How long before Federal employees quit?

[Quemado]

During this shutdown, "about 53,000 TSA employees, 54,000 Customs and Border Protection agents and officers, and 42,000 Coast Guard members and staff must work without pay, according to research from the Senate Appropriation Committee’s vice chair, Democrat Patrick Leahy. Essential employees also include anyone involved in counter-terrorism efforts, intelligence gathering, or providing telecommunications support for DHS workers." http://fortune.com/2018/12/22/government-shutdown-border-patrol-homeland-security-unpaid-workers/

A lot of these workers are people who are not making a lot of money. My guess is that many of them probably don't have enough money saved up to get them through an extended period of time without an income.

I retired from the Federal Government in 2014 after having worked for Uncle Sam for 34 years. My guess is that employees with five or fewer years of service are going to look for other jobs if this shutdown lasts more than three weeks.

Quite frankly, I don't see Trump caving in on his wall. He needs his base. The Democrats, I hope, will not cave.

My suspicion is that this shutdown is going to last well into January, possibly to mid-February, when Mueller is reportedly going to release his report and hopefully it gets publicized.

I am sorry that I sound so pessimistic. This whole situation is quite ridiculous, with Trump willing to put thousands of people into serious financial harm over a vanity project.

8 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Time expired
	After 1 week of no pay.
	0 (0%)
	After 2 weeks of no pay.
	1 (13%)
	After 3 weeks of no pay.
	0 (0%)
	After 1 month of no pay.
	1 (13%)
	After 2 months of no pay.
	0 (0%)
	Vast majority won't quit, no matter how long with no pay.
	6 (75%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[elleng]

1. They know (as did I, years ago,)

that they WILL be paid (AND with a new administration, their work will be appreciated.)

[ProudLib72]

2. Did Scaramucci get paid for his negative two weeks of tenure?

And paid in opprobrium does not count as "pay".

[Wellstone ruled]

3. If the Shut down is

a week,most will hang in there. Once it looks like more than a week,many will go job shopping and never look back. The ones with five or more years will hang on,but the newer ones will bail.

[spooky3]

4. depends on the local job market where they are IMHO nt

[politicaljunkie41910]

5. I don't think it will last beyond a week. I too worked for the Federal Govt and I don't recall one

going beyond a week. Just when you are getting used to being home, you get a call to report to work the next day. We have a lot of vendors who are small businesses and they expect to be paid in a reasonable amount of time or we have to pay interest. I don't see it going very long. I think the Repugs get tired of Trump's antics and they reach an agreement with the Dems within a week. I don't think the Repugnants are concerned about Rush Limbaugh because many of those Trump Voters are federal workers as well and I don't believe for a second they approve of Trump's antics either.

[regnaD kciN]

7. "I don't recall one going beyond a week"

Not quite.

Around this time back in 1995-1996, Gingrich caused a 22-day shutdown (December 16-January 6)...this after a 5-day shutdown in mid-November.

The Government Shutdowns of 1995-1996

[BumRushDaShow]

16. "I don't recall one going beyond a week."

Carnival Cruz shutdown in 2013 was for 16 days (Oct. 1st - Oct. 16th - appropriation signed Oct. 17th). I'm now a retired 30+ year fed, but was impacted by that. I also remember the 2 during late 1995/early 1996 (but my agency was one of the few that had an appropriation - we were one of the only ones working in our multi-agency building back then).

[MichMan]

6. Aren't they eligible for unemployment ?

Same as anyone else facing a short term layoff?

[regnaD kciN]

8. They are, but there's a waiting period which generally exceeds the length of the shutdown...

...also, of course, if Congress votes to pay them for their time on furlough after the shutdown ends, they need to reimburse their unemployment payment(s).

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. Good point.

I believe they are, and even though unemployment benefits are always less than the regular paycheck, it's still something.

The real question then becomes, if they get the unemployment, then are paid for the time they were off, will they have to return the unemployment amount?

[Danmel]

10. They need their health insurance

Tough to just up and quit.

[Hoyt]

11. Vast majority will not quit over just shutdown. But it might be last straw

for some.

If it goes a long time, everyone but some gun-nuts and racists will quit trump.

[Smackdown2019]

12. Another Shutdown

One agency I put in 10 hours today, the other that I do my part-time duty with, I am on stand down according to my email I received from them. Nothing new, just more work to play catch up when the shutdown ends.

[Hekate]

13. How easy do you think it is to find a job with good benefits to support a family? With Civil Service

...protections? And pension plan?

I've worked for County government and a major state university -- the wages are somewhat lower than the oh-so-wonderful much-vaunted private sector, but the tradeoff is merit-based hiring, a clear career ladder, and not getting fired without cause.

My husband works in a tech firm that hired an Indian CEO who promptly hired 400 workers in India -- among the recent layoffs in the US was a woman with 17 years in the company who was pulled from a meeting with no notice or explanation and escorted from the building. The reason? Her salary is several times higher than workers in India. Nothing at all wrong with her job performance. She's raising her grandkids.

If I was working for federal Civil Service I would hang on as long as possible.

[onenote]

14. There's more job security in working for the government than for a private employer

I lived through the three week shutdown during the 90s and I don't recall anyone quitting their jobs. It's not as if there is a tree in the backyard where you can go pick a job. Plus, you'd be giving up accrued seniority and certain benefits that come with it.

And its not as if, particularly with a recession potentially looming, that there would be a lot of security in a new job. First in, first out -- you're more likely to get laid off by a private employer than by the government

[treestar]

15. Unemployment is low and Dotard brags about it

so it does seem likely they could find something else. The likelihood increases over time. At first, human nature says they will hope it won't be long, and the benefits are worth hanging on for - to a point.