Furlough Thread

[Warrenlm]

He also just quietly said that " 'they' always cut things (that are for dramatics)". My thinking was why wouldn't the capitalist who was a communist in college go on to say the ADMINISTRATION is selecting the cuts and using the issue to reeducate the public through the media soundbite repeaters, now that he brought it up.

 

[Stoplight]

That sounds like a non-answer to me. I'm thinking ILoveTDs may have got it right ... if you are furloughed and the last 3 years have been frozen, then your high 3 may not be your last 3, or ... your last 12 months may be the lowest 12 of the high 3. ... So the question really should be, how is your high 3 computed -- is it based on your annual salary or actual regular pay received?

From the OPM web site :

"Your “high-3” average pay is the highest average basic pay you earned during any 3 consecutive years of service. These three years are usually your final three years of service, but can be an earlier period, if your basic pay was higher during that period. Your basic pay is the basic salary you earn for your position. It includes increases to your salary for which retirement deductions are withheld, such as shift rates. It does not include payments for overtime, bonuses, etc. (If your total service was less than 3 years, your average salary was figured by averaging your basic pay during all of your periods of creditable Federal service)."

It does include your locality pay, though !


Stoplight...

 

[Frixxxx]

From the OPM web site :

...
(If your total service was less than 3 years, your average salary was figured by averaging your basic pay during all of your periods of creditable Federal service)."

It does include your locality pay, though !


Stoplight...

I'm told that the furloughed time is considered creditable service. If an employee is furloughed continuously for 6 months, then it would start to affect the calculation. But this 1/day a week is credited at the salary level for retirement calculation.

 

[Cactus]

For what it's worth, here is the latest regarding DOD civilians.

• Leave: Furlough time off is treated like regular leave without pay for leave accrual and benefit purposes. When employees are in a non-pay status (like a furlough) their retirement deductions are adjusted in proportion to their basic pay.



• Thrift Savings Plan: Regarding the Thrift Savings Plan, employees who have selected their TSP contribution to be a percentage of their pay will see smaller contributions during the furlough period due to their reduced pay. Employees who have selected a fixed amount for their TSP contribution will see the same amount deducted during the furlough period.

 

[Pill]

As a firefighter, we used to be told furlough would not affect us, but we just got word today it will and in a big way. We work 144 hours in a pp, and only 38 hours is considered over time. During furlough we will be losing 16 hours (that’s the numbers we are hearing), that is OT pay. So it comes to about losing $1,000 a month. Some people aren't going to be able to survive very well on this kind of cut.

Incredible that we are in this position.

But still very happy to have a job.

 

[clester]

As a firefighter, we used to be told furlough would not affect us, but we just got word today it will and in a big way. We work 144 hours in a pp, and only 38 hours is considered over time. During furlough we will be losing 16 hours (that’s the numbers we are hearing), that is OT pay. So it comes to about losing $1,000 a month. Some people aren't going to be able to survive very well on this kind of cut.

Incredible that we are in this position.

But still very happy to have a job.

All the talk from the right wing lately seems to be saying "go ahead and let the sequester happen", it's not a big deal.

 

[RealMoneyIssues]

All the talk from the right wing lately seems to be saying "go ahead and let the sequester happen", it's not a big deal.

And all the talk from the left wing lately is that this will kill the economy and lose 100s of 1000s of jobs... we must stop sequestration...

 

[Fran1775]

I'm with you real money let's stop the sequestration!

 

[Warrenlm]

What You Need to Know During a Furlough - Retirement Planning - Pay & Benefits - GovExec.com

 

[James48843]

*Re: Furlough Thread

And all the talk from the left wing lately is that this will kill the economy and lose 100s of 1000s of jobs... we must stop sequestration...

What the President was talking about there- in his veto threat, was the discussion by some republicans to "undo" the sequestration part of the Budget Control Act of 2011 and exempt ONLY defense cuts from the budget axe. The President said at the time the act initally passed, that the job of Congress was to decide which items to cut and which taxes to raise- he made suggestions, but that it was the Congress's constitutional duty to make those budget decisions, and that he would not support exempting defense when the rest of the budget still had to be better balanced.

