NORTHEAST TALLAHASSEE, FL \u2014 Tallahassee businesses are stepping up to assist unpaid TSA agents who have gone at least a month without pay amid a partial government shutdown.<\/p>\n
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:<\/p>\n
Tallahassee business collects food, gift cards to support unpaid TSA agents during government shutdown<\/p>\n
Fielder and Associates<\/a> launched an initiative called “Community Lift”<\/a> to collect non-perishable food items, money, and gas and grocery gift cards for local TSA workers.<\/p>\n Managing Partner Owner Darcy Salinas said the idea started after her business partner, Adam Fielder, traveled from Texas to Tallahassee.<\/p>\n “My business partner, Adam Fielder, was traveling from Texas to Tallahassee, and he ran into one of his friends who’s a TSA worker, and he was just telling Adam that that they’ve been working, they’re all doing great, they’re coming together, they have excellent leadership, and they need help,\u201d Salinas said. \u201cWe wanted to put together something to help them.\u201d<\/p>\n So far, the team has collected boxes full of items, dozens of gift cards, and nearly $3,500 on its GoFundMe<\/a>.<\/p>\n “I mean, I’ve actually had a few TSA workers come in, and we have, and they’ve told us how grateful they are for all this, and they can’t believe the outpouring,” Elmore said.<\/p>\n I talked to John Hubert, president of the AFGE Local 558<\/a> labor union, which represents one of the largest unions of TSA agents located in South Florida.<\/p>\n He gave an idea of what TSA agents have been facing since the shutdown began on Feb. 14.<\/p>\n “Well, the TSA agents are significantly stressed out now because of the fact that they haven’t been paid for so long. I think the last partial paycheck, some people got $5, some people got $100, some people got like $50 on their checks, so that puts a significant stress on your life because your bills, your phone bill is way more than that.,” Hubert said.<\/p>\n Hubert said local efforts like the help from Fielder and Associates can make all the difference.<\/p>\n “Any sort of help for the traveling public, just a smile and just saying, hey, listen, we understand that you guys are going through a lot right now, you know, but we still support you. That means a lot to the average TSA worker,” Hubert said.<\/p>\n “Well, I’m hoping that they won’t need as much anymore. We’re just hoping for that, but we’re here. We’re here for the community for as long as they need us,” Salinas said.<\/p>\n Friday will be the last day of the Community Lift.<\/p>\n Donations can be dropped off at any Fielder and Associates location between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.<\/p>\n This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. <\/a><\/p>\n Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.<\/p>\n Like us on Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us on Instagram <\/a>and X.<\/a><\/p>\n