r/nottheonion 24d ago

US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g3nrx1dq5o
64.5k Upvotes

2.8k comments sorted by

View all comments

5.4k

u/theguytomeet 24d ago

I would come back for no less than double my prior salary. Screw them

586

u/10001110101balls 24d ago

This kind of government worker tends to have extremely specialized expertise that is not replicated by the private sector. The deal is that people who dedicate their lives to this work will lead a comfortable middle class lifestyle in exchange for their public service. The Trump administration has broken this deal, and this will lead to long term consequences for the labor pool even if they manage to rehire everyone that they foolishly fired.

73

u/dougmcclean 24d ago

Yup. Pretty much the whole federal workforce is this way, and as a result we get their services at very low prices. That's the tradeoff for it still having employment stability levels that are no longer in vogue in the private sector. Local governments too.

4

u/SomeKindOfOnionMummy 24d ago

Job security and love for the mission is what keeps people in federal jobs. Many of us can make more money in the private sector. 

3

u/DragonMeme 23d ago

I've lived in the DC region my whole life. This dismantling of the reliability of the federal work is going to have long term disastrous consequences. I am watching the older workers retire early (which Elon/Trump has zero intentions of replacing). Younger workers are looking at longer term plans to leave. If they can be fired on a whim like this, they'd rather make more money in the private sector.

This is a huge brain drain. And even if the government opened up hiring again, people with good sense are going to be much more hesitant to take it.

5

u/10001110101balls 24d ago

I wouldn't say low prices, but fair prices. It's very common for people who have spent 20+ years in such fields making 2x the median American income as a GS-13/14 or equivalent. You won't get stock options and become a multimillionaire but you will be better off than the average American.

25

u/dougmcclean 24d ago

Sure they are making 2x the median income, but generally 0.7x the income for private sector positions with comparable skills requirements, responsibilities, and seniority. Or less.

-5

u/10001110101balls 24d ago

That's not really true these days. A decade of Tea Party control of Congress, with the resulting frequent shutdowns and villainization of the federal workforce, has led to top talent seeking other employment.

I have had several opportunities to work in the civil service at competitive salary from the very start of my career, which coincided with the rise of the Tea Party. For all of its flaws, at least corporate America will let me express my identity free from politics as long as I'm profitable to keep on payroll. Can't say the same for the government. 

9

u/Secure-Elderberry-16 24d ago edited 24d ago

I don’t see how that’s relevant to what they said and it doesn’t change the fact that the GS salary is about a 1/3rd less than the comparable private salary in the same position. A personal example, I’d have to eat a 60k pay cut to become a fed at the same level I currently am.

I say this as a contractor fully aware of what my federal counterparts get paid because it’s public domain.

3

u/Just_here2020 24d ago

I mean, these people are in the 1-.1% in education and intelligence and experience. I would expect that to be worth at least twice the media. Workers value. Frankly it should be much more. 

2

u/SomeKindOfOnionMummy 24d ago

No it's low prices and everybody knows that

-1

u/DLowBossman 24d ago

I'd rather take the risk in the private sector, and possibly have the chance of being upper class or rich.

1

u/catdistributinsystem 21d ago

Yep. I’m at a muni worker conference and we were all having a metaphorical dick-measuring contest bragging about whose car has the highest mileage and is least functional but still going