If you recall the vote on the Budget Control Act of 2011, not a single Democrat in the House voted for it and the sequestration that it contained. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll677.xml

This one is ALL on the (r's) . 100% on the (r's). If sequestration hits and the economy tanks it is soley because (r's) manufactured an unneeded crisis and refused to increase taxes and decide which programs to cut to bring spending and income into line.

Note- you've now taking this thread and made it political. Let's give it a (*) and move it, shall we?

 

[RealMoneyIssues]

Re: *Re: Furlough Thread

Note- you've now taking this thread and made it political. Let's give it a (*) and move it, shall we?

LOOK JAMES... for one, Clester started the political part and for two, you are still taking things out of context... so yes, PLEASE move this to the political thread where they can refute your claims...

 

[nnuut]

Re: *Re: Furlough Thread

 

[WorkFE]

He said she said. Who gives a crap, fix it to give us some measuring stick to guage our next move in our personal professional lives.

 

[Boghie]

Re: *Re: Furlough Thread

All this Furlough stuff gives me time to Cert Up

Got my SQL Server Cert books, a little CBTNugget action, and and MSDN account to play with

Bought em before I went broke. Glad I paid down dem credit cards...

 

[burrocrat]

non-partisan review of the issue:

. can we raise the debt ceiling? yes.
. can we raise revenue? yes.
. can we voluntarily cut spending? no.
. can we involuntarily cut spending across the board except for the safety net? maybe.
. will sequester negatively affect the economy? yes.
. will not adressing entitlement spending negatively affect the economy? yes.
. do folks get scared and angry and weep and wail when somebody tries to steal their pay/benefit/retirement/health honey pot checks? yes.
. will the sun still come up march 2nd? yes.
. will the public discover the world ain't so bad and it still turns with 10% less feds in it? probably.
. will we be able to keep spending beyond our means and still enjoy the same quality of life ad infinitum? probably not.
. will we wise up and make the difficult choices before it all crashes and burns and we have no good choices left? probably not, that would be a first.
. will we learn to like togas and public baths? probably.

when in rome...

 

[WorkFE]

Re: *Re: Furlough Thread

Thanks Burro, I feel better.

 

[Viva_La_Migra]

when in rome...

Play the fiddle while the city burns!

 

[Boghie]

Play the fiddle while the city burns!

Viva, fellow San Diegan, I think the problem will resolve itself. Regretfully, we will be resolved as well...

There is no money, and there really is no belief that the gubmint needs revenue for the bloat. I don't think many out there are praising Stimulus spending. I don't think they want the stimulus spending structuralized. My money is that the general public will watch passively as we are slashed by 3%. Cut and burn baby, cut and burn.

The problem for us will be when the politics are done. When the furlough game and the Washington Monument tactics are done with. The general public will realized the slash and burn cuts didn't mean anything to them. Then we will have a rinse and repeat cycle. If that time is not now, it will be soon.

 

[burrocrat]

Play the fiddle while the city burns!

life ain't nothin' but a funny funny riddle.

YouTube

i think maybe the folks that grow food and pay the bills 'bout done had enough. buckle up buttercups, this she its about to get heavy.

thank dog i'm a country boy.

 

[James48843]

this afternoon- message sent to all employees from FAA Administrator Michael Huerta:

Sequestration Update

Michael Huerta

to:

02/22/2013 11:43 AM

Please respond to 9-AWA-AOA1-Broadcast-Replies


Colleagues,


Today, Secretary LaHood and I sent a letter to aviation stakeholders outlining the impact of sequestration on the aviation industry and air travelers.


As the letter notes and as I shared with you last week, if the automatic cuts scheduled for March 1 go into effect a majority of the FAA's 47,000 employees would need to be furloughed for approximately one day per pay period until the end of the fiscal year in September, with a maximum of two days per pay period. These furloughs and other actions mentioned in the letter would begin in April, and will be finalized as to scope and details through collaborative discussions with our users and our unions.

We know you have many questions about how these changes will affect you personally. Additional information about how sequestration will directly impact employees will be available in the coming days.

The Secretary and I deeply value your commitment to maintaining the safest aviation system in the world. Thank you for your service and continued professionalism, in spite of the challenges and uncertainties we face today.

-Michael

Letter to stakeholders:
http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/media/2013_02_22_10_00_10.pdf

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