Government Shutdown

[RH316]

If I had preapproved annual leave on Saturday 12/22, the day after the shutdown began, my understanding is that I'll get paid for it in next Tuesday's paycheck, and my annual leave deducted, because the pay period was submitted early by HR. Will this later be converted to furlough, or will they just let it slide?

Also, I had preapproved holiday leave on Sunday 12/23 in lieu of Christmas day... is this going to count as a paid excused absence as usual, or furlough?

I had the same situation for sun 12/23. I took holiday leave because it was my in lieu of day. I was told by my ATM It’s furlough for now, but if Congress passes the enactment for back pay that includes holiday pay, you should receive the holiday leave and not get charged Annual/sick. If you don’t and get charged the leave, and those who worked the same in lieu of day received holiday pay, you could file a grievance.

 

[Electricfence]

We were funded through Sunday at 11:59pm. Furlough didn’t start until Monday. All leave will be charged as normal until then.

 

[Hissmeowra]

So we have a controller that had to take his wife to the hospital today on SL which will be shown as furlough. We know that for him to get paid for the day Congress will have to pass the back pay, but some folks are confused on if the SL will be deducted from his balance after the fact. I assume he will get to keep his SL but can someone confirm if this is the case.

I got ill at work during the January 2018 shutdown and took a few hours of sick leave. I was paid with no delay and the sick leave was charged. Though that may have been because it was a short shutdown and they backdated everything? Dunno

 

[thesoonerkid]

Payroll was submitted early for PP27 and may not show everything. Per NATCA keep track and if it’s not made up by PP3 let your rep know. And if your rep didn’t inform anyone about this you should say something because they knew since at least the 21st.

I get this but to add to this. Say you’re over the fica cap for pp27. I was also shorted something like 10 hours OT as well as night diff. Will I get paid for that as if I was still over the cap or no?

 

[ehmeye]

I get this but to add to this. Say you’re over the fica cap for pp27. I was also shorted something like 10 hours OT as well as night diff. Will I get paid for that as if I was still over the cap or no?

No, you’ll pay taxes on it for the date of the check that you receive it. Hopefully, it’ll help you hit the cap sooner this year.

 

[pinesolius]

No offense to anyone involved, but what’s the point of shutting down the government to turn of spending for a period of time, furloughing those workers, and then giving them back pay? What did that actually accomplish? More overtime to catch up afterward?

 

[Dontbotherme]

No offense to anyone involved, but what’s the point of shutting down the government to turn of spending for a period of time, furloughing those workers, and then giving them back pay? What did that actually accomplish? More overtime to catch up afterward?

Exactly... If we had a true shutdown, we would be minimum staffing and have a nationwide TFR where only military or homeland security aircraft are allowed to fly. Then, this issue would be resolved because the public would see something that greatly affects them. Right now, the public doesn’t care whether this lasts seven days or seven months because they aren’t losing any service.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Or we could all bang in sick (to get put on furlough leave and fully expect to get paid without affecting our sick leave balance) until they have to delay aircraft for hours on the ground due to staffing. That should speed things up.

 

[Electricfence]

Or we could all bang in sick (to get put on furlough leave and fully expect to get paid without affecting our sick leave balance) until they have to delay aircraft for hours on the ground due to staffing. That should speed things up.

Chances are that would be considered a strike and we'd all be fired Reagan style because we are all lazy freeloading union workers.

 

[NavyTrev]

Great, another opportunity to have slip through and prolong the wait.

It’s still a long ways off, don’t stress over it yet.

 

[32andBelow]

No offense to anyone involved, but what’s the point of shutting down the government to turn of spending for a period of time, furloughing those workers, and then giving them back pay? What did that actually accomplish? More overtime to catch up afterward?

It’s not really to save money. It’s just a bargaining ploy to get your version of the budget passed.

 

[Dontbotherme]

Or we could all bang in sick (to get put on furlough leave and fully expect to get paid without affecting our sick leave balance) until they have to delay aircraft for hours on the ground due to staffing. That should speed things up.

Given that we are excepted employees, we are all expected to show up to work and in due time, be paid for our services. However, if you’re incapacitated for duty, you should call in sick and you’ll be placed on furlough status. You, nor anyone else, is advocating a job action as they are illegal. However; don’t risk safety, by trying to go to work, if you are not able to perform your job in a safe and efficient manner.

