Flagstaff's federal workers feeling pinch

Source: The Arizona Daily Sun, FlagstaffOct.self storage 03--It's Day 3 of the federal shutdown and there's no end in sight.And for the tens of thousands of northern Arizona visitors unable to fully appreciate the area's natural wonders, the shutdown has meant a major disruption of well-laid plans.But it's been much more nightmarish to the thousands of local workers left to ponder when they will receive their next paycheck.At the U.S. Naval Observatory and some other agencies in town, the furloughs have hit particularly hard, as workers were already subject to a 20 percent cut in pay thanks to eight furlough days this summer due to the sequester."We've been furloughing since June and we just stopped," said USNO Flagstaff Station director Paul Shankland. He had to send 16 employees home on Tuesday."At present we only have a skeleton crew of four staff members to maintain the basic life support functions," he said.Jessica Pope works seasonally for the National Park Service and goes to school at night to pursue her dream career. She was furloughed earlier this week and says she can't afford to sit around and wonder if her job will be back this year."It is horrible," Pope said. "I only work from April to November and every day that I lose is horrible. I can't apply for unemployment because I'm a student." With few options left for her, she's likely to go out and find a job to keep the bills paid. "I had to drop half my classes this morning," she said. "It was the only thing I could think to do."'ESSENTIAL' WORKERS STILL UNPAIDAnd for those few still working that are declared "exceptional" or "essential," the government shutdown has hardly been any easier. At the National Weather Service, all employees have been deemed important to safety and protection of property. But even essential staff is not being paimini storage for their services.Workers and managers alike have no idea when they will receive their next paycheck. Remaining at work also leaves unpaid employees in an odd position -- they won't eventually be able to apply for unemployment because they're technically still working.Meteorologist Darren McCollum said his family is thankful to have some resources set aside, but others are not as lucky. Many federal government employees are living paycheck to paycheck and if the shutdown plays out long-term, it will be difficult for some workers to pay their bills. They're probably a little more worried about missing the next paycheck."At the U.S. Geological Survey on McMillan Mesa, essentially all employees have been sent home. The workers had not been subjected to any furlough days over the summer, as the sequestration impacts were absorbed in other ways.MARS EQUIPMENT WORTH BILLIONSAt the Astrogeology branch, scientists were working on roughly 80 projects, mostly for NASA, which has sent home almost all of its employees. If asked, the USGS has approved bringing in any employees needed to help NASA protect billions of dollars of government property on Mars.The staff was paid last Tuesday and expects another paycheck next Tuesday for work done before the shutdown, but if there's no subsequent paycheck, the effects will be very real for employees.Other government employees are also hoping to still get paid soon for work done before the shutdown, but the process is uncertain. Long-serving government employees say that they were paid during the shutdowns of 1995 and 1996.Eric Betz can be reached at 556-2250 or ebetz@azdailysun.com.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, Ariz.) Visit The Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, Ariz.) at .azdailysun.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