Posted on 02/21/2013 3:31:23 PM PST by SkyPilot
The Defense Department on Wednesday officially notified Congress that it plans to begin furloughing its 800,000 civilian employees across the country if automatic spending cuts begin March 1, estimating the states would lose a total of $4.86 billion in workers’ wages this year.
According to Pentagon estimates, among the hardest-hit states would be Virginia, which would have about 88,000 affected workers and salary losses of $660.9 million; California, with 62,600 workers and $419.7 million in lost wages; and Maryland, with 45,700 workers and $359.3 million in lost earnings.
“This is not a Beltway phenomenon,” Jessica L. Wright, the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, told reporters at the Pentagon. “More than 80 percent of our civilians work outside of the D.C. metro area. They live and work in every state of the union.”
Under the furlough plan, civilian workers would be forced to take one day of unpaid leave each week for 22 weeks from late April through September, costing them about 20 percent of their pay during that time, Pentagon officials said.
In a written message, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told civilian workers that they “will be provided at least 30 days’ notice prior to executing a furlough and your benefits will be protected to the maximum extent possible.”
He added that the Pentagon “also will work to ensure that furloughs are executed in a consistent and appropriate manner.”
Mr. Panetta noted that the department has been funded by a continuing resolution that has limited spending to 2012 levels and said the effects of sequestration may be felt more intensely because of it.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
They are talking about a 20% cut to civilian employee pay because of the shortened year to absorb this. I imaging a lot of people are thinking oh, goody, this will stick it to those DC bureaucrats. What they don’t realize is that 3/4 of these jobs are outside the DC area. How much will a 20% cut in these workers’ pay affect many local economies? Putting off buying a car, a new refrigerator, buying cheaper food and clothes, etc.
No replies to you, I like that. When you point out that people are understandably pissed at Congress but it’s not right to take it out on the working level that has no control over policy, the entire thread goes quiet.
The fact is, people have no clue what DoD civilians do. All the pro-military FR-bots will get a wakeup call when ships can’t get underway, jets are grounded, and military guys can’t get paid.
The talk radio hosts fill them with stories about gov. civs that sit around and play solitaire all day. Mind you, these are the same talk radio hosts that have only set foot on a base for a 2 hour PR event and have only talked to military that they’re interviewing. I agree with them on a lot of things but they’re CLUELESS on this.
My favorite myth is that civil service CAN’T be fired. BS. I’ve worked military, CS, and contractor and you better believe I’ve seen civil service get fired. Granted, it’s more difficult and paperwork intensive than it should be but it sure as hell happens. My program manager with 15 years of service got fired right out the gate, tell me it doesn’t happen. When I worked CS, I back-filled a guy that got fired (not moved, they took his ID and escorted him out the gate). Especially in this environment where personnel cutbacks are hitting hard. If you’re doing something sketchy, you’re going to be first to go.
These FR people do not understand what they’re cheerleading.
Seems to me that the bottom line here is that Republicans have once again fumbled the ball by agreeing to automatic cuts that hit DOD employees harder than entitlement programs that actually need cutting.
They have compounded the error by not pointing out that the cuts are going to hit producers harder than takers.
Frankly, I think DOD employees shouldn’t be immune to across the board spending cuts, but they sure as Hell shouldn’t be the focus of targeted cuts.
Dear POS OBama.
Cry me a river.
That's about it in a nutshell.
Keep in mind that these budget cuts are already affecting every aspect of the Department of Defense. From deployments to healthcare.
It isn't like the DoD had not contributed to cuts - they have. It is the only Federal agency that has taken real budget cuts.
The problem seems to be that the politicos cannot see their way to telling the "takers" that incredible appetite for a Government check has outlasted the fiscal realities.
DoD federal civilian employees have been told we would have one (unpaid) day off per week, for an estimated 21 weeks.
So yes, of course, working and getting paid for 4 days per week instead of 5 days per week is the end of the world, total unendurable catastrophe....an earth shaking event that NEVER happens to employees in the private sector (sarcasm on).
The whole deal is only 2 percent off the planned budget...said Federal budget to be 2012+2% (catastrophe) instead of the otherwise 2012+4% increase.
Bottom line, the 2013 Obama spending will be yet bigger than the 2012 Obama spending...even with the “catastrophe”.
The hit is biggest to the Military, but Obama never has been found of the Military...too many Republicans? For sure it is not the Military he bought 2 billion rounds of hollow point ammo (and more assault weapons “suitable for personal protection”).
The Military can not use hollow point ammo. Banned by Geneva Convention. Guess that leaves the Obama SS and the target of Obama’s SS the American people. Who else?
But the average clueless, brainwashed mooing herds of Dem Party voters will happily accept Obama’s chains of slavery in exchange for “free stuff”.
Sad. Hard to be the aware lobster in the pot of water heating over the fire with all the other clueless lobsters who are clueless.
