US government shutdown forces local workers at some overseas bases to go without pay

MADRID -- The longest U.S. authorities shutdown connected grounds is doing much than grind activities to a halt astatine home; an water distant successful Europe, section workers astatine U.S. subject bases person started to consciousness the pain.

At slightest 2,000 radical moving astatine overseas bases successful Europe person had their salaries interrupted since the shutdown began astir six weeks ago. In immoderate cases, governments hosting the U.S. bases person stepped successful to ft the bill, expecting the United States to yet marque good. In others, including successful Italy and Portugal, workers person simply kept moving unpaid arsenic the gridlock successful Washington drags on.

“It’s an absurd concern due to the fact that cipher has responses, cipher feels responsible,” said Angelo Zaccaria, a national coordinator astatine the Aviano Air Base successful northeastern Italy.

“This is having melodramatic effects connected america Italian workers,” helium told The Associated Press.

The jobs overseas nationals bash astatine U.S. bases astir the satellite scope from nutrient service, construction, logistics, attraction and other, much specialized roles. In immoderate cases, overseas workers are employed by backstage companies hired by the U.S. authorities portion others are nonstop hires.

How section employees are paid varies by state and is based connected circumstantial agreements the U.S. authorities has with each big nation, said Amber Kelly-Herard, a nationalist affairs spokesperson for the U.S. Air Forces successful Europe and Africa.

During the shutdown, Kelly-Herard said section employees were expected to proceed to execute their jobs successful accordance with their enactment contracts.

The AP reached retired to the Pentagon with aggregate questions connected the wage disruption, but was lone provided a little connection that did not admit it.

“We worth the important contributions of our section nationalist employees astir the world,” it said. The authoritative declined to reply immoderate follow-up questions.

In Germany, the authorities has stepped successful to wage the salaries of astir 11,000 civilian employees that enactment connected U.S. subject bases, the nation's concern ministry said successful a statement. American facilities successful Germany see the Ramstein Air Base, a captious hub for operations successful the Mideast and Africa and office to the U.S. Air Forces successful Europe and Africa.

Workers successful different countries person not been truthful fortunate.

More than 4,600 Italian nationals enactment astatine the 5 U.S. bases successful Italy, said national coordinator Zaccaria. Of those, implicit 900 section employees astatine U.S. bases successful Aviano and Vicenza, and different 400 workers astatine a basal successful Livorno person not received their salaries since the shutdown began.

“We are waiting for urgent responses, arsenic determination are workers struggling to wage their mortgages, to enactment their children oregon adjacent to wage the substance to travel to work,” Zaccaria said. He said the national had asked the Italian authorities to intervene but that, successful the meantime, those affected were continuing to amusement up to work.

“Unfortunately, we spot nary governmental volition to lick this situation, but we’re asking the Italian authorities to intervene," helium said.

In Portugal, a akin concern was playing retired astatine the Lajes Field basal successful the Azores archipelago successful the Atlantic Ocean, wherever much than 360 Portuguese workers person not been paid, according to Paula Terra, caput of the Lajes basal workers’ committee.

Terra said unpaid unit are inactive turning up due to the fact that furloughs aren’t legally recognized successful a U.S.-Portugal statement connected the base. Staying distant could permission them unfastened to disciplinary proceedings, she added.

But this week, the Azores Islands determination authorities approved a slope indebtedness to wage the Portuguese workers astatine the basal successful the interim. Terra said she was waiting to perceive erstwhile workers could assertion the money.

Germany is counting connected being repaid erstwhile the shutdown ends, the concern ministry's spokesperson told the AP, adding that during erstwhile shutdowns, civilians were paid by the U.S. government.

The governments of Poland, Lithuania and Greenland did not respond to a petition for remark from the AP astir whether they, too, person besides stepped successful to wage section workers.

Linda Bilmes, a prof of nationalist argumentation astatine the Harvard Kennedy School and an adept connected nationalist finance, said section workers astatine U.S. subject bases who enactment arsenic contractors are mostly astir at-risk of losing wage during U.S. authorities shutdowns.

She added that the U.S. authorities successful the past ever paid backmost full-time employees, including those moving astatine overseas facilities who whitethorn beryllium overseas nationals — but that contractors are not ever covered, which is wherefore immoderate adhd other fees successful their contracts to screen imaginable authorities backing stoppages.

“But I uncertainty anyone anticipated this magnitude of delay,” Bilmes said.

In Spain, wherever the U.S. operates the Moron and Rota subject bases successful the south, a national representing much than 1,000 Spanish workers said a hold successful payments had been resolved past period with the assistance of the Spanish government.

Spain's defence ministry did not respond to aggregate requests seeking to corroborate its engagement successful resolving the wage issue.

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Associated Press journalists Konstantin Toropin successful Washington; Barry Hatton and Helena Alves successful Lisbon, Portugal; Giada Zampano successful Rome and Stefanie Dazio successful Berlin contributed to this report.