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Washington D.C. – The National Treasury Employees Union today launched a new campaign to showcase the career men and women of the federal workforce explaining in their own words how their work benefits the American public.

Telling Our Stories is an ongoing social media campaign featuring video clips of federal employees talking about ways in which their jobs directly impact and enhance the lives of Americans in ways many citizens are unaware of. 

“For too long, the federal workforce has been unfairly maligned as some nameless, faceless paper-pushing bureaucracy, and Telling Our Stories is designed to shatter that false image,” said NTEU National President Tony Reardon. “These short, authentic messages from frontline federal employees are compelling testimonials about how they make our country safer, healthier and more prosperous.”

Campaign materials, including a constantly updated menu of new videos, are available at www.TheyWorkforUS.org, where there are also facts about the federal workforce and a guide to the consumer-friendly work done by agencies represented by NTEU.

“By clicking and sharing these messages over the coming weeks and months, the public will come to appreciate federal employees as ordinary, middle-class people with extraordinary jobs, who support their families in communities across the country,” Reardon said. “I believe this will help us all develop a deeper understanding of the value of our nonpartisan, merit-based civil service system.”

NTEU represents 150,000 employees at 33 federal agencies and departments, so the Telling Our Stories videos reflect a wide variety of job titles, locations and duties. The first three videos launched today include a Customs and Border Protection import specialist who inspects and keeps international food shipments safe; a National Park Service historian who gives researchers and teachers easy access to important documents and classroom materials; and a tax examiner with the IRS who helps taxpayers navigate the process at tax time.

“The best part of this campaign is the real, down-to-Earth voices of people who love their jobs and are proud to serve,” Reardon said. “Our hope is that over the course of this campaign, the American people gain a better understanding of how the day-to-day work of federal employees improves their quality of life and strengthens our nation.”

Media outlets have NTEU’s permission to publish the videos.