OK, so what's the big secret? -- FederalSoup.com

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By Phil Piemonte

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OK, so what's the big secret?

As a government shutdown looms yet again, and the possibility of an impending furlough once again ramps up stress among federal employees, one has to wonder: Why have many federal agencies not given their employees an idea of what to expect if a shutdown comes to pass?

This is not the third, fourth or fifth continuing resolution that is about to expire. It is the sixth. Yet in today’s Washington Post, for example, a federal employee says “We hear more from the media than [from] our superiors.”

Like, what’s the big mystery?

Employee organizations have been calling on agencies to provide details. And a number of unions, the American Federation of Government Employees is one, have issued guidance documents to help members in the event of a shutdown.

But a lot of other federal employees are in the dark.

Let us know: Are you one of them? What’s your agency?

Posted by Phil Piemonte on Apr 01, 2011 at 4:02 PM

Reader comments

Fri, Apr 8, 2011 DOI, NPS Midwest

Our AO sent the following email: "All Employees: I realize that this government shut down is a very stressful process and we are trying to share guidance as soon as we receive it. Please don't hesitate to direct any questions you may have to your supervisor or myself and we will do our best to find an answer. You have already received the below link in an email from the Secretary of the Interior and it has a lot of useful information. Sorry if the link does not work - you may have to cut and paste. www.opm.gov/furlough2011 You should have heard from your supervisor by now on what you should be doing Monday morning if there should be a shut down. Of course, if a budget is passed, work resumes as normal on Monday at your normal start time. All employees are expected to report to work Monday morning even in the event of a shut down unless your supervisor has made alternative arrangements with you." Evidently we're supposed to show up at work at the normal time EVEN if they shut-down (and even though we are NPS "non-essentials".

Thu, Apr 7, 2011

I work for Department of Veteran Affairs and our Director just sent us an email 4/6/11 that " the VA will not be affected because the budget for the VA has already been approved".

Wed, Apr 6, 2011 Jakob Eugene, OR

AMEN, Cheryl (April 5). I have said for years that the jerks in Washington, D.C. haven't got a clue about the "real world" in which the rest of us live. They vote themselves big pay increases, benefits for life, and all the other "goodies" while the people who voted them in get nothing. I don't think that the entitlement mentality is confined to the welfare recipients and the younger generations of Americans. I think it starts at the top with the President and Congress. Those morons should get little to nothing when they leave office. Serving in public office should be a privilege. And when they are done, they go back to "real life" and a real job. We, the people, should be imposing term limits on our elected officials by never re-electing a single one. Maybe then the rich who don't give a rip about us commoners will lose the incentive to run for office, and real people who balance their own budgets at home will start to run and get elected and straighten this mess out. That's all I've got to say on the matter today. By the way, I work for the FAA, and we have no PLAN for a gov't wide shutdown. We are the mushrooms.

Wed, Apr 6, 2011 DOI CA

As of this morning, April 6, we have received an email message with an OPM link regarding this possible shutdown. Sure glad no one waited until the last minute.