There are plenty of government workers still waiting for their back pay


The government shutdown ended almost two weeks ago, but there are plenty of workers still waiting to receive their back pay, and many are worried that another shutdown might be around the corner.
People working for a variety of agencies either have not yet been paid, The Associated Press reports, or they've just received a small portion of what they are owed. Doug Church of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said people who worked during the shutdown have not received their overtime pay, which violates the Fair Labor Standards Act. Donna Zelina's husband works for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in South Dakota, and she told AP he's been given only part of his back pay, and doesn't expect to be fully paid for another week. Her creditors wouldn't work with her during the shutdown, she said, adding, "I don't think people really understand what people do in government and just assume that everybody ... makes millions of dollars."
Contract workers were hit hard by the shutdown, as they are not entitled to back pay. John Kelly, vice president of government affairs and public policy for the nonprofit SourceAmerica, says his group has helped find government contract jobs for about 2,000 people with disabilities. Many worked as custodians and in mail rooms, and had a difficult time finding jobs in the first place. Kelly said that as of Wednesday, close to 60 percent still have not been called back to work.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Census Bureau told AP that about 850 employees have not received back pay yet, and the Interior Department would only say a "small group of employees" are still waiting for their checks. A spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget told AP an "overwhelming majority of employees received their pay by Jan. 31." He did not answer questions about how many government workers are still waiting to be paid.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
‘The problem isn’t solved by simply swapping out the faces on screen’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
3 officers killed in Pennsylvania shooting
Speed Read Police did not share the identities of the officers or the slain suspect, nor the motive or the focus of the still-active investigation
-
Fed cuts interest rates a quarter point
Speed Read ‘The cut suggests a broader shift toward concern about cracks forming in the job market’
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants