Federal workers help keep our food, workplaces and environment safe. Thousands carry out critical missions like weather forecasting, disaster relief and medical care. Federal employees and their families are our neighbors who live, work and send their children to schools across Alabama.

But waves of firings in recent weeks have targeted federal employees who serve Alabamians in every sector of society. In some of our communities with the best growth rates and highest standards of living, such as Huntsville and Madison, federal workers are the primary driver of recent economic improvements and quality-of-life gains throughout the region.

Who are Alabama’s federal workers?

The federal workforce consists of roughly 3 million employees. The vast majority of them (98.4%) live in the states, outside the District of Columbia.^[1] Here are a few facts about federal workers in Alabama:

• Alabama is home to 62,000 federal workers, about 3% of the state’s total non-farm employment.
• This makes the federal government a larger employer in Alabama than UAB, Amazon and Mercedes combined.
• Some of our state’s most rapidly growing metro areas depend heavily on federal workers. More than 1,800 workers live in Enterprise, accounting for 8.2% of total metro area employment. And an astronomical 17,135 federal workers live in Huntsville, or 6.7% of all workers in the metro area.
• Federal employers in Alabama include the U.S. Postal Service, Department of Agriculture, Social Security Administration, Department of Defense and many other agencies.

Attacking federal employees means cutting Alabama jobs, services and expertise 

Federal employees carry out missions that underpin our entire economy, and they do jobs that require specific experience and training. For example, Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville is the linchpin of the country’s aerospace and defense industries, and NOAA’s weather operations save lives every year when hurricane and tornado seasons hit Alabama.

On average, federal employees have more experience and education than members of the workforce at large:

• More than 42% of federal workers are over age 50, compared to 33% of the overall workforce.
• Nearly 50% of federal employees have been in public service for more than a decade.
• More than half (55%) of federal employees have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 40% of the overall workforce.

Attacking federal employees means attacking many veterans, women and people of color 

The federal workforce is very diverse, both in Alabama and nationwide. This is due to many factors, including strong equal employment policies, union contracts guaranteeing equal pay for equal work, and programs to recruit people who have completed military service.

Historically, federal employment has offered important opportunities to women and workers of color. In many states, federal jobs have played a central role in building the Black middle class. Here are a few facts about the demographics of the federal workforce.

• In Alabama, 31% of workers are Black, compared to 19% nationally.^[2]
• Nearly 1 in 3 federal workers (30%) are veterans, compared to only 5% of the overall workforce.
• More than 1 in 5 federal workers (21%) are disabled, compared to the overall U.S. disability rate of 5%. Many of these workers with disabilities are veterans.^[3]
• Black workers make up 19% of the federal workforce, compared to 13% of the overall workforce.
• About 1.6 million federal workers, including postal workers, are represented by a union (roughly 53%), compared to only 11.1% of the overall workforce.

Alabama’s federal workers are standing up against illegal attacks to defend critical services

Many of Alabama’s federal workers and their unions are challenging illegal firings and funding freezes. And they are doing so while still maintaining vital services and defending their obligations to the public and the Constitution. When you speak to your U.S. representative or senator’s office, please let them know the facts about how much federal workers mean to the economic well-being of Alabama and all of our people.