when they take the job

a nazi in the WH and purposely not pay them so he and his boss putin could destroy us?

I'm guessing that private companies stiff more workers for
more money year in and year out than government agencies.
When people seek and obtain a civil service job they are looking
for job security and a consistent source of income.

the state was in a shutdown mode she would be required to work without a pay. She knew that when she took the job. They all know that is possible. No surprises here.

Objective evidence to support it (thus presuming the necessary corollary: private workers assume no risk), or simply an allegation?

I’m a state worker and I never thought this was even an issue. In fact, we worked for a week without getting paid a couple years ago. Our credit union offered an $1000 a week loan interest free if paid back within a month of getting paid. I took it to conserve cash. It wouldn’t have cut it if I had kids and a mortgage, but my actual pay wouldn’t have made it under those circumstances either.

I might add that I am an essential employee and I work when government is shut down, but not getting paid was never part of the deal. It’s bad enough when we don’t get a differential for being at work on a workday when everybody else is off for a snowstorm.

I hate working at a job i get PAID to do! I would sing some Johnny Paycheck as i walk out the door if they weren't paying me!

It still sucks but at least you aren't working for nothing.

If you are the sole bread winner you might want to be closer to the 6 month end. If you are a 2 income family with more stable jobs then maybe closer to the 3 month is appropriate.

That being said I answered only 2 months. So I know I'm short of recommendations. The shutdown is causing me to reevaluate and try to increase to the minimum of 3 months. No one knows when you may lose your job. It is scary.

But I am older with savings and support, little current debt, and currently have no family I need to provide for.

With no prior knowledge, nor planning, I cannot imagine working without pay while trying to support a family and current expenses/debt (mortgage/rent, utilities, transportation costs, food, etc.).

Been unemployed before, would be unemployed again before I work for free.

Also, are you asking how long we could go without being paid, or how long we'd tolerate working for free? I assumed the latter and voted <1 week, but ... Rereading the OP, I'm not sure.

So for me it'd just be "early" retirement. In my 40's I could have lasted at least 6 months, maybe more if I made major changes like apartments, car, and got some part time/casual work. In my 20's It would have been measured in weeks because I hadn't built up much in the way of savings.

I'm guessing that Federal retirees aren't getting their pension checks either...

Office of Personnel Management says retirement checks still go out.

5 of the 12 spending bills have been passed. Not sure if any one of those provides the ability to process retirement applications.

I would quit or immediately stop working after 1 missed paycheck, even if it cost me the job.

Philosophically, I won't work indefinitely for an employer who didn't see fit to pay me what I'm worth.

are probably families with very young children, the ones who pay for child care, especially single parents. If you can't pay the sitter, you can't go to work, case closed. It all goes downhill from there. I know of two families that work for the feds: one at the IRS, and the other DOD. The latter is not furloughed, the former is. Both have young children.

but I'm debt free and have a paid off house in a low cost of living area, monthly expenses are very low.

is that most of my savings is retirement and therefore not accessible.

Was laid off due to office politics on a project that I wasn't even working on. Haven't found any comparable jobs that want a mid 50's database developer.

I have my house paid off and I learned in 2000 that a cash cushion was vital. Not out of funds yet and could sell off the company stock I acquired without touching my retirement funds. But I'd rather find a job, even if it pays less than what I was making.