PSC Welcomes Contractor Back Pay Provisions in House Appropriations Package

      

Arlington, Va. (June 13, 2019)— The Professional Services Council (PSC) today welcomed the inclusion of language to provide certain federal government contractors with back pay in the second five-bill appropriations package (H.R. 3055) scheduled for consideration in the House next week. 

“The inclusion in the omnibus of the ‘Fair Compensation for Low-Wage Contractor Employees Act of 2019’ is an important first step to ensuring fairness and parity for the federal contracting community,” said PSC President and CEO David Berteau. “Hundreds of thousands of workers support the government through contracts, delivering services to ensure federal agencies can meet their mission needs. Enactment of this legislation would benefit the many contractor employees still facing a financial hardship brought on through no fault of their own.”

The partial government shutdown lasted from Dec. 22, 2018 through Jan. 25, 2019, and many contractor employees lost their work and two paychecks. Unlike federal civilian employees which have always been fully compensated in shutdowns, contractor employees have never been provided back pay to cover furloughs and other workforce actions required during a lapse in appropriations, and this shutdown was no different. 

Shutdown impacts, including lost pay, make it harder for companies to recruit and retain the high-skilled, in-demand workforce they need.  PSC has advocated for contractor back pay since the shutdown began, including most recently testifying before the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations on May 6, arguing for contractor employees to have full parity with their federal employee counterparts.   This parity should extend to all contractor employees, just as it does for federal civilians.

“We will continue to work with Congress to enhance this language as the appropriations process moves forward,” Berteau continued. 


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Media Contact: 
Ashlei Stevens | Director, Media Relations
703.875.8974 | stevens@pscouncil.org
About PSC: PSC is the voice of the government technology and professional services industry. PSC’s nearly 400 member companies represent small, medium and large businesses that provide federal agencies with services of all kinds, including information technology, engineering, logistics, facilities management, operations and maintenance, consulting, international development, scientific, social, environmental services, and more. Together, the trade association’s members employ hundreds of thousands of Americans in all 50 states. Follow PSC on Twitter @PSCSpeaks. To learn more, visit www.pscouncil.org.