Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) released the following statement on the announced summer retirement of John Gage who has served as president of the American Federation of Government Employees for nearly a decade:

“John Gage has worked to protect the rights and benefits of federal workers for more than 25 years. He has been on the front lines of the current war against public employees and I have been proud to stand with him in the fight to ensure our federal workers in Maryland and around the country are treated with the respect, dignity and fairness they deserve. John understood that during these tough economic times we all needed to share in the sacrifices but that the salaries and benefits of federal employees should not constantly be targeted as a sacrificial lamb when budget cuts need to be made. His announced retirement from AFGE will be a loss for public employees but thanks to John’s hard work, the fight continues.”