Furlough Thread

[James48843]

The FAA has to save $637 million (operating budget), if the contract towers are not closed (50 million dollars savings) the FAA would have to increase furlough days from 11 to 14. Each furlough days saves the agency 15 million dollars. Though I guess the agency could try to find the 50 million from somewhere else in the operating fund. My project has gone from 19.2 million to 12.4 million already. Which is way above the 5.2% across the board cut.

On a side note, last week I heard from many sources that the furlough days will go from 11 to 5. However, this was prior to the annoucement on the contract towers.

I still believe no one knows anything.

Jeff

I had several meetings in the last two weeks with some very very senior FAA executive folks, including some directly responsible for finance, and there was no hint at all at anything LESS than 11 days. They were all talking that 11 could get us where we needed to go, IF the forecasts on retirements were accurate.

I don't know where any rumors about five may have started, but I can say those are just baseless rumors, from my branch of FAA's (AVS) perspective, and the discussions I've had over the last three weeks.

Jeff is right- if the tower contracts are off the table for now- that has to be made up somewhere, and it is not good. None of this is good.

 

[burrocrat]

Please present them here and now..

here and now is too far away.

paradigms have shifted. they broke the mold and it does no good to scramble after the pieces. it will never go back together the same. reality escapes us. embrace the new austerity, winter is coming. let it go.

YouTube

 

[Warrenlm]

I read a missive from a program manager written when the furloughs were starting to be announced. The PM discussed how the administration had instructed the executive branch, prior to the November election, not to begin planning for nor take any cost saving actions for a possible sequester. Nonetheless, this PM did take some deferral and saving actions, which should have avoided any staff impacts, but those were not recognized and factored into the savings needed when the furloughs were being decided. The missive noted that it was clear the administration desired the greatest impact on people as part of the 2014 strategy. Now that the public's mind has been instructed, the administration will not mind it if managers find savings to offset some of the furloughs. I still say in my day we knew how to move money to avoid any impact on existing staff.

 

[burrocrat]

I read a missive from a program manager written when the furloughs were starting to be announced. The PM discussed how the administration had instructed the executive branch, prior to the November election, not to begin planning for nor take any cost saving actions for a possible sequester. Nonetheless, this PM did take some deferral and saving actions, which should have avoided any staff impacts, but those were not recognized and factored into the savings needed when the furloughs were being decided. The missive noted that it was clear the administration desired the greatest impact on people as part of the 2014 strategy. Now that the public's mind has been instructed, the administration will not mind it if managers find savings to offset some of the furloughs. I still say in my day we knew how to move money to avoid any impact on existing staff.

that is true. here's how the progression went in my agency...

for two years we scrimped and saved, don't backfill vacants, steal pens from local businesses to save supply expenses, do more with less all the way down the line, even had a savings suggestion hotline and we all rowed together. for nothing.

our county is in the black. gave some back to carry others not so frugal. but that's not enough. and our state is in the black. but that's not enough, we have to share nationally to help the agency because others were not so prescient. so the agency on the whole can avoid furloughs. but not so fast, when folded into the department then all must share the deficit pain. it is not fair that some saw it coming and sacrificed and worked their asses off to stave off the shortfall, because if one gets furloughed all get furloughed. regardless of need or performance. and despite many workable proposals, there will be no prudent shuffling of priorities to preserve the mission, this knife cuts everyone the same. that came from the top down.

so sorry you avoided the need for furloughs but there will be furloughs. and so sorry that after you shared savings there will not be only 5 days, now it is up for negotiation and likely will be much more. talk about a perverse incentive.

i hate chess but always thought i could be king. now it's clear we are all pawns. make it hurt, across the board, despite your effort and talent all are the same, there will be no cream rising to the top.

we have to convince everyone more revenue is needed to stave off disaster, even though there is not enough revenue out there to plug the leaks. and we have to extract enough savings even though no amount of savings will right the ship.

we got played, for nothing, this is not the winning hand we hold. it is hard to believe that staking our futures on politics would not yield us anything but more politics. i feel used now. what a sucker. and we're about to get kicked off the teat. because there is a lot of folks who don't work and serve and save who deserve to not work and not serve and not save who need to be saved. it's kind of like church, except you can't choose not to go.

see you in hell.

 

[Kaufmanrider]

So it appears the Attorney General has determined DOJ components will not face furloughs this fiscal year. However, come next fiscal year they might happen without Congressional action.

