Jon Zumkehr, President of Local 4070 of the American Federation of Government Employees, says many Thomson employees work paycheck to paycheck.
"It's huge, because our staff won't get paid, we're considered essential workers, even though we're law enforcement officers," he said. "We won't get paid until the government comes back open."
"So, a lot of staff are worried. They've come to me and said, hey, you know, I can't afford childcare if I'm not getting get paid, and some staff said they pay over a thousand dollars a month for childcare."
The federal prison was converted to a low security prison earlier this summer.
Zumkehr says employees are already facing a 25% pay cut, and some are considering leaving.
