The Defense Department can start putting its civilian workers on unpaid leave on April 26 unless Congress ends sequestration, Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale said Monday.
American Forces Press Service reports civilian employees will be furloughed for 22 days, translating to one day a week through Sept. 30.
Employees will see a 20 percent pay cut from the start of furloughs to the end of the fiscal year, AFPS reports.
Hale told a Pentagon audience the department is in the midst of a 45-day waiting period, where it notifies Congress it wants to furlough workers before starting the personnel actions.
He said the department will send letters to employees that will not be furloughed and then prepare to furlough the department’s other workers, Jim Garamone writes.
Furloughed civilians have a right of appeal before Merit Systems Protection Board, Hale said.
