NEW DETAILS: More than 8,000 Wright-Patterson civilians received new furlough notices

Government shutdown breaks duration record
FILE

FILE

Some 8,100 civilian employees received new 30-day furlough notices late last week as the ongoing federal government shutdown became the longest in U.S. history.

That number came from an Air Force spokesperson. It is the first time the number of employees at Wright-Patterson impacted by the government shutdown has been revealed since the shutdown commenced Oct. 1.

“When a lapse in appropriations exceeds 30 days, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulations require agencies to treat it as a new furlough and issue a second formal furlough notice,” the spokesperson said. “This furlough second notice issuance reaffirms that furloughed employees remain in a non‑duty, non‑pay status and reiterates that they must not perform any work for the department while furloughed."

A mass email was sent to affected employees, and supervisors followed up with those employees to ensure everyone received the notice, the spokesperson added, noting that an earlier statement relating to retroactive pay — a statement found in the first furlough notice — was indeed removed from the latest notice.

The Senate Tuesday failed to pass for the 14th time to pass a short-term bill to fund government operations, likely ensuring that the shutdown will surpass a previous 35-day record.

Wright-Patterson is the largest center of employment in one location in Ohio, with about 38,000 employees before the Trump administration took measures to shrink the federal workforce this year.

According to a White House website, about 83,000 Ohio workers are impacted by the shutdown, either furloughed or working without pay.

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