+- Online Degrees and CLEP and DSST Exam Prep Discussion (https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb)
+-- Forum: Miscellaneous (https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Forum-Miscellaneous)
+--- Forum: Military Discussion (https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Forum-Military-Discussion)
+--- Thread: Military pay freeze (/Thread-Military-pay-freeze)
Pages:
1
2
Military pay freeze - MA2 - 03-14-2011
If government shuts down, so would troop pay - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times
If government shuts down, so would troop pay
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Mar 11, 2011 12:08:58 EST
U.S. troops could be required to report to work without pay if a budget clash in Congress results in a government-wide shutdown, according to draft planning guidance circulating in the Pentagon.
A shutdown could happen as early as next week, as the government is set to run out of money at midnight March 17. A bill that would keep the government operating temporarily has been prepared in the House of Representatives, but it is not clear when or if it might pass.
The government has been operating under a series of temporary appropriations, known as continuing resolutions, since Oct. 1 because of lawmakersâ inability to agree on how much money to provide federal agencies. Budget discussions have become increasingly complicated since the November general elections resulted in a divided legislature, with Republicans controlling the House and Democrats controlling the Senate.
When the government was shut down in 1995, military personnel continued to report to work and were paid, but the planning guidance sent to the services and defense agencies says a shutdown this time will be different.
âAll military personnel will continue in normal duty status regardless of their affiliation with exempt or non-exempt activities,â says the draft planning guidance that was prepared for the services and defense agencies. âMilitary personnel will serve without pay until such time as Congress makes appropriated funds available to compensate them for this period of service.â
Discuss
⢠Possible pay stoppage
Troops would miss a payday only if the shutdown continues through April 1.
Defense civilian workers would be divided into two categories. âEssentialâ employees would be required to report to work even though they will not be paid; ânonessentialâ employees would be furloughed, according to the memo.
Troops and essential civilians who report for work without pay would receive back pay when government funding is restored. But whether furloughed civilians would receive back pay could depend on whether Congress specifically authorizes that, according to congressional aides who have been doing their own shutdown planning.
The memo, prepared in early March but never formally issued as guidance, attempts to spell out what defense missions would shut down and what would stay open in the event funding stops.
⢠Military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will continue, including preparations for any units scheduled for deployment.
⢠Operations necessary for national security, safety of human life and protection of property will continue, but operations that donât meet one of those three criteria will be âshut down in an orderly and deliberate fashion.â
⢠Recruiting offices, processing centers and basic training will remain operational.
⢠Emergency repairs and maintenance that cannot be deferred will be done on base facilities and housing.
⢠Medical and dental facilities will remain open, although elective surgery and procedures will be postponed. Suicide, substance abuse counseling and crisis intervention will continue.
⢠Dependents schools and education centers for service members will be open for use by private agencies for courses for which payment already has been made.
⢠Dining halls, gyms and child care centers will stay open.
⢠Base exchanges may remain open because they operate using nonappropriated funds. But commissaries, which are supported by taxpayer funds, may be closed, although the memo says military personnel might be assigned to replace furloughed civilians so the grocery stores could remain open.
Just a thought to all you civilians out there... imagine being told you have to show up to work without pay and if you don't you'll be arrested and court martialed... Something to consider next time you want to "trim the budget by cutting military benefits/pay" as some have mentioned.
Military pay freeze - P00057870 - 03-14-2011
Hate to tell you, but if you have worked in the civilian world you will have experienced many unfair and unexpected surprises. Like employers who buy their wife a new Porche with cash but are late on making payroll. Then, when it is paid, you put it in the bank, pay your overdue bills only to have your checks bounce and you get hit with late fees! Yes - this happened to me - PLUS, on 2 other occassions with other bosses and once for my husband.
In the meantime, you continued showing up for work, as you were unknowing as to these events until after the fact. Then you have to fight to get the money to cover the overdraft fees :confused:
Many people here in Florida went to work after Hurricane Wilma, only to find the door locked one day, the boss and all of the assets gone, and no paycheck waiting for them.
Sorry for your inconvenience! It is NEVER pleasant, but don't think you are the only ones who will be affected by this.
