Should Low-Wage Federal Contractors Get Back Pay After Shutdowns? (H.R. 339)

What is H.R. 339?

(Updated September 2, 2019)

This bill, the Low-Wage Federal Contractor Employee Back Pay Act of 2019, would guarantee back pay to low-wage federal contract workers, including federally contracted retail, food, custodial, and security service workers.

Argument in favor

Low-wage federal workers are among the most vulnerable people in government shutdowns — this bill would protect them from some of the worst effects of shutdowns by at least giving them back pay once the government’s reopened.

Argument opposed

The workers affected by this bill can easily find other, similar work outside the federal government, as many places need janitorial, cafeteria, and security staff (which are the main jobs occupied by low-wage federal contractors).

Impact

Low-wage federal contractors; and government shutdowns.

Cost of H.R. 339

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) reintroduced this bill from the 115th Congress to guarantee back pay to low-wage federally contracted retail, food, custodial and security service workers not getting paid during the federal government shutdown:

“Low-wage federal contract workers can least afford to be penalized by President Trump’s shutdown. Unlike federal employees, who have always been made whole after a shutdown, many low-wage workers, who are the focus of our bill, earn little more than the minimum wage and receive few, if any, benefits.  And, unlike many other contractors, those who employ low-wage service workers have little latitude to help make up for lost wages. We must act to ensure that low-wage, federally contracted service workers are not put at a unique disadvantage by the Trump shutdown.”

This bill has 42 cosponsors, all of whom are Democrats. In the previous Congress, it didn’t have any cosponsors. After the 2013 shutdown, Rep. Norton introduced similar legislation that never received a vote.

Legislation similar to this was introduced in the last Congress. That bill, the Shutdown Prioritization Act, sponsored by Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL), would’ve prohibited the Capitol from operating the Congressional gym and dining room during the shutdown and guaranteed back pay to the federal contractors working in those places. It died in the 115th Congress.

Of Note: Vox reports that while federal government employees who aren’t currently receiving paychecks will likely see back pay once the current funding impasse is resolved, federal contractors don’t have the same luxury:

“Hundreds of contractors in federal buildings including janitors, security guards, and cafeteria servers are not only experiencing a sharp break in their work schedules, they also won’t be compensated for this pause, according to 32BJ SEIU, a labor union that represents many building service workers caught up in this shutdown. Additionally, thousands of contractors in roles ranging from IT to project management to research are potentially caught in a similar bind.”

The federal government uses contractors to fulfill many commonplace and essential jobs at agencies, such as providing security, food service, and janitorial work.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) Press Release

• Vox (Context)