Fort Meade Outlines Details on Furloughs

Fort Meade has reached agreements with a major labor union regarding the possibility of furloughs due to federal budget cuts. 

Notices of furloughs will go out to DOD workers at Fort Meade as soon as Thursday, according to a memorandum of agreement signed by Fort Meade officials and the American Federation of Government Employees AFL-CIO Local 1923.

Workers could face furloughs of as long as 22 non-consecutive days, beginning on April 26 and extending to Sept. 21, if necessary. Workers would be required to take off 16 hours—or two days—each pay period, or essentially one day a week. 

The furloughs have been deemed necessary due to across-the-board cuts to federal spending, known as the sequester, that kicked in on March 1. 

Included in the labor negotiations were garrison employees along with Department of Defense workers from the medical command of the First Army Division East; the Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center; the Army Field Band; the Logistics Readiness Center; and the Network Enterprise Center. The agreement also includes workers from the office of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation. 

The 22 days of furloughs represent a 20 percent pay reduction. The agreement signed Monday outlines the how notices of furloughs are to be delivered, how furlough days will be scheduled and how they might affect part-time workers. 

“We want to acknowledge the difficulties and frustrations many employees are experiencing as we work through these difficult times,” said, John Moeller, deputy garrison commander at Fort Meade. “The most important part about implementing the furloughs is to have open communication to ensure our dedicated employees are fully informed of the policies, the regulations and the implementation.”

See the full details of the memorandum attached, or click here.