Who else works for the federal government? What's your agency saying about the sequestration?

GMAN 19030

FBI is telling employees to plan for 14 days off from May-September. That will be about three days per month we won't be getting paid.

What are the rest of you fed employees hearing about the sequestration?

William Jenks

My wife works for a DoE lab on campus. I think she's have to kill me if she were to tell me what they are planning, but I know they are planning, and I know they are planning everything they can to avoid layoffs...which leads me to believe they would require furloughs....but I have no details and I don't know that for a fact. If the "sequester" becomes permanent, that will not be a long term solution, though...which means I wonder if they are going to need a "temporary sequester" and a "permanent sequester" solution.

Joe Matchette

DoD (Air Force) here. There have been a bunch of memos, and a whole lot of "What if?" exercises.... Bottom line is that we don't know. On the personnel side, the civillian force has been told that one of the options is 22 days of furlough spread out over a number of months. On the aircraft side, major maintenance delays are on the table. The second and third order effects of both could be HUGE.

tim cronk

Bob I'm retired from the FAA (Air Traffic Controller) but I do know the controllers are being told to expect furlough's. After 21 years in the government I've heard that before. I'll believe it when I see it. Knowing the government , any one who does happen to lose pay, will probably get back pay when all is settled.

GMAN 19030

Tim,
There will be no back pay this time around. This is an across the board cost cutting measure and not a stopgap while they wait for a budget to pass (like the '95-'96 furlough).

Paul Hough

If DoD or another large agency actually issued a furlough instead of threatening one this would get resolved overnight!

tim cronk

Yeah it could be different this time.... But history has shown... So somehow I doubt it.... It will get resolved or another workaround of some sort... If I was still working I'd be volunteering for time off with out pay LOL... I certainly hope you don't go without a paycheck though! FWIW my girlfriend (20years essentially married) is still employed as an ATCS and will be retiring this August. So whatever does happen will effect my household as well! Now they better not mess with my retirement annuity , but the way this country and government is going its probably not a matter of if , but when?

GMAN 19030

We actually will not be allowed to work on whatever our sequestered days off. That's why I'm saying there's no chance of ever getting paid.

Hopefully, it gets resolved someway.

William Jenks

We went through furloughs a few years ago for state budget cuts. Bottom line is that if they furlough you they have to absolutely enforce that you don't work or they leave themselves wide open to suits. It was pretty ridiculous around here...memos about supervisors being disciplined if they didn't send people home who were on furlough, blah boa blah. This from a place that sometimes thinks they own you 24/7.

Joe Hallatschek

I work for the Army as a civilian and I'm being told that on 1 March we'll get more details. But right now, it's looking like after a mandatory 105 day notice, we''ll get a total of 22 days of furlough. So, if an announcement is made on 1 March, then starting in May the Army will most likely allow their subordinate commands the flexibility to figure out how to implement the furlough. Either all at once, or in reduced work-weeks.

ezellrh

I work at the service level HQ for the Marines. In addition to the 22 days of civilian furlough, we are seeing significant across the board cancellation of all training (to include flight hours) for everyone except units forward, restriction on non-command slated moves, cancellation of all 3rd and 4th quarter depot level maintenance, and cuts across the board in all of our fiscal accounts. Every service level program manager is attacking his budgets with a knife to find required cuts.

Joe Hallatschek

Just got a briefing today on the furlough. I'm told to start working up plans to go to a 3 day work week starting in June for me and my team. Not looking good.

rbogle

My agency ( USGS ) is being totally tight lipped, which is NOT a good sign.

Joe Hallatschek

Hey - heard on NPR this morning that it's gonna happen. Then at work, I get an e-mail telling me that I'll get the official notice 21-24 March. This notice will tell me I'm going to 4 day work weeks from mid-April until I reach 22 furlough days.

So, it's looking bad for the home team.

ezellrh

Civilians in my office have already received notification letters.

rbogle

Roy and Joe, are you both DoD? I did hear that DoD contractors were getting furloughs. Civilian agencies are still scrambling to figure it out I think. USGS sent out an email a couple of days ago saying they'll do all they can, but furloughs are possible, but that they would still have to give us 30 days notice....

