The Department of Defense will delay furlough notices for civilian employees such as those working at the Rock Island Arsenal.
The delay was announced Thursday, March 21, 2013.
Civilian employees were told to expect furlough notices to start Friday, March 22. They would include nearly 6,000 workers employed at the Arsenal, who were expecting their 30-day notifications sometime in the next week, meaning their furloughs would start in late April.
The Defense Department will delay issuing furlough notices for two weeks, but they have not decided whether the total number of planned furlough days would actually change as a result of the delay.
“We believe the delay is a responsible step to take in order to assure our civilian employees that we do not take lightly the prospect of furloughs and the resulting decrease in employee pay,” said an online statement from Pentagon Press Secretary George Little.