 

[Jennifer E]

Or we could all bang in sick (to get put on furlough leave and fully expect to get paid without affecting our sick leave balance) until they have to delay aircraft for hours on the ground due to staffing. That should speed things up.

I have the flu and called in sick today and the weekend they are charging me leave. The OM said they are charging leave as normal til it ends and we find out what happens. I will run out of sick leave Sunday and then I am on AWOL because he won't approve annual. I have contacted my FACREP already but haven't heard anything back.

 

[GO]

I have the flu and called in sick today and the weekend they are charging me leave. The OM said they are charging leave as normal til it ends and we find out what happens. I will run out of sick leave Sunday and then I am on AWOL because he won't approve annual. I have contacted my FACREP already but haven't heard anything back.

There was an Agency Telcon Today and the hottest topic was the “Furlough Flu”. A number of facilities have started the day with 50% staffing and have been plagued with a lot of sick leave usage.

The Agency is trying to find ways to track and punish people using a lot of SL/furlough allegedly. FAA Legal is currently working on CBA end-around to allow them to do it. The Agency contends that the provisions of Article 25 don’t apply because you’re using furlough and not sick leave.


I think the whole thing is far fetched and will be interpreted in so many ways across the facilities nationwide so I am guessing that is what you are experiencing since it is a hot topic. Not saying that people should not call in if they need to but if you are banging out make sure you have a way to prove it if push comes to shove. Of note you can not be in a leave status during a government shutdown so they can’t technically charge you any leave as it will automatically be classified as furlough. They may be “charging leave” and tracking it to try and combat people calling out so much with the threat of having to be able to repay those furlough days with the leave you took once the government comes back into session but I don’t think your balences should be affected (who know with this climate though). Other than that I don’t have much of a reccomendation. Stay smart, protect yourself and ride the wave ?

 

[CaptainObvious]

There was an Agency Telcon Today and the hottest topic was the “Furlough Flu”. A number of facilities have started the day with 50% staffing and have been plagued with a lot of sick leave usage.

The Agency is trying to find ways to track and punish people using a lot of SL/furlough allegedly. FAA Legal is currently working on CBA end-around to allow them to do it. The Agency contends that the provisions of Article 25 don’t apply because you’re using furlough and not sick leave.


I think the whole thing is far fetched and will be interpreted in so many ways across the facilities nationwide so I am guessing that is what you are experiencing since it is a hot topic. Not saying that people should not call in if they need to but if you are banging out make sure you have a way to prove it if push comes to shove. Of note you can not be in a leave status during a government shutdown so they can’t technically charge you any leave as it will automatically be classified as furlough. They may be “charging leave” and tracking it to try and combat people calling out so much with the threat of having to be able to repay those furlough days with the leave you took once the government comes back into session but I don’t think your balences should be affected (who know with this climate though). Other than that I don’t have much of a reccomendation. Stay smart, protect yourself and ride the wave ?

Maybe the Agency should be pushing up the chain to have the Orange Baboon stop throwing a temper tantrum and reopen the government instead of wasting time with this.

 

[Stinger]

They may be “charging leave” and tracking it

That's exactly what it is. Keeping track of "leave" usage so that it gets coded correctly when everything gets resolved. It should just remain as furlough status when it's all said and done, but the little intricacies are where it gets more tricky.

 

[Dontbotherme]

That's exactly what it is. Keeping track of "leave" usage so that it gets coded correctly when everything gets resolved. It should just remain as furlough status when it's all said and done, but the little intricacies are where it gets more tricky.

That’s what my OM said today. They have to code it as something and they don’t have the option of furlough in the computer so it is credit, annual, or sick leave, but people would be in furlough status as the government is shutdown.

 

[POINTOUT]

All leave at my facility is showing as furlough.

 

[RH316]

“Furlough” is a drop down option in Cru Art. That’s how we’ve been coding it. In the request book we’ve been writing in “request SL/AL”

 

[Dontbotherme]

All leave at my facility is showing as furlough.

It is coded as furlough (as in my OM is full of it) or being shown (and coded as something else) as furlough? We can’t be in a pay status during a shutdown so they can code it however they want because we will either get paid or we won’t get paid off any leave now. If they can code it as furlough, but aren’t (like what is happening here) then that supports what someone stated earlier about the agency trying to track and trying to punish people for taking leave.