Now, on a more pleasant note, as one who has been around a long time (think geezer here), this has happened many times over my adult lifetime. The government always postulates, makes a lot of noise, may even take a few days to get their act in order, but they have ALWAYS come through in the paqst and also made any thing in arrears good.
Hang on folks, it may be a bumpy ride but we will get through this - together. :coolgleam:
Military pay freeze - karleen302003 - 03-14-2011
Civilian jobs are different! Yes, those situations may occur, and they are terrible, but there is a huge difference. Civilians can quit!! Military personnel don't just have the option to quit and go find something else. They sign a commitment and therefore don't have that option. If you don't show for work because of this, major actions will follow. Not showing for work as a civilian would just get you fired, where not showing for work in the military could lead to bigger things, like being considered AWOL and getting court-martialed!
They are completely different situations!! Military personnel give there lives to the U.S., and then to not get their pay?!?! That is ridiculous!!! This government is screwing over the very people that keep their lives safe and give them the freedom to be able to even be in the positions they are in!!!!!:mad:
Military pay freeze - MA2 - 03-14-2011
P00057870 Wrote:Hate to tell you, but if you have worked in the civilian world you will have experienced many unfair and unexpected surprises. Like employers who buy their wife a new Porche with cash but are late on making payroll. Then, when it is paid, you put it in the bank, pay your overdue bills only to have your checks bounce and you get hit with late fees! Yes - this happened to me - PLUS, on 2 other occassions with other bosses and once for my husband.
In the meantime, you continued showing up for work, as you were unknowing as to these events until after the fact. Then you have to fight to get the money to cover the overdraft fees :confused:
Many people here in Florida went to work after Hurricane Wilma, only to find the door locked one day, the boss and all of the assets gone, and no paycheck waiting for them.
Sorry for your inconvenience! It is NEVER pleasant, but don't think you are the only ones who will be affected by this.
Now, on a more pleasant note, as one who has been around a long time (think geezer here), this has happened many times over my adult lifetime. The government always postulates, makes a lot of noise, may even take a few days to get their act in order, but they have ALWAYS come through in the paqst and also made any thing in arrears good.
Hang on folks, it may be a bumpy ride but we will get through this - together. :coolgleam:
What branch were you in again? You can quit or sue your boss if you chose to due so. If he doesn't pay, there are agencies you can complain to and laws that he may have broken and so on. If I quit work I'll be arrested. I fail to see any correlations in your civilian job to the military.
Military pay freeze - blu2blu - 03-14-2011
Everybody calm down.
Military pay freeze - toddsbiyj - 03-14-2011
You chose to have "Property of The USA" stamped on your butt for 4 years, so it is what it is. Sucks for you if it happens but, how did you say it, to paraphrase - life isn't fair.
Military pay freeze - Mackab - 03-23-2011
Not gonna happen, settle down. Its called a continuing resolution. You will get paid.
Military pay freeze - larry7crys - 03-27-2011
Personally, I wouldn't mind the military taking a pay cut or being forced to show up for free. Does it sound horrible? Yes. Does it sound like I'm being inconsiderate? Yes sir. I've done my time and have had my fair share good days and crappy days. Military members do not pay for health care for themselves and their dependents. You can serve 20 years and collect half your paycheck, while getting another job that pays the same and more. Double dipping? Mmmm. I know a bunch of guys that served 20 years, get half their old paycheck, continue to work for another company, and then receive a small check from the VA. MA2, it sucks but everyone else out here is suffering even worse than what you are facing. Sure, if you don't show up for duty, you risk being UA and going to NJP. As for the subsequent discharge, the worst you can get is a general under honorable conditions but I'm guessing that you've already have re-enlisted, so you've got that honorable discharge under your belt to use when you leave. Also, when you leave the service, you get your GI bill (which the post 9-11 bill is great by the way). You can also leach off the system with unemployment and still collect your GI bill. Granted, you won't make as much as you did while serving, but a hefty monthly payment. Hmmm. Gets me thinking. Do other countries reward our nation's military like we do? Perhaps a handful. Anywho, the entire country is on a pay freeze, including my salary. So, do I wish to find articles and start to post my comments? Not at all. I do need to make changes to my budget and continue to live within my means. Can't say our finest in uniform are doing or planning the same.