Paul Hough

Rian - I am retired Air Force and a DoD Contractor. You can NOT furlough a contractor ... that's just incorrect rumint. The PCO must abide by the terms of the contract. What they can do to save money is: a) not renew the contract when it ends or an option period is up for renewal, b) reduce the scope/quantity/frequency of job orders under Cost Plus vehicles, and c) terminate for the convenience of the government. The last is costly to the government if the contractor has a FFP vehicle in place. It really doesn't matter what agency has issued the contract ... the rules are still governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulations. Government civilians are covered under separate laws. I'm not saying it's right, it's just what it is. If you sign a contract to purchase a house or vehicle, you aren't off the hook just because you lose your job. That's the same thing with the government and contractors.

Nate Parady

I'm a DoD Marine Civilian...although I have some decent managers around me, the best source for me has been Federal News Radio. We are anticipating the 22 day Furlough and making jokes that it will be something dumb like every Wed off because getting every Friday or Monday off would make to much sense.

I'm betting that we will pass the 1 March sequestration line in the sand and hoping that they will then pass a budget before furloughs go into effect. I can tell you that my program is very busy these days and us Govt folks working 4 days a week will have an impact getting things done.

yes, the contractors are not effected...

I agree with others, its not looking good. My wife has already informed me that there will be a honey do list.

ezellrh

Rian, I am an active duty Marine. I work in an office setting that is about half uniform, half GS/SES workers. The GS workers all got letters Tuesday. They were told to plan for Monday's off.

Joe Hallatschek

@Paul - agree with the FAR and contracts. We are going through the same financial calculus.

So - looks like I'll have three day weekends and an almost part-time job. Kinda wanted that to happen in like ten years from now. But hey, at least I won't use so much leave on race weekends. Always a bright side.

rbogle

Thanks for the clarification on contractos and gs all. Yup lots of glum faces around the civilain agencies these days. I can only imagine what a 20% income cut to 2 million pretty well paid workers is going to do. Sounds like a recipe for a double dip recession, or at least recession 2.0 to me.

Nate Parady

Unlike Roy's office, my office is mostly Civ, some contractors, and a few folks in uniform....I would guess that they won't just give everyone Mondays off as it would literally be a ghost town. It would make most sense to give half the folks Monday off and the other half Friday off.
then again, that makes a lot of sense so it will probably be every Wed off...

GMAN 19030

Got my letter yesterday. 14 days off starting with the pay period that begins April 21 and going until the end of the fiscal year on Sept 30th. Guidance being one day off per pay period for the first eight pay periods and then two days off per pay period for the last three pay periods.

So a 10% pay cut for 16 weeks and a 20% pay cut for 6 weeks.

So much for the family vacation to Hawaii this year. Uptown problems for sure but it doesn't mean it doesn't suck.

Joe Hallatschek

@Bob - I'm a GS with the Army in the "Installation Command". Although I have not got my letter yet, I'm told that we will start the same time with one furlough day per week, for a total of 2 per pay period totaling 22 days.

I have heard that the EPA only has to take 6 furlough days. So, I guess it is different across the board.

Interesting note: if the FAA took the hit for all of the federal government, then this would end after the first day!

GMAN 19030

Yikes! The 22 days really sucks.

rbogle

Yikes is right. Sorry for you guys doing 2 per PP.  The agencies are all over the map. We still havent gotten letters but the Monday Message from our Agency Head said they think the can get it down to 9 days furlough for everyone in USGS, by using other cuts. Otherwise they said it would have been 18 days.  

Nate Parady

USMC is at 1 day a week for 22 weeks...My command has a big town hall meeting on Friday to discuss. What's frustrating is knowing that this is all probably avoidable if some common sense was even close to being considered...

On the plus side, at lease we get an extra day off. Just in time for spring. Sorry, trying to stay positive.

The thought of the FBI being furloughed is a little scary if you ask me...way to many bad guys in the world to mess around with doing that...

Joe Hallatschek

@Nate - agreed. Also scary is that some of the FAA is also being furloughed. As I remember, that was part of the entire 9/11 problem to begin with that got us to where we are today!

GMAN 19030

Posted By Nate Parady on 05 Mar 2013 08:21 AM


The thought of the FBI being furloughed is a little scary if you ask me...way to many bad guys in the world to mess around with doing that...

It's not as if we will be shutting down for a day every two weeks.  The employees will be rotating days off.  My supervisor said, "There's two Fridays and two Mondays per pay period.  Sort it out."