Obaba/Bernanke create $85,000,000,000 of magic money each and every month. Give that to the Military (just one month’s worth...Obaba/Bernanke’s super rich banker buddies should be able to survive a month without their monthly taxpayer bailout (Obaba/Bernanke are great at ‘take from the ordinary citizens to give to the rich’ (and the illegals and the moron er...Dem base).
Virginia ping!
Yes, a motto I have is (Govt employee):
“We work harder so we don’t have to work smarter.
I had come up with a way to increase my productively almost double. Superiors said No. Thus my new (above) motto.
Long time Govt employee.
“work on a base and the increase in civilian employees has been relentless in the past 4 years. Most are absolutely worthless. Many are “retired” officers that didn’t make the cut.”
A certain Govt agency is most all govt civilians but has a handful of Military personnel. Trying to find one of the Military personnel after 3pm on a friday is generally an exercise in futility.
As ex-Military I can tell you that labeling our Military members as “warriors” and “heroes” is overdoing it. The Military is like any other big outfit...filled with exceptional people, a quota of duds, and average normal folks. Just like any other big outfit.
I was unaware of the government "GSing" contractor positions. That is insane. We should be doing the reverse. This is corrupt, Obama, third-world B.S., moving contractor billets to his preferred union GS positions.
If a position is highly specialized, such as managing specific skills training or maintaining a particular weapon system, it should be a contractor. If it is manages money, it should be GS.
I personally do not understand today why we have any Wage Grade wrench turners working in weapons system depots. Depot maintenance on a military airplane is no different from a D-Check in the civilian world. This support, along with all of the non-flying training, should be part of the overall contracts for the weapons system.
I think it might help if employees could lump their days together and get a week or two off all together. For example, someone like you husband could take a week in April and start putting in a nice big garden if you have a yard with the space. SOmeone could use a chunk of time like that to renovate a basement or attic and rent out a room for extra income, etc. This should definitely be an option for the workers.
Talk about complicit, have you seen some of the posts here at FR regarding Grover Norquist and is Muslim connections and advocacy? Makes one wonder if his no taxes pledge is part of a secret plan to weaken our country.
My son is in the Navy. I told him that sequestration will cause the civilians he sees all the time to only get to work 4 days a week. I told him that I suspect that the will rebel by not doing anything for the other 4 days per week. He laughed and swore a blue streak saying that they already don’t do anything.
I suggest that you Google “Forbes CEO Compensation” to give some thought to other salaries that should be cut. Forty years ago, top CEO’s earned about 40 times the pay of their lowest paid workers. By 2007 that ratio had risen to something like 400 to 1 or even 1,000 to 1. Since 2008 it has dropped a little, but is still very. As a stockholder I have voted for a “stockholder’s advisory on executive compensation.” Small stockholders need to pay more attention to this issue. The middle class is disappearing.
Social Security was supposed to be saved during the Reagan Admin. when in 1983 both parties agreed that a 90% cap above which SS would not be deducted was set. Unfortunately, it was pegged to CPI, not the true lower 90%. Thus while low level wages increase 2 or 3% a year, upper level salaries were increasing 15 to 20%. Thus, by the mid 1990s, the cap was hovering around 85%, and recently down to 82%. All that needs to be done is to put the cap back to 90%, and perhaps raise it by 1/2% or 1% a year to 95% and keep it there until the baby boom bulge has passed on by. Then perhaps it could be lowered a bit again. At any rate, there is no need for SS to go broke, only a need to stick to bipartisan agreements approved during Reagan’s Administration.
Agreed. The same issues that are bloating government are destroying the private economy.
Now this is rank heresy on this board, but executive compensation is out of control.
There is a reason why there are a large number of people from Ecuador in my area. Namely that the packing plants went there, and shipped whole villages up here. Yet the price of meat stays the same even after record profits year after year.
You’re so right in so many ways. People don’t like to have the truth pointed out and they’re all happy to jump up and down and say that DoD civilians do nothing.
Well my husband gets to work by 7 am, usually eats lunch at his desk, if he eats and typically leaves at 5:30 or later. He is in charge of training for the base and not only has been deployed, he has gone TDY for shorter periods.
I don’t think half these people here understand what’s asked of many DoD civilians. It’s ofen not just like a “regular” job. I also agree about firing - I’ve seen civilians fired and the retirement that so many speak of as a “Cadillac plan” is not that at all. *smh*
Thanks - I appreciate you commenting.
notice how the NYT and the AP (keepers of the propaganda style book) have MAGICALLY rediscovered ILLEGALS!?
no more undocumented, now full blown OMG CRIMINAL ILLEGALS loose upon the streets because of evil republicans holding obama to the sequester he proposed!
MSNBC was in full der furer media mode today. If MSNBC was not lying on the air, there would only be silence.
it is the staffers who are the real threat. The desk jockey bureacrats who fly under the radar for DECADES who cause this mess.
In the 1950s the Dept of Agriculture was totally infested with Soviets and US based communists. That has not changed.
Mandatory retirement and total lobbyist prohibition after 20 years.
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