Another group of civilian workers on Arsenal Island faces furloughs if congress and the president can't agree on a federal budget. First Army is waiting for orders from the Army, but has warned employees they may be forced to take a day off without pay each week, starting late next month.
Major General Michael Smith, deputy commanding general of First Army, says notices have NOT been sent yet to its 133 civilian employees on Arsenal Island, and 200 more across the nation.
"We're hopeful that political leaders will be able to work this through and we will not have to have a furlough. But we think it's prudent to plan for it just in case."
First Army has held two town hall meetings in recent weeks, to update workers on the budget situation. If a furlough is needed, a 30-day notice will be issued later this month, and workers would begin losing one day's pay, per week, near the end of April.
These plans are different from another unit based on Arsenal Island - the Army Sustainment Command issued its furlough notices on Friday, but with no specific effective date - just sometime in late April. And plans now call for Fridays to be the furlough day each week for ASC civilian workers.