Federal furloughs...do you think they'll happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will I get to select the day of the week I don't work? Does seniority count?

For those of you so eager to take those extra days off, that just shows that you are working in offices that are overstaffed.

I bet you could cut several people and not even notice a dent in the workload, if you are showing an attitude like that.

Or we are b exhausted and are guilted when we want to take leave. Under furlough it is illegal for us to work. Blackberries off.

+1,000,000

Most agencies did see this coming and are understaffed, so people are doing double job loads (I know DH has been for three years now) and are under pressure not to take any leave at all because the work just snowballs. I won't love the hit in pay or benefits but it will definitely be a relief to be able to actually not be expected to be working 24-7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New question:

For those of you who've bene through it, how does a furlough really work? My external deadlines and work wont' go away; say I make widgets, the customer still depends on recieving 100 widgets a month, whether or not we're furloughed.

Do some folks really end up working without pay on the furlough days? Do some just have to work that much harder on the non-furloughed days?

The widgets still have to go out - the country depends on them.

It is illegal to work for the government for free, so no, people do not work on furlough days. If the world truly cannot go on without you, you will not be furloughed. If not, you will just do what you can in the time you can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol, but as DOJ attorneys which includes FBI attorney, we are already prohibited by law from working overtime, most of already do this because the job is the job and it needs to get done.

Not true we are salaried. Its not overtime. Get over your GS 15 self.

Even salaried employees are paid overtime, but only if your boss explicitly requires you to stay late or work on the weekends. If you just do it outside your hours you are just working for the government for free. DH clocks in and out and is not allowed to work outside the office except for approved telework days or conferences/meetings/briefings, etc. If he chooses to do so, he's SOL. If he's required to come in on weekends to make a hard deadline he either gets comp time (the agency's preference) or overtime.

All this free overtime just masks the understaffing that's rampant, despite the story to the contrary that the government is full of dead weight. Many many people are covering the workload of 2 positions, especially when considering the RIFs of support staff over the past decade. Too bad there isn't an easy solution to this problem. Oh, wait, there is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about cutting some of the mooch contractors instead?

So true though that some of the least capable people are the most protected ones when it comes to gov't employment.

Most of the time the contractors are the capable ones and the Feds are the mooches.

What an ignorant statement.

If you look at any of the contracting debacles at my agency you'd know what a vapid, knee-jerk statement that is. Probably makes you feel good but it makes you sound stupid, and we're still left with IT contractors who can't find their ass or elbow (and who replaced Fed IT staffers who were far better and cost less than the contractors).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New question:

For those of you who've bene through it, how does a furlough really work? My external deadlines and work wont' go away; say I make widgets, the customer still depends on recieving 100 widgets a month, whether or not we're furloughed.

Do some folks really end up working without pay on the furlough days? Do some just have to work that much harder on the non-furloughed days?

The widgets still have to go out - the country depends on them.

You should not and may not work on a furlough day, it's a violation of appropriations law and illegally augments your Agency's budget. And if your manager says you should, you should get that in writing and send it to your Inspector General.

If there's a furlough, the customer isn't going to get 100 widgets a month. That's how it works. Then the fools who are pushing sequestration & the other nonsensical Tea Bagger ideas can see how well things work with govt. running at 80% of capacity (one furlough day per week) as things pile up.

[Anonymous]

Civilian agencies will start communicating plans next week: http://www.federalnewsradio.com/1104/3218906/Civilian-agencies-set-to-release-sequestration-details-to-employees

"The Office of Management and Budget gave agency heads the go-ahead to begin communicating to their employees as early as Tuesday about the possible effects of sequestration, including employee furloughs...

The notices that agencies send to employees will not serve as an actual notice of furlough, according to a statement from National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley. Instead, the agency guidance will present a range of options to be taken should the budget cuts be implemented. "

[Anonymous]

Oh, and for the love of God can we not get in a pissing match between contractors in civilians? Both sides have their hard workers and their lazy bums. Don't take the bait.

Sequestration is going to hurt both sides.

[Anonymous]

I love all these feds complaining about their lazy coworkers while posting on DCUM...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol, but as DOJ attorneys which includes FBI attorney, we are already prohibited by law from working overtime, most of already do this because the job is the job and it needs to get done.

Not true we are salaried. Its not overtime. Get over your GS 15 self.

Even salaried employees are paid overtime, but only if your boss explicitly requires you to stay late or work on the weekends. If you just do it outside your hours you are just working for the government for free. DH clocks in and out and is not allowed to work outside the office except for approved telework days or conferences/meetings/briefings, etc. If he chooses to do so, he's SOL. If he's required to come in on weekends to make a hard deadline he either gets comp time (the agency's preference) or overtime.

All this free overtime just masks the understaffing that's rampant, despite the story to the contrary that the government is full of dead weight. Many many people are covering the workload of 2 positions, especially when considering the RIFs of support staff over the past decade. Too bad there isn't an easy solution to this problem. Oh, wait, there is.

Not DOJ attorneys we get comp time only if the travel hours are more than our 40 for the week. Yes we come in on weekends and in the middle of the night if needed, our salary does not plus up

[Anonymous]

Something definitely is going down in FBI and it is affecting potential new hiring as well for special agents.

The FBI according to my applicant coordinator (i'm in the process for a hopeful SA position) was targeting 400 new agents to come on board for FY2013 however applicant processes have been frozen as of now due to lack of budget.

Not sure how helpful that is but just wanted to throw that out there.