I guess I am safe for a few more months. If they had happened I contemplated retiring in June instead of end of the year.

 

[James48843]

MY FIRST furlough day is tomorrow>

i plan to spend it picketing in front of my congressman"S office

 

[Sensei]

MY FIRST furlough day is tomorrow>

i plan to spend it picketing in front of my congressman"S office

Seriously? Sorry to hear that James.

 

[WorkFE]

And just for general information after all the Furlough updates yesterday the R word came up for 2014.

 

[jpcavin]

And just for general information after all the Furlough updates yesterday the R word came up for 2014.

What's the R word? RIF?

 

[Viva_La_Migra]

MY FIRST furlough day is tomorrow>

i plan to spend it picketing in front of my congressman"S office

Sorry you have to go through that James. If POTUS hadn't gone to play golf with Tiger Woods, you wouldn't have to be furloughed. Just sayin'.

 

[PLANO]

MY FIRST furlough day is tomorrow>

i plan to spend it picketing in front of my congressman"S office

Man I'm sorry to hear that and it is absolutely ridiculous they are doing that to you guys.

Why the FAA? Because it gets more press by changing how the public is able to travel. Political pawns...forced furloughs to make a point. The sequester doesn't reduce spending from last year's budget, it reduces the increase from last year's budget. If we didn't have to furlough people last year they ought to be able to find cuts that don't force people out of work this year. But the PTB have been told to be sure people are furloughed at the FAA so the politicians get to make a point on the nightly news.

 

[James48843]

IMPACT OF FAA FURLOUGHS FELT NATIONWIDE


​

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), which represents over 11,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, including systems specialists, aviation safety inspectors, aeronautical specialists and administrative personnel, has been monitoring the situation related to the FAA furloughs and sequestration and is reporting on significant impacts to aviation maintenance, efficiency and performance. At airports and air traffic control facilities across the country, work is being deferred, equipment is not getting fixed, and flights are being delayed or diverted as a result of the sequestration budget cuts and the furloughing of the FAA workforce. Just last night:

• At Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport, radio and telephone communication capability was lost due to routine battery discharge tests. The systems specialist with the most experience was on furlough at the time of the incident. Systems specialists on site attempted to contact him but, even though he is geographically located near the facility, he was prevented from responding due to restrictions placed on furloughed employees. Had the systems specialist not been on furlough, the outage could have been minimized and delays reduced.

• When the glide slope at the Long Island Mac Arthur Airport failed, a Southwest Airlines flight was diverted to Baltimore-Washington International Airport. When inclement weather developed last night and the glide slope was out of service, flights had to be diverted. While the policy for this equipment is immediate restoral, due to sequestration and furloughs, it was changed to next-day restoral.

PASS is learning of additional impacts nationwide, including open watches, increased restoration times, delays resulting from insufficient funding for parts and equipment, modernization delays, missed or deferred preventative maintenance, and reduced redundancy. For example:

• In Indiana, at the Columbus Municipal Airport, equipment used to indicate approach paths was out an additional five days due to lack of available resources.
• In Maryland, at Andrews Air Force Base, a lack of resources resulting from sequestration is preventing the completion of a project related to the air conditioning unit responsible for cooling the radar. The lack of optimal conditions could result in the loss of primary radar.
• Due to FAA employees on furlough days in Southern Michigan, there have been issues with equipment, remotely controlling systems and contractors performing work without adequate supervision.
• As a result of the budget cuts, a broken gate cannot be fixed at the Battle Creek Flight Inspection Office in Michigan, causing security issues. The facility houses airplanes and other systems and equipment that should be appropriately monitored and secured.
• In addition, there have been open watches on radars and weather equipment in the Philadelphia/New Jersey area; delays due to insufficient funding for parts or equipment in the New York/New Jersey area, Texas, Indiana, Michigan and Iowa; and missed or deferred preventative maintenance in Texas, Washington State, California, Wyoming and Alaska.

“The furloughs at the FAA must end now,” said PASS National President Mike Perrone. “Lawmakers must stop the furloughs immediately and work to develop a plan that repeals sequestration. The furloughs are not yet a week old and we are learning of more problems every day. Without a solution that stops these needless furloughs, this will only be the beginning.”

 

[ATCJeff]

Getting close to being over....

