HUD worker here… We keep getting vague memos and “pep talks” from the higher ups.
Here’s a teaser:
" …we will make some very difficult decisions, in light of what will most likely be permanent cuts…
…We have been particularly focused on reducing non-salary-related operating costs and* identifying plans to reduce the number of jobs lost.* (italics mine)
Our goal is to develop a detailed and comprehensive budget plan… within 30 days.
…"
I really enjoy how most of these types of correspondence focus on what we can do to keep helping others, but the potential for staff reduction or furloughs is usually lowballed in the jargon.
Federal contractor here. Last official word is that we’ll have layoffs, not reduced hours or furloughs. They’re talking about roughly 500 being shown the door depending on how the budget stuff plays out. These will be mostly indirects, those of us working direct contracts (me) are probably safe for now. Key words being “probably” and “now”.
Management continues to reassure us with memos demonstrating they haven’t a fucking clue what the word “bandwidth” means.
Yes, I got mine the Tuesday at 9pm. Then of course the DC area was closed yesterday so I got to come back to work this morning to an email saying we will have 11 days of furlough coming starting April 7th. That’s about all I know for now.
It looks like my husband (contractor at Census) will be spared for now. Some of my friends aren’t so lucky. I know of 3 people who are going to a 4-day week for at least 13 weeks.
I haven’t heard anything out of Pax River yet, so we contractors haven’t been directed to take time off. I’ll just keep working as long as I can and banking all I can…
I work at an Air Force research lab as a professional, on-site contractor. The civil servants I work with aren’t happy about the furloughs, obviously, but most are not grumbling a whole lot. One is sweating bullets, though. Apparently he lives paycheck-to-paycheck, and a good portion of his money goes toward child support and alimony.
I haven’t heard a thing about what’s going to happen to me. I work for a university-based research institute, and we have a 6-year contract with the AF. I suppose the AF could cut our contract. I have no idea what they will do. I’ve saved up 42 days of vacation, so that will help if they cut my hours.
In the good news department, my GF works at the National Arboretum, which is under the USDA. They were told their staff is too small to bother with furloughs.
Sorry to hear federal workers face uncertainty. Hope you’ll be glad to hear Paul Ryan is on your side:
[QUOTE=Paul Ryan-R(WI)]
I just did a town hall meeting the other night talking to small business people, who are saying, "Give us certainty. These little temporary shots, they don’t do anything for me, because I need to plan for the future …
Uncertainty is hurting job growth right now…
[/QUOTE]
Oh, wait a minute. He was speaking to Job Creators™, not you anti-Scientology featherbedders suckling at the Socialist Teat™. :smack:
No furlough notices yet at the Census Bureau. The sponsor of a survey I work on has temporarily halted work on one project due to the sequester, but so far that’s it.
Meanwhile, Congress has to pass a Continuing Resolution by a week from Wednesday, or we shut down.
No furloughs in my little corner of civilian Federal space - we’re a small office, and have simply froze travel (unless it’s necessary for a job), scoured about for no-cost training, stopped hiring except for critical vacancies, etc. Feedback from people in other parts of the Department has been sparse, but it sounds like they’re taking a similar course of action. Haven’t heard of anyone getting furlough notices yet.
My husband works for the FAA, and received notice that he’s being furloughed for 11 days. Since his department is already severely understaffed, I don’t envy whoever has to make up the schedule…
Air traffic controller here, in pretty much exactly the same boat. Got my notice the first part of last week - 11 furlough days, one per pay period from mid-April to the end of September.
We are already so short-staffed the schedule maker said he’d really only be able to get one person out on leave per day. Now, we’ll have one person furloughed per day, which means summer vacation leave is going to be extremely tight. They say they will try to go the extra mile so some people will be able to take the time off they bid four months ago - but that does mean we’ll have to work short in the tower (combined positions, cutting training of our newly arrived controllers, etc.)
DOD Civilian here. We have had no official notices yet. If TPTB had not spent all the money and labor to notify all of us of the furlough it would not be necessary.
I received no less than 6 guides to the furlough, letters from the Secretary of the Navy and many more telling us how valuable we civilian employees are. All that is time and money.
Unlike some of my fellow workers I don’t live paycheck to paycheck and would gladly take an extra day off for a while.
At least in our case the specific ATC employee notifications were required that way by union contracts. Yes, even though sending them all out certified mail was wasteful and expensive, they didn’t have any choice. You can’t just ignore your contracts.
I also can’t blame them too much for going overboard with info. There are enough employees who are worried about the implementation and impact of furloughs, I’d rather they send out too much info than too little. Employees will then have only themselves to blame if they don’t know what’s up.