Larry
Not that I have hate or discontent with our military but there needs to be a mutual understanding here. We can't freeze cilivian pays while continuing to give enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses, annual pay raises, sea pay, propay, etc, etc. Meet us halfway here. I'm appreciative of your service but please don't look for a shoulder cry on in this day and age.
Military pay freeze - MA2 - 03-27-2011
larry7crys Wrote:Personally, I wouldn't mind the military taking a pay cut or being forced to show up for free. Does it sound horrible? Yes. Does it sound like I'm being inconsiderate? Yes sir. I've done my time and have had my fair share good days and crappy days. Military members do not pay for health care for themselves and their dependents. You can serve 20 years and collect half your paycheck, while getting another job that pays the same and more. Double dipping? Mmmm. I know a bunch of guys that served 20 years, get half their old paycheck, continue to work for another company, and then receive a small check from the VA. MA2, it sucks but everyone else out here is suffering even worse than what you are facing. Sure, if you don't show up for duty, you risk being UA and going to NJP. As for the subsequent discharge, the worst you can get is a general under honorable conditions but I'm guessing that you've already have re-enlisted, so you've got that honorable discharge under your belt to use when you leave. Also, when you leave the service, you get your GI bill (which the post 9-11 bill is great by the way). You can also leach off the system with unemployment and still collect your GI bill. Granted, you won't make as much as you did while serving, but a hefty monthly payment. Hmmm. Gets me thinking. Do other countries reward our nation's military like we do? Perhaps a handful. Anywho, the entire country is on a pay freeze, including my salary. So, do I wish to find articles and start to post my comments? Not at all. I do need to make changes to my budget and continue to live within my means. Can't say our finest in uniform are doing or planning the same.
Larry
Not that I have hate or discontent with our military but there needs to be a mutual understanding here. We can't freeze cilivian pays while continuing to give enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses, annual pay raises, sea pay, propay, etc, etc. Meet us halfway here. I'm appreciative of your service but please don't look for a shoulder cry on in this day and age.
I'm not going to argue about the "cut our pay part" because that wasn't the point of the article.
But you want us to work for free? Wow. Do you know how many people depend on a military paycheck to survive? We have kids and a family to feed like everyone else. If you don't pay us, then what? We apply for food stamps and get free money from the government instead of working for it? We're not waiting in line for handouts at the welfare or unemployment office, we would just like to be paid for our work.
I'm sure your "pay freeze" means you just aren't getting COLA raises and so on... not that you have to come in to work and not get paid, but that's an assumption.
Just like you assumed because I'm an E-5 that I've re-enlisted... nope, and I'm getting out in less than 90 days. And I've never gotten a bonus for enlisting, and if I did reenlist, I wouldn't get one either.
I agree with some of your points in your reply, but the article wasn't about no more pay raises or retirement, it was about not getting paid until a new budget passed. Not that I think Congress would fail to pay us if the budget didn't pass, but I figured I'd share the article anyway.
Military pay freeze - larry7crys - 03-28-2011
Do I want you to work for free? Of course not. You're job has gone to private security. I've been to numerous jobs that didn't necessarily have to pay you because you showed up in a spiffy uniform, but put in a good day worth of work. Im not saying that about you but look around. I'm sure your CO and maybe all the wardroom and goat locker can come up with something as a repayment for you to stand a duty day if you have to. Of course everyone has to feed their families, but dipping into your emergency fund could probably offset your worries of not getting paid. I'm sure that you didn't buy new uniforms every year so that clothing allowance should have started that. If not, then I guess you're just going to have to find a second job to take care of your monetary issues. I had to do it before and it was hard. Work nights and stand duty every 3 days. So, suck it up shipmate. How many times have you been paid to work and all you did was fold underwear or show up for quarters? Should you have gotten paid for that? Mmmm. I know in the real world that wouldn't have happened. No work, no pay. Can't say that I feel for you here.