CRANE — Workers at Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center have received the confirmation they have been waiting for, as the Department of Defense announced this week that furlough days will be cut from 11 to six, meaning workers at one of southwestern Indiana’s largest employers will only have two more unpaid days to serve.
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said in a memo released to the public Tuesday that the Pentagon has been working toward reducing the number of days through cost savings.
For workers at Crane, the announcement means Aug. 17 will be the last furlough day for civilians at the base. Originally, workers were to face 11 days, starting July 8. Workers have mostly taken every Friday off at all Crane installations when possible.
According to the Associated Press, officials at the Pentagon found the necessary $900 million in savings to cut the furlough days. The approximately 3,800 workers at Crane are part of the 650,000 across the country affected by sequestration and the furloughs.
“We welcome the news from the Secretary of Defense (Tuesday), and we are relieved that our valuable workforce will not have to go through the hardship of the full number of furlough days,” Thomas Peske, Public Affairs Officer with Crane Army Ammunition Activity, said in a statement.
The news was also welcomed by local officials as the impact to local economies will be less. During the furlough period, many defense contractors at the WestGate @ Crane Technology Park also took what was known as “Furlough Friday” off.
“It’s