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I’m Welcker Taylor, and I’m a captain at the Asheville Fire Department and President of Local 332 of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF). I’ve been a career firefighter for 18 years, and I was a volunteer for seven years before that. I love this job because it's all about showing up for people when they need us the most, bringing in a bit of calm and compassion and technical knowledge to help solve people's emergencies.

Since its earliest days, the AFL-CIO has argued that the dignity and freedom of working people are fundamental human rights, aligning our mission with the principles later enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, those rights are under attack.

The government shutdown has now dragged on for 23 days. Across the country, federal workers are struggling to pay bills without their paychecks.

This is the next post in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 63 of our affiliates. Next up is the Seafarers International Union (SIU).

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the backbone of support for our nation’s brave heroes, providing essential health care, benefits and services that veterans have earned through their service.

But the VA is under attack.