'Hopeful' signs as controller furloughs enter fifth day

 

[Buster]

Ray Lahood said he will make it painful enough to make DC come off of dead center on the FAA Furloughs..Von Turner secretary of Tech Ops was here last month and said as much and to make it as miserable on the flying public as possible.

Now for a reality Check...Jim you go and protest tomorrow, I'm proud of ya..But you will ONLY benifit the ATC side of the FAA which is about 15,000 last count..there is 47,000 total FAA employees..Us on the Airways Facility (AF) [now called ATO] side and others will not see the break ATC will see because of the pissed off flying public..So those guys and gals should be thanking you for you taking a unpaid three day weekend on their behalf...

The FAA Academy (Oklahoma City) is all but shut down for training right now, including AT..There is one AF class I know of going till June and the class was extended 4 days to cover everyone's furlough days, Instructors and students..The students however will remain here in OKC on Per diem and still take the 4 furlough days..(boy that makes a whole lot of sense)

Anyway..As always, AT will get the breaks and higher pay..and AF will suck hind tit..Not blaming the AT folks at all, it has always been that way..they have better unions and PR people than PASS

 

[nnuut]

How does it feel to be political pawns?

 

[PessOptimist]

James, I’m sorry you are getting a furlough day and Buster you likely have a good point. I am not involved in the FAA ATC or AF/ATO world.

Plano sums it up pretty well, in my opinion.

This article you posted has no source listed or reference to where it was released as news. I think that is one of the rules here, where did the quoted article come from. I have to call BS on some of these incidents having anything to do with furloughs.

IMPACT OF FAA FURLOUGHS FELT NATIONWIDE


WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), which represents over 11,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, including systems specialists, aviation safety inspectors, aeronautical specialists and administrative personnel, has been monitoring the situation related to the FAA furloughs and sequestration and is reporting on significant impacts to aviation maintenance, efficiency and performance. At airports and air traffic control facilities across the country, work is being deferred, equipment is not getting fixed, and flights are being delayed or diverted as a result of the sequestration budget cuts and the furloughing of the FAA workforce. Just last night:

• At Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport, radio and telephone communication capability was lost due to routine battery discharge tests. The systems specialist with the most experience was on furlough at the time of the incident. Systems specialists on site attempted to contact him but, even though he is geographically located near the facility, he was prevented from responding due to restrictions placed on furloughed employees. Had the systems specialist not been on furlough, the outage could have been minimized and delays reduced.

Routine battery discharge test? OK, isolate the battery bank and put the load bank on it. The rectifiers maintain power to the load. Doing the test by shutting down the rectifiers? Risky and maybe they found a really bad battery bank. Equipment starts going down, put the rectifiers back on line. No need to go further, If the only person who knew how to do it was furloughed, why not defer the periodic maintenance? So the only person who knew which breakers to turn on or off was “prevented from responding”? ”Systems specialists on site attempted to contact him but, even though he is geographically located near the facility, he was prevented from responding due to restrictions placed on furloughed employees”.? Someone held a gun to his head or he just wouldn’t answer the phone? Sound more to me like a training issue and perhaps the personnel performing the “routine test” should be furloughed for a while. Perhaps a furlough for the person who gave the authorization to work for this routine test while understaffed. This was just a big fugup and has little to do with one guy being on leave and not answering his phone.

• When the glide slope at the Long Island Mac Arthur Airport failed, a Southwest Airlines flight was diverted to Baltimore-Washington International Airport. When inclement weather developed last night and the glide slope was out of service, flights had to be diverted. While the policy for this equipment is immediate restoral, due to sequestration and furloughs, it was changed to next-day restoral.

There is only one person to fix this and they were furloughed? What manager made the decision to change the restoral priority? I this person furloughed?

PASS is learning of additional impacts nationwide, including open watches, increased restoration times, delays resulting from insufficient funding for parts and equipment, modernization delays, missed or deferred preventative maintenance, and reduced redundancy.

“Insufficient funding for parts and equipment” due to sequestration. Some GS-99 cut funding for spare parts and the techs can’t fix stuff? Due to sequestration? Get real, that budget was made a couple years ago. Stole money from the maintenance budget to create a crisis? Sure.

For example:

• In Indiana, at the Columbus Municipal Airport, equipment used to indicate approach paths was out an additional five days due to lack of available resources.
• In Maryland, at Andrews Air Force Base, a lack of resources resulting from sequestration is preventing the completion of a project related to the air conditioning unit responsible for cooling the radar. The lack of optimal conditions could result in the loss of primary radar.
• Due to FAA employees on furlough days in Southern Michigan, there have been issues with equipment, remotely controlling systems and contractors performing work without adequate supervision.
• As a result of the budget cuts, a broken gate cannot be fixed at the Battle Creek Flight Inspection Office in Michigan, causing security issues. The facility houses airplanes and other systems and equipment that should be appropriately monitored and secured.
• In addition, there have been open watches on radars and weather equipment in the Philadelphia/New Jersey area; delays due to insufficient funding for parts or equipment in the New York/New Jersey area, Texas, Indiana, Michigan and Iowa; and missed or deferred preventative maintenance in Texas, Washington State, California, Wyoming and Alaska.

“The furloughs at the FAA must end now,” said PASS National President Mike Perrone. “Lawmakers must stop the furloughs immediately and work to develop a plan that repeals sequestration. The furloughs are not yet a week old and we are learning of more problems every day. Without a solution that stops these needless furloughs, this will only be the beginning.”

I can only wonder who wrote the script for all this. Insufficient funding for parts happened last year. Please provide the source for this apparent news release.

Thanks Jim

PO

 

[Buster]

As I predicted, the squeaky wheel got the oil..namely the Air Traffic Controllers...I seriously doubt if the rest of the FAA will be so lucky..In fact, I bet to offset the Controllers not being furloughed, the rest of the FAA will have to probably take 2 days furlough per pay period..Watch and see..

Lawmakers fix flight delays caused by sequestration​

 

[James48843]

... Please provide the source for this apparent news release.

Thanks Jim

PO

here:
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists - www.passnational.org

 

[Boghie]

Re(1): 'Sequestration Forever!', The Strata-Sphere, AJ Strata
Re(2): 'The Democrats have lost on Sequestration', The Washington Post, Ezra Klein

The Spendulus Death Panel:

Team Obama was dumb to pick a fight with everyone flying – and of course he lost. Just like the GOP lost when they shut down government.

But what does this incident tells us about the future? It tells us we need to expand and grow sequestration, to force the government and the governed to prioritize. Let’s just call it the death panel for endless growth in federal spending.

Yup, here is comes.

The governed want us to prioritize. I really don't mean us. We are the worker bees, but...

You simply cannot blow your cash flow like the gubmint has for the last five years and expect the cash flow to continue. It will get harder as interest rates go up. I would like to thank FED Chairman Bernanke for buying this Administration and this Congress time to get their spending in order and reduce debt. He has given this group years to do this. But, these goobers didn't.

Adjusting to reality (maybe spending at 'W' era levels) is easier whens initiated earlier. Every day makes the coming adjustment harder. To reiterate, the general public will not back our bloated spending.

 

[k0nkuzh0n]

Re(1): 'Sequestration Forever!', The Strata-Sphere, AJ Strata
Re(2): 'The Democrats have lost on Sequestration', The Washington Post, Ezra Klein

Yup, here is comes.

The governed want us to prioritize. I really don't mean us. We are the worker bees, but...

You simply cannot blow your cash flow like the gubmint has for the last five years and expect the cash flow to continue. It will get harder as interest rates go up. I would like to thank FED Chairman Bernanke for buying this Administration and this Congress time to get their spending in order and reduce debt. He has given this group years to do this. But, these goobers didn't.

Adjusting to reality (maybe spending at 'W' era levels) is easier whens initiated earlier. Every day makes the coming adjustment harder. To reiterate, the general public will not back our bloated spending.

That's actually one of the good things about sequestration in my opinion, that it forced the decision makers to prioritize their budget. I thought Congress was going to ultimately end Sequestration and than use the prioritized plans that everyone came up with to make (lesser) cuts.

Also we found out a root cause of the government's spending issues: Once started, you can't cut anything without people getting butt-hurt.
And there it is, the budget issues aren't going to get fixed until tough decisions are made that are going to make a lot of people mad. You can only get rid of so much waste until you have to start cutting people, programs, departments, locations. The Navy's solution to sequestration was largely based on pushing things out to the right in time... that's not a sustainable solution. That's kicking the can down the road.

Personally I'd rather see layoffs than furloughs. Furloughs seem more like a slow bleeding; at least with layoffs people can move on and move forward. Can you imagine having to take 26 days unpaid leave every year, indefinitely? Sure seems like an incentive and encouragement to quit so they don't have to pay you unemployment. Except in that case you love your talent first