Rep. Bob Good claimed the American people would not be adversely affected by a temporary government shutdown because, "most of what we do up here is bad anyway."
And while that was truly awful, federal employees got back pay once the government reopened. The federal contractors who arguably do way more practical day-to-day work on behalf of the American people, went fully without pay, and were not able to recoup any of it.
Ah I didn’t realize that. That really sucks. Still, it’s important for people to know that federal contractors do soooo much of the day-to-day work of the government. Contractors usually get a bad rap, but much of the public doesn’t understand just how ubiquitous they are across all aspects of government. When the media covers the fallout from a government shutdown, they’ll either ignore contractors entirely or mention them in passing.
100%. Contractors are largely left out of any coverage when these issues arise. The functional dynamic between military, civilian, and contractors is beyond intertwined (in general), but the contractor workforce is left out of discussions and follow-on support constantly. As bizarre as it may sound, I think Federal Contractors should unionize. Most contractors are regular working people (not the millionaire contract company executives). These employees are not the people negotiating with the government, they go through traditional interviews with the company awarded a contract – and in general, wages and contract value are not transparent whatsoever.
Many contractors can also end up working along side mil/civ for years and sometimes their entire career in the same role, but have their pay and other benefits reset whenever the contract changes companies (5 years is a common contract duration), this has burned soo many people, especially those not adept at advocating/negotiating… but even then, sometimes every aspect of compensation and benefits simply plummets and the incumbents have to take it if they want to continue supporting that mission. Civilians on the other hand enjoy amazing stability. Long rant and everyone’s experience will vary, but there is a lot of truth above in general terms.
When Trump shut down the government during one of his tantrums Federal employees were left furloughed or working with no pay for a month.
And while that was truly awful, federal employees got back pay once the government reopened. The federal contractors who arguably do way more practical day-to-day work on behalf of the American people, went fully without pay, and were not able to recoup any of it.
These political ploys impact real peoples’ lives.
Not all Federal Employees got back pay. I don’t think DOD employees did, could be wrong, but I have heard some stories.
Ah I didn’t realize that. That really sucks. Still, it’s important for people to know that federal contractors do soooo much of the day-to-day work of the government. Contractors usually get a bad rap, but much of the public doesn’t understand just how ubiquitous they are across all aspects of government. When the media covers the fallout from a government shutdown, they’ll either ignore contractors entirely or mention them in passing.
100%. Contractors are largely left out of any coverage when these issues arise. The functional dynamic between military, civilian, and contractors is beyond intertwined (in general), but the contractor workforce is left out of discussions and follow-on support constantly. As bizarre as it may sound, I think Federal Contractors should unionize. Most contractors are regular working people (not the millionaire contract company executives). These employees are not the people negotiating with the government, they go through traditional interviews with the company awarded a contract – and in general, wages and contract value are not transparent whatsoever.
Many contractors can also end up working along side mil/civ for years and sometimes their entire career in the same role, but have their pay and other benefits reset whenever the contract changes companies (5 years is a common contract duration), this has burned soo many people, especially those not adept at advocating/negotiating… but even then, sometimes every aspect of compensation and benefits simply plummets and the incumbents have to take it if they want to continue supporting that mission. Civilians on the other hand enjoy amazing stability. Long rant and everyone’s experience will vary, but there is a lot of truth above in general terms.