The lowest-paid shutdown workers aren't getting back pay

[tulc]

The lowest-paid shutdown workers aren't getting back pay

Her debt was mounting: $156 for the gas bill, $300 for electricity, $2,000 for the mortgage. She could no longer afford her blood pressure pills. But what stung Audrey Murray-Wright most was rationing the groceries.

“I never, ever want to tell my son, ‘Don’t drink all that milk so you can save your brother some,' ” she said, choking up.

Murray-Wright, a cleaning supervisor at the National Portrait Gallery, is one of more than a million federal contract workers nationwide whose income halted when the government partly shuttered for 35 days.

Unlike the 800,000 career public servants who are slated to receive full back pay over the next week or so, the contractors who clean, guard, cook and shoulder other jobs at federal workplaces aren’t legally guaranteed a single penny.

They’re also among the lowest-paid laborers in the government economy, generally earning between $450 and $650 weekly, union leaders say.

tulc( )

 

[JCFantasy23]

WOW, let's hope they do get the monies owed to them. I'm not sure why the poorest paid would be exempt, but that's about how it goes half the time.

 

[SeventyOne]

Article says they're contractors, so that makes sense as they aren't federal workers. It would be up to the agencies to negotiate pay with the federal entities they report to. Seems like the agencies should have cared enough about their people to negotiate some sort of pay during shutdowns, but since they were competing with other agencies for the lowest cost, this is what you end up with.

 

[miamited]

Hi tulc,

That is absolutely true. My sister works for NASA and as a federal employee of NASA she will receive back pay. However, she and I were discussing the other day on the phone that there are literally thousands upon thousands of people who live in the greater Huntsville AL area who are 'private contractors' that pretty much work specifically with and for NASA. All those people also found themselves out of work because the contract work that they did also stopped and they won't be getting any back pay unless their employer happens to feel sorry for them and has the deep pockets that would allow them to pay for time that wasn't worked. Just because the federal government stopped working, these contractors can't go back and raise the price of their contracts to cover the hundreds of thousands of lost man hours that their employees suffered.

Sadly, and I don't think many have even given much thought to the reality that the federal government has thousands upon thousands of contract workers that aren't actually federal employees. Many of these people have just lost over a month's pay and, as you have stated, many of them aren't paid by the government scale. Many of them are paid just over the minimum wage scale and so a month out of work can be disastrous for them in the short term and the long term.

If this happens again in 3 weeks I hope that some legislator takes up a bill to provide some sort of reimbursement for the thousands upon thousands of contract workers who will again be out of work through no fault of their own.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

 

[Kenny'sID]

Article says they're contractors, so that makes sense as they aren't federal workers

True, I'd guess the op would not have been as effective if that part were disclosed.

I feel bad for these workers too, but didn't they know this when they signed up as private contractors? Aren't there actually advantages to being a private contractor? I mean they can't have the best of both worlds.

As far as the lady that didn't have enough food, something is wrong there, why can't she simply go on food stamps? Especially with those kids...should be very easy to get them, and get them quickly.

 

[Hank77]

I feel bad for these workers too, but didn't they know this when they signed up as private contractors?

They aren't contractors themselves, they work for contractors that have contracts with the government.

As far as the lady that didn't have enough food, something is wrong there, why can't she simply go on food stamps?

She should be able to get unemployment for that month. It won't equal her wages but it would help.

 

[Kenny'sID]

hey aren't contractors themselves, they work for contractors that have contracts with the government.

Thanks, I see, and I can only hope the contractor made it clear to their employees what could happen before hand, because that is a lot of money to do without if we aren't prepared for it.

 

[miamited]

True, I'd guess the op would not have been as effective if that part were disclosed.

I feel bad for these workers too, but didn't they know this when they signed up as private contractors? Aren't there actually advantages to being a private contractor? I mean they can't have the best of both worlds.

As far as the lady that didn't have enough food, something is wrong there, why can't she simply go on food stamps? Especially with those kids...should be very easy to get them, and get them quickly.

Hi kenny,

I'm guessing you've never needed assistance from the government. Welfare, food stamps, unemployment and such aren't the kinds of services that you just walk in one day and the next day you've got money in your hand. Last time I filed for unemployment it took about 3 weeks before I got my first check and it was a paltry check based on what I had been making. Fortunately, I was back to work in a couple of months and didn't need it anymore because I would have likely starved.

As hank has already explained, the actual individual people don't have a contract with the federal government. It will be some larger corporation that holds the contract and then they go out and get employees to do the work that the contract is for. It is those people who the contractor has arranged to work for them to fulfill the contract who are out of work. The contractor may have a dozen contracts with various agencies or companies and the contractor themselves may not even fell the slightest pinch while the government is shut down.

There's a good example in my own area. Clemson University is a relatively large university and they use contract workers to handle their food service division and all of their sports food services. The company is called Aramark and they are a fairly good sized corporation. Heres' their own explanation of their business: Aramark provides food service, facilities and uniform services to hospitals, universities, school districts, stadiums and other businesses around the world.

Now, if Clemson University has to shut down for some emergency that might last a week or two, the people who actually work for Aramark at the Clemson University location won't get paid. However, Aramark? Aramark is a world wide company. Clemson University being shut down for a couple of weeks or a month won't make much, if any, difference to the companies bottom line. Those food service workers that actually work in the dining hall and the sports stadium of Clemson University generally make from $9-$12/hour. They will feel the pinch if they miss a couple of pay checks and you can't just go out and immediately get food stamps or unemployment benefits.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

 

[dogs4thewin]

WOW, let's hope they do get the monies owed to them. I'm not sure why the poorest paid would be exempt, but that's about how it goes half the time.

Did they go to work? Are they paid by the hour?

 

[Kenny'sID]

I'm guessing you've never needed assistance from the government.

I have.

Welfare, food stamps, unemployment and such aren't the kinds of services that you just walk in one day and the next day you've got money in your hand.

I believe the only assistance I mentioned was food stamps, and regardless of what you say there, that can be gotten quickly especially with kids involved. There is also other help with money that I'd also guess can be gotten quickly if kids are involved, but I'm not certain of those details.

 

[Ringo84]

Donny has a long history of not paying people for their work.
Ringo

 

[SeventyOne]

Donny has a long history of not paying people for their work.
Ringo

'Donny' has zero to do with them getting their pay. Besides, it's the dems that voted down every pay vote for the federal workers during the shutdown. Even if they were to come to a vote, it would never pass anyway.

 

[Ringo84]

'Donny' has zero to do with them getting their pay. Besides, it's the dems that voted down every pay vote for the federal workers during the shutdown. Even if they were to come to a vote, it would never pass anyway.

Citation needed.
Ringo

 

[Ringo84]

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who cosponsored the measure guaranteeing back pay for furloughed workers, thanked Republicans for allowing him to move forward with the bill on an expedited schedule. He expressed hope for avoiding a shutdown altogether, but said the measure would provide some degree of certainty for federal workers if a lapse in appropriations does occur.

Federal employees “should not be the ones to bear the burden, the penalty, of a shutdown,” Van Hollen said.

Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who introduced the bill, underscored that even if the legislation becomes law, feds will face a significant inconvenience from a shutdown.

“They depend on a paycheck to meet their monthly and weekly needs,” Cardin said.

Van Hollen urged the House to take up the legislation “immediately.”

Source: Senate Passes Bill to Guarantee Furloughed Feds Back Pay
Emphasis mine.

Democratic cosponsors to the bill approving backpay for federal workers:
Cosponsors - S.24 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019"search"%3A%5B"s24"%5D%2C"party"%3A"Democratic"%7D

Passed on a vote of 411-7.
Actions - S.24 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019"search"%3A%5B"s24"%5D%7D&r=1&s=1

According to this: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2019/roll028.xml
...all the Democrats voted yea, and seven Republicans voted nay.

It would appear that you are wrong. Big surprise there.
Ringo

 

[Hank77]

Thanks, I see, and I can only hope the contractor made it clear to their employees what could happen before hand, because that is a lot of money to do without if we aren't prepared for it.

I found this article with some interesting information.....Seeing the money had already been budgeted to pay the contractors....

The Office of Management and Budget could direct agencies to examine their budgets and determine how much it would cost to cover contractor wages that were not paid out during the shutdown, the union representative added.


Prior to the end of the shutdown, House and Senate Democrats had urged OMB to do just that.


“Government contracts typically have provisions to modify the terms of the contract,” they wrote. “Federal contracting officers should use these provisions to work with contractors to provide back pay for employees who lost wages as a result of the government shutdown.”

No Republican senators have signed onto a bill to give federal contractors backpay after the shutdown

 

[Orthodoxjay1]

Let's this be a lesson how much a problem, being a dependent on the federal government can be, it can literally starve you if there a shutdown that goes a while, the best thing to do is transfer many of these agencies and workforces into the private sector.

 

[Kenny'sID]

I found this article with some interesting information.....Seeing the money had already been budgeted to pay the contractors....

The Office of Management and Budget could direct agencies to examine their budgets and determine how much it would cost to cover contractor wages that were not paid out during the shutdown, the union representative added.


Prior to the end of the shutdown, House and Senate Democrats had urged OMB to do just that.


“Government contracts typically have provisions to modify the terms of the contract,” they wrote. “Federal contracting officers should use these provisions to work with contractors to provide back pay for employees who lost wages as a result of the government shutdown.”

No Republican senators have signed onto a bill to give federal contractors backpay after the shutdown

Thanks, and though unfortunately it doesn't help anyone much now, this type thing should be no surprise.

 

[Hank77]

Thanks, and though unfortunately it doesn't help anyone much now, this type thing should be no surprise.

No, they can still be paid now for their back wages.

 

[Kenny'sID]

No, they can still be paid now for their back wages.

OK, instead of trying to understand the details, I'll take your word for it, and it doesn't surprise me the article in the OP was probably mostly spin.

 

[Hank77]

OK, instead of trying to understand the details, I'll take your word for it, and it doesn't surprise me the article in the OP was probably mostly spin.

No, the OP article wasn't spin, as it stands now they aren't being paid. The article I posted talks about solutions to that problem.