to our country. Loss of critical, critical services, but today it's about positivity. It's about thanking these employees for all they do,' said Erwin.