I would like to get a pulse on how various FS-BLM-NPS forests/districts manage their employees during furlough. Are all employees required to attend work daily, does your district cancel leave ect.? I’m hearing conflicting responses to how district and forest overhead manage employees during furlough.
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Only those deemed “essential” I.e …fire are required to be at work. all others get a " paid vacation" . When they settle things… EVERYONE gets paid in the end!!!.. spent a few of these wandering empty hall ways keeping people’s plants alive. Annual Leave… HAHA it is canceled… but since you are at home you are off…like you never took it…
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That is how I have experienced it in the past as well. Kinda a kick in the balls given the sacrifice we already make to the agency. Been having conversations with other forests (than mine) and it seems there are variations in management styles, i.e., letting essential employees go home, on call via cell.
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Really depends on the agency you work for. Generally speaking vacation leave is cancelled. If you have been determined to be excepted (not furloughed) and you need to take leave its coded furlough. A 2019 law requires everyone who works during a shutdown or is furloughed is required to be back paid. This basically makes this whole exercise of a government shutdown moot.
Typically the forest service keeps most or all firefighters on duty. I am hearing the forest service is even discussing continuing to allow RX activity, although I haven’t heard the final word on that.
In DOI, some of the Bureau’s furlough most if not all firefighters. Every unit will be given a number of employees they can keep working. Emergency personnel who are furloughed can be called back for an emergency at anytime.
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hmm … never heard of essential employees going home… or call via cell… the reason why they are working is because they are essential… sorta like air traffic controllers … sucks but that is reality …
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I agree, historically, I have been mandatoried at the station as well
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My forest is unsure they said it may only be line officers for fire who are on or it could be all of us.
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