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March 15, 2013

McAAP Update:

McAlester Army Ammunition Plant workers have yet to receive official notification on unpaid furlough days

By James Beaty Senior Editor The McAlester News-Capital Fri Mar 15, 2013, 05:00 PM CDT

McALESTER — Workers at the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant have not received any official notification on taking specific unpaid furlough days in connection with the federal sequestration budget cuts which went into effect March 1.

That’s according to McAAP spokesman Kevin Jackson, who responded to a query from the News-Capital early Tuesday.

While there have been a number of meetings at the base over recent weeks relating to possible employee furloughs, official notification has not been made.

“We’ve received no notification yet,” Jackson said.

Before furlough days begin, the federal employees must be officially notified in advance, according to Jackson.

“They must have 30-day notification,” he said.

A hiring freeze remains in effect at the base. So far only one employee has been laid off in relation to the sequestration budget cuts, according to Jackson. He said there have been no more lay-offs.

Sequestration refers to $85 billion in budget cuts required by the end of the current federal fiscal year on Sept. 30, with half to come from defense and the other half from domestic programs. Sequestration calls for a total of $1.2 trillion in budget cuts over 10 years.

McAAP has 470 term employees, 575 permanent employees and 344 permanent on-call employees, Jackson said in a previous interview. Another 69 employees are considered “non-appropriated fund” employees, who are often morale, welfare and recreational workers, he said.

Those numbers relate only to McAAP, and don’t include contract employees, U.S. Army Defense Ammunition Center employees or other tenant employees, according to Jackson.

Term employees are those employees who are given a specific term of duty when they are hired and are given a not-to-exceed date regarding their employment, according to Jackson.

“We are not to exceed term appointments without (being granted) an exception,” Jackson said in a previous interview. “We have asked for an exception to policy to expand mission-critical appointments.”

Meanwhile, District 2 U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin voted last week to support House Resolution 933, the Department of Defense, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, also known as a Continuing Resolution to fund government operations.

“I voted ‘yes’ on this bill because it gives our military much-needed flexibility during sequestration and makes the spending cuts that are vital to finally balancing the budget permanent,” Mullin said last week in a statement regarding the Continuing Resolution.

The resolution passed in the House last Wednesday by a vote of 267-151. It still must be approved by the Senate and will have to be signed by the president before it goes into effect.

Mullin went on to say that government funding should be prioritized.

“In my district, the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant is a prime example of what can be done with funding when it is prioritized,” Mullin said last week in relating his support of the measure.

“ I continue to stand with the McAlester workforce. It is my hope that allowing DOD the necessary flexibility will keep McAlester functioning at a high level. We know this plant plays an integral role in preserving our national security and is important to our local economy.”

In a statement from Washington, Mullin’s office said the Continuing Resolution prioritizes funding for the Department of Defense and veterans by providing flexibility to the agencies involved to do their best with the money they have by granting authority to transfer funds if needed.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.

For more on this story, see the print or electronic editions of the McAlester News-Capital. Click here for print edition home delivery or click here to see the Smart Edition for your computer, tablet, e-reader or smartphone.

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McAAP Update:

McAlester Army Ammunition Plant workers have yet to receive official notification on unpaid furlough days

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