Defense workers back on the job

Thousands of furloughed civilian defense workers in Hawaii filed back to work Monday after the Pentagon recalled them during the weekend.

That included almost all of the roughly 970 federal technicians working for the Hawaii National Guard who were sent home Oct. 1.

“Every single federal technician that I saw today was happy to be here,” said Lt. Col. Chuck Anthony, Guard spokes­man. All but a dozen or so of the Army and Air Guard members, who work as federal technicians organizing, training and equipping Guard units, were called back, Anthony said.

“We’re continuing to work to bring everybody on board,” he said.

Pentagon comptroller Robert Hale said Saturday that he expected 90 percent or more of the Pentagon’s 350,000 furloughed workers to be recalled, with “no more than a few tens of thousands” or far fewer remaining out of work.

Hale said those still on furlough would include auditors and some legislative and public affairs staffers.

Due to the government shutdown, the Hawaii Guard had to postpone drills during the weekend for nearly 5,000 soldiers and airmen.

The Army Guard and some Air Guard units have rescheduled that training for Oct. 19-20 — adding to the complexity of juggling jobs, personal life and part-time military duty — but if the government is not up and running by then, that schedule will also be in jeopardy.

“If this shutdown is not resolved before then, we’re going to have to look at postponing (the drill weekend) again,” Anthony said.

Hale said the Pay Our Military Act, which allowed the recall of most of the defense workers, provides for payment “in a timely fashion, and so our paydays for them will be on time.”

The Air Force said of 635 appropriated-fund employees who were furloughed in Hawaii, all were recalled effective Monday.

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, meanwhile, said all of its 2,765 furloughed civilian workers were returning to their jobs.

The Defense Commissary Agency said stateside commissaries that closed due to the shutdown would resume normal operations Monday.

The back-to-work news for most of the defense employees doesn’t apply to other federal workers who remain on furlough.

For example, about 68 Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspectors and technicians and administrative staff in Hono­lulu are still not working, according to a union official.

The state estimates there are about 25,500 federal defense civilian employees and about 9,000 nondefense employees in Hawaii, but not all were furloughed.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz previously estimated 25,000 federal workers could be laid off in Hawaii in the government shutdown.

On Saturday the House unanimously approved the Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act, which ensures all federal employees receive pay for the duration of the government shutdown, regardless of their furlough status, U.S. Rep. Colleen Hana­busa’s office said.

Hanabusa said the Senate and President Barack Obama are expected to approve the measure to compensate all federal employees for their furlough time.