As gas prices have started to escalate with the coming of summer, a number of House Republicans have showed up at local gas stations in their districts to pump gas for constituents, as a part of a stunt to advocate for more oil drilling (which would do little to nothing to lower prices overall).

Now, Chattanooga, Tennesse’s WRCB TV reports that one of these stunts cost a hard-working gas station employee a day’s pay. Last week, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) showed up at a Raceway gas station to pump gas for a day. Because the congressman was there working that day, there was only room for one additional employee. Raceway employee Justin Lewis, who works 60 hours a week at two Raceways, was forced to stay home and miss a day’s pay. Lewis told WRCB that he doesn’t make a congressman’s hefty $160,000 salary and that he can’t afford to miss a day’s work:

Justin Lewis normally spends Friday mornings behind the counter at the Raceway on Signal Mountain Road. Last week his schedule changed with a call from his employer. “I was told not to come in because Chuck Fleischmann was going to be working my shift,” said Lewis. [...]

“I needed that shift, I don’t make $160,000 a year,” said Lewis, “so missing a shift means a lot to me.” [...] “It’s not a Republican issue, it’s not a Democrat issue,” said Lewis, “our economy is suffering, everybody is suffering, work is hard to find, money doesn’t go as far as it used to.”