Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station prepares for possible civilian furloughs

The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station held a town hall style meeting Wednesday for civilian employees of the 914th Airlift Wing regarding actions to be taken in the event that sequestration-triggered Department of Defense civilian employee furloughs go into effect next month.

More than 300 members of the 914th attended this meeting on the base to hear from wing leadership on plans to implement furlough actions should they occur.

"We are doing everything in our power to avoid or minimize the effects of this administrative furlough on our employees as it breaks faith with those who have proven themselves both effective and efficient to our mission and have made our Air Force better," said Col. Allan Swartzmiller, 914th Airlift Wing commander.

If Congress does not act on sequestration, most DOD civilian employees will be furloughed without pay for 22 non-consecutive days - one day per week starting in late April through the end of the fiscal year. That amounts to a 20 percent loss of pay and associated financial hardships for approximately 280 base employees.

"Should these furloughs take effect in late April, the plan is for the 914th Airlift Wing to be closed for business on Mondays through the fiscal year," said Swartzmiller. "However, base security and emergency services will still be maintained."

Sequestration, signed into law as part of the 2011 Budget Control Act, is a package of mandated cuts to the federal budget, totaling some $1.2 trillion over 10 years of which some $85 billion takes effect in fiscal 2013.

Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station is also home to the New York Air National Guard's 107th Airlift Wing.