JBLM: Furloughs Could Hit Civilian Employees By Mid-April

Joint Base Lewis-McChord's Public Affairs Office released the following statement regarding sequestration cuts:

If nothing changes, the Department of Defense will pursue furlough as a result of sequestration, to be implemented no earlier than mid-April. We remain hopeful that our nation’s leadership will resolve mandatory spending cuts related to sequestration between now and April to affect whether or how furlough is implemented.

JBLM has approximately 16,200 civilian employees. Between ten and eleven thousand employees could experience the furlough; however, civilian employees will not be directly impacted for approximately six weeks.

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All civilian employees  - other than those designated as 'excepted' - will experience up to 22 non-sequential days (or 176 hours) of furlough between mid-April and the end of the fiscal year in September. In other words, civilian employees on JBLM who are furloughed will not work, and not be paid, for one day per week beginning mid-April through the end of September. Civilian employees who will be furloughed will be notified of their status and proposed furlough dates at least 30 days in advance.

"Excepted" employees are specific individuals who fall into the criteria established by the Secretary of Defense - basically those deployed in support of the warfight; or those designated life, health, or safety individuals. We will seek furlough exceptions for critical employees.

The Joint Base Commander sent a message to the JBLM Installation Management Command (IMCOM) workforce on Thursday, Feb. 28, to ensure they have the most current information and decisions regarding the potential for furlough. The furlough will place additional strain on our civilian workforce and for many of our employees the furlough will be a source of frustration and friction. The vital role each and every civilian employee plays in the operation and future of JBLM is crucial.

We recognize the financial burden that the furlough will impose on many of our employees, and we will work together to seek ways to minimize impacts on individuals. We plan to bring a variety of lenders and financial counselors together to meet with individual employees to assess their situations and offer advice and solutions.

The general approach at JBLM for IMCOM employees, and others working alongside us on the installation where practical, will be to designate Fridays during the furlough period as reduced operations and reduced support days. This concept of  minimal/reduced operations on Fridays provides predictability to our employees and our customers. Additionally, this concept is being synchronized with our supported mission customers, so that they will know what to expect and how to appropriately plan.

Our priority during this time of fiscal uncertainty continues to be to provide Service members and their families the best possible facilities, and services to both live and work, understanding that there will be reduced services, longer wait times, and fewer personnel available to provide necessary services due to the furlough.