US Government Shutdown Threatens Salaries of 12,000 German Civilian Employees at US Military Bases

The ongoing US government shutdown, which began on October 1, has put approximately 12,000 German civilian employees working for the US military at risk of salary stoppages. These employees, engaged in non-military roles such as logistics, catering, and security at bases including Ramstein, Wiesbaden, and Stuttgart, have yet to receive salary approval for October. According to the Verdi union, this situation is unprecedented, as previous US shutdowns did not result in halted payments for German military civilian staff.

Verdi's vice-chair, Christine Behle, highlighted that under German labor law, salary losses due to budget disputes are illegal, and this legal protection extends to employees affected by the US shutdown. The union has urged the German federal government to intervene and cover the salary payments if necessary. If the US government fails to pay, Verdi has pledged legal support for affected employees. The union also noted that in contrast to civilian employees, US military personnel have had their salaries guaranteed by directives such as those from former President Trump during past shutdowns.

The shutdown in the US, stemming from a budget impasse between Republicans and Democrats, has already furloughed over 700,000 federal workers without pay. Local political figures, like Markus Klein from the CDU, have called on the German government to uphold its responsibility and ensure the affected workers are paid until the stalemate ends. While the US government has historically respected German labor laws during such freezes, this time there has been no approval to guarantee salaries, leaving the employees in financial uncertainty.

This development underscores the complex legal and political ramifications crossing international lines, with German employees caught in the crossfire of US budget politics and their own national labor protections.