Furloughs

I was sorry, but not surprised, to hear that the Republican/tea party is content to see the airline industry benefit from uncollected taxes while ignoring the needs of union members, construction and support workers and the flying public ("In other congressional idiocy…" Aug. 3). While these workers are on furlough due to the inaction of Congress, I hope they will make sure they are registered to vote so that they can help these members see what it is like to be laid off. Alma T., Baltimore

Why is anyone surprised that Congress acted so quickly to rescind the air traffic controllers' furloughs? Business travelers and the 1 percent are where the airlines make their money - and also where politicians get their campaign donations. Hank Bullwinkel, Upper Falls Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen told city employees Thursday that furloughs and layoffs are likely during the next few months in order to close a projected $9 million budget gap. Despite a number of cost-cutting measures that his administration has taken since he took office in December, the job cuts are necessary because of the city's "unprecedented budget crisis," said Cohen, a Democrat. The city faces a projected $2.6 million deficit for the fiscal year ending in June, and a $6.4 million deficit for fiscal year 2011.

In President Barack Obama's running argument with the Republicans in Congress over who's responsible for the legislative stalemate on Capitol Hill, he suffers self-inflicted wounds by continuing to run up the same white flag that undermined his own efforts in his first term. He did it again in his embarrassing cave-in to Congress' makeshift response to the air traffic controllers' furloughs that briefly stalled travel, acquiescing in shifting $253 million in Federal Aviation Administration funds to keep them on the job. In so doing, he invited allegations of crumbling to legislators more concerned about getting to and from their districts than solving the fiscal sequester nightmare paralyzing the government.

On January 25, Gov. Martin O'Malley announced new proposals to get tough on sex offenders. It is ironic that this announcement came days after Governor O'Malley submitted the fiscal year 2011 budget. Under his proposal, this would be the third straight budget in which he furloughs every agent of the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation Sex Offender Unit. Taking sex offender agents off the streets works to the advantage of those preying on our children. Furloughing the agents who work to protect children from pedophiles is a terrible mistake.

WASHINGTON -- Officials at the Woodlawn-based Social Security Administration informed employees they do not anticipate furloughs when across-the-board federal budget cuts go into effect, the union that represents many of those workers said Thursday. The announcement came days before $85 billion in budget cuts known as sequestration were expected to take effect on Friday -- cuts that the Obama administration has warned could lead to government-wide furloughs. Acting Social Security Administration commissioner Carolyn Colvin informed employees in a meeting on Thursday that furloughs would be avoided.

While Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said he would not seek a tax increase in fiscal 2011, he said unpaid furloughs would likely be imposed again on county employees. "Based on current projections, I assume furloughs will be repeated," Ulman told reporters Tuesday after his annual State of the County speech before more than 400 members of the county Chamber of Commerce at Turf Valley. He said he will not ask for tax increases, but won't decide until March whether to dip into the county's $47.5 million rainy-day fund.

Howard County employees will likely face another year of unpaid furloughs, according to county Executive Ken Ulman. Howard's nearly 2,000 workers received no cost-of-living pay raise this year and lost four days of pay between Christmas and New Year's Day, while department heads and elected officials gave up five days of pay to save a total of about $1.8 million. "Based on current projections, I assume furloughs will be repeated," Ulman told reporters after his annual State of the County speech before more than 400 people at Turf Valley Tuesday.

WASHINGTON -- Federal employees will receive an e-mail today alerting them that furloughs are possible if Congress fails to reach an agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff, union officials said Thursday. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the human relations arm of the federal government, informed labor leaders of the e-mail in a conference call Wednesday night. Officials stressed that no employment action would likely take place immediately. Maryland is home to about 300,000 federal workers -- roughly 10 percent of the state's civilian workforce -- and several economists have said that the failure to reach an agreement could have a disproportionate effect in the state.

Fort Meade announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with the union representing Department of Defense employees on how proposed civilian furloughs will be handled. Civilian employees face up to 22 days of furlough - about a 20 percent pay reduction - after lawmakers failed to reach a budget deal to stop $85 billion in automatic spending cuts this year called the sequester. Furlough notices to civilians could be issued sometime between Thursday and Monday, according to Fort Meade.

The average air traffic controller works 230 days a year and does a flawless job ("Sequester disrupts airline passengers," April 23). There have been no major airlines crashes in nearly a decade. The average member of Congress, on the other hand, works barely 120 days a year and doesn't do his or her job at all. There have been no proper federal budgets passed in recent years, and as a result we now have the "sequester. " Which raises an interesting question: Why have the sequester-mandated cuts ended up laying off the air traffic controllers, who do their jobs, instead of members of Congress, who don't?

Sequestration is starting to frustrate air travelers. About 400 flights were delayed Sunday because of air traffic controller furloughs, the Federal Aviation Administration said, and a few more interruptions were reported Monday, though the nation's air travel system operated without serious problems thanks to light traffic and good weather. Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport saw departure delays up to 75 minutes for a time on Monday afternoon, according to FlightStats.com.

As talk of the sequester ratchets upward in the ranks of government employees who might be affected ("Sequester furloughs begin for U.S. public defenders," April 4), here's a quick word of advice: Keep the whining to yourselves! While readers generally do not like to hear of the government's heavy handed financial impact on fellow citizens, the vast majority don't shed crocodile tears over discussions of government employee furloughs "of up to 14 days. " Before posting lengthy editorials on the possible negative effects of the sequester, please consider how those in the private sector - outside of the golden triangle of government contractors, finance and health care - have been brutalized by the recession.

As thousands of federal workers prepare to be furloughed, many are concerned about how to deal with a pay cut. Keith Everett, a chief steward with the American Federation of Government Employees, said his union held two meetings in recent weeks at Fort Meade for workers, many of whom had the same financial questions: Can I apply for unemployment benefits? Will I receive back pay if lawmakers eventually reach some agreement on budget cuts? The answers: No and no. "Everyone is hoping [lawmakers]

A month after across-the-board federal spending cuts began, there are signs that one of the most troubling potential consequences for Maryland — the furloughing of federal employees — might not be as widespread as initially feared. But the state has not gone unscathed by the $85 billion in cuts known as sequestration, and some of the first tangible changes in the Baltimore area are beginning to emerge as federal services are trimmed. Fort McHenry in Baltimore and the Hampton National Historic Site near Towson plan to cut hours this summer, limiting visits by tourists.

Fort Meade announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with the union representing Department of Defense employees on how proposed civilian furloughs will be handled. Civilian employees face up to 22 days of furlough - about a 20 percent pay reduction - after lawmakers failed to reach a budget deal to stop $85 billion in automatic spending cuts this year called the sequester. Furlough notices to civilians could be issued sometime between Thursday and Monday, according to Fort Meade.

Howard County employees will likely face another year of unpaid furloughs, according to county executive Ken Ulman. "Based on current projections, I assume furloughs will be repeated," Ulman told reporters after his annual State of the County speech before more than 400 members of the county Chamber of Commerce at Turf Valley on Tuesday. He also said he will not ask for tax increases in fiscal 2011, but won't decide until March whether to dip into the county's $47.5 million Rainy Day Fund.

As thousands of federal workers prepare to be furloughed, many are concerned about how to deal with a pay cut. Keith Everett, a chief steward with the American Federation of Government Employees, said his union held two meetings in recent weeks at Fort Meade for workers, many of whom had the same financial questions: Can I apply for unemployment benefits? Will I receive back pay if lawmakers eventually reach some agreement on budget cuts? The answers: No and no. "Everyone is hoping [lawmakers]

If you have been furloughed as a result of the government sequester, Beltway Plaza Mall has a suggestion on how to spend you time off. Starting today and running through April 29 th , the Greenbelt mall is offering furloughed workers the chance to see a movie and get lunch, fruit and a cookie - for free. You must present your furlough notice from your employer, which includes the name of the employer and dates of the furlough to the Academy 8 Theater box office to receive coupons for the freebies.

The editorial in the Catonsville Times, published March 6, "Sequestration — a political game with real pain") contains these misleading statements: • "Federal government workers and contractors wait nervously to see what these automatic spending cuts will mean in job furloughs and program trims. " • "Spending cuts of $85 billion are the stakes in this cynical game. " • "The cuts are expected to lead to long lines at airports, furloughs of federal workers, reduced access to Head Start programs for young students and reductions in food inspection and border security.