Area workers met to discuss how the sequester will affect those in East Tennessee. Representatives from several workers' unions came together at Monday evening's meeting.
$90 million will be cut from Department of Energy operations in Oak Ridge, causing 1,400 employees to be laid off.
Those we talked to say the sequester will cut across party lines, affecting public safety, senior citizens, youth and the military. Now, they just want Congress to work together and try to fix the problem.
"We're wanting the representatives from this area and representatives from across the state to shed their labels, and work together to come up with a solution," said Wil Hammond with Tennessee AFI-CIO. "Nobody likes the sequester, nobody on the left, nobody on the right; it's not good for the country, and it's just not moving us forward. What we're asking is that Congress act like adults, sit down and work out the problem."
Representatives from the Teachers Union, Building and Construction Trades Council, and Knoxville Area Transit were also in attendance.