# Is it true government workers are "not getting paid"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 14, 2019, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749 "2019-01-14T18:10:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/61 "2019-01-15T21:47:54Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Do you understand that having different incomes makes them “substantially different from non-federal workers in some respect that bears on this”? Yes but I do not think your HuffPo cite was sufficient. So I did some work for you. [It seems 28% of workers making $50,000-$99,999 usually or always live paycheck to paycheck, and 70% are in debt](https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2019/01/11/live-paycheck-to-paycheck-government-shutdown/#10a66c954f10) (and one in ten over $100,000 do). Federal workers are more likely to fall into that salary category but not all will. Clearly moving up the ladder makes living paycheck-to-paycheck less likely. So far we cannot know how many federal workers are in this group but it is still safe to say “a lot”. Is it a majority? Maybe… ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/62 "2019-01-15T21:52:36Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > … So far we cannot know how many federal workers are in this group but it is still safe to say “a lot”. Is it a majority? Maybe… I agree with this. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/63 "2019-01-15T22:41:51Z")
a lot of things like building maintenance, custodians, landscaping , etc. are done by contractors , not federal employees. Those people would not be included in average pay surveys. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/64 "2019-01-15T23:58:48Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > a lot of things like building maintenance, custodians, landscaping , etc. are done by contractors , not federal employees. Those people would not be included in average pay surveys. And they should not expect to see back pay. Any law requiring back pay for Federal employees obviously does not include contractors. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/65 "2019-01-16T11:55:36Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > So the market is stepping in to help. That’s of limited help at best. MAYBE a large bank or loan company can float Federal workers with a mortgage, but for renters (and plenty of Federal workers are renters) the landlords _can not_ do their because they, in turn, have bills to pay and _their_ creditors aren’t going to extend mercy to them. Truly, it is appalling that our government workers are now depending on charity to survive. Trump’s administration is now officially a disaster. When is this man going to be impeached and removed from office? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/66 "2019-01-16T13:18:52Z")
I just heard that there’s a law that says that federal employees who are furloughed for 30 days are supposed to get riffed. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/67 "2019-01-16T13:33:05Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > What I mean is: are government workers (that are not furloughed) still earning income and just not receiving their paycheck currently and, when they do, they will get all of their back pay? Don’t know if this has been covered yet, but: government workers who are not furloughed because they are in agencies that have been funded through September (or who, like me, work for an unfunded agency, but are working on projects paid for by one of the funded agencies) - we are still getting paid. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/68 "2019-01-16T14:55:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Broomstick** : > > Trump’s administration is now officially a disaster. When is this man going to be impeached and removed from office? This is not a factual question. As a reminder, we’re in GQ, here. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/69 "2019-01-16T15:02:12Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I just heard that there’s a law that says that federal employees who are furloughed for 30 days are supposed to get riffed. They are supposed to [“perform a monologue or spoken improvisation on a particular subject”???](https://www.google.com/search?q=riffed&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&channel=fs&trackid=sp-006) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/70 "2019-01-16T15:07:09Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > They are supposed to [“perform a monologue or spoken improvisation on a particular subject”???](https://www.google.com/search?q=riffed&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&channel=fs&trackid=sp-006) Not sure if I’m being wooshed but: [Reduction in Force or RIF](http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/reduction-in-force-RIF.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/71 "2019-01-16T15:26:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > This is not a factual question. As a reminder, we’re in GQ, here. It is, however, a factual statement. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/72 "2019-01-16T15:34:03Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I just heard that there’s a law that says that federal employees who are furloughed for 30 days are supposed to get riffed. [Not gonna happen.](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2019/01/furloughed-feds-wont-be-rifed-if-government-shutdown-extends-past-30-days-omb-says/) > [@Federal News Network](#): > > Agencies won’t need to consider targeted layoffs, otherwise known as reductions-in-force (RIFs), if the current partial government shutdown continues for another few days. > > While federal statute typically instructs agencies to RIF targeted groups of employees who have been placed on furlough status for 30 days or more, the regulations don’t apply to emergency furlough situations, the Office of Management and Budget confirmed Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/73 "2019-01-16T17:35:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Ludovic** : > > It is, however, a factual statement. Has FEMA declared the Trump administration to be a disaster? That’s the only way that I know of that something can factually be “officially a disaster”. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/74 "2019-01-16T18:04:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That said, there is a law specifically for government workers forbidding them from working without pay. So all of the “essential” personnel who are still working are required to be paid eventually. Just, not now. That answers my question but there is another issue. Can an employer, whether governmental (Federal or State) or private company consider a person “essential” and require them to work for no pay. You answered the question for Federal employees and I assume the other scenarios would be addressed by state or Federal law. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/75 "2019-01-16T23:13:23Z")
One thought that occurred to me: if I were a government “essential employee” and compelled into slavery right now, I admit I’d be pissed that I had to go through the hassle / expense of commuting, while my nonessential neighbor did not… and yet we wound up with the same amount of money at the end. I think there ought to be some kind of special bonus / hazard pay / other compensation for people currently enslaved. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/76 "2019-01-16T23:25:13Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Not sure if I’m being wooshed but: > > [Reduction in Force or RIF](http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/reduction-in-force-RIF.html) Thank-you, it was a serious question. So, in plain English, they are supposed to be fired? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/77 "2019-01-16T23:25:33Z")
They’re not “enslaved”. They are free to quit their current position (in which they are experiencing a delay in payment) and find other employment. That has not been true of the vast majority of people “compelled into slavery” throughout history. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/78 "2019-01-16T23:43:14Z")
. It guarantees furloughed federal employeess will receive backpay once the shutdown ends. > [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > Thank-you, it was a serious question. > > So, in plain English, they are supposed to be fired? No. This is an emergency furlough. [RIF rules do not apply](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/furlough-guidance/guidance-for-shutdown-furloughs.pdf) (PDF warning). Addendum: Trump just signed Senate Bill 24 (S.24 - Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019) guaranteeing furloughed federal employees will receive back-pay, **once the shutdown is over**. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/79 "2019-01-17T02:22:16Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > It is, however, a factual statement. When did a political opinion = fact become the standard for this site? ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-government-workers-are-not-getting-paid/827749/80 "2019-01-17T02:35:05Z")
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