Sequestration coming to Meridian NAS

Some 300 Defense Department civilian workers at Naval Air Station Meridian will begin to feel the sting of sequestration July 8 when mandatory furloughs arrive for 200,000 Navy-civilian employees. Workers will be required to take one unpaid day over an 11-week period ending Sept. 30. All services or facilities which employ civilian personnel will be affected to some degree including: Commissary closure on Tuesdays and reduced hours for the base’s Fitness, Aquatics and Liberty centers and library. Some essential civilian personnel are exempt. Some 700 contractors who provide aircraft maintenance, instruction, administration, medical and dental services, and IT support are exempt. Statewide sequestration cuts could “save” DoD $25 million in unpaid salaries over the 11 weeks, according to base estimates. Source: Meridian Star, June 30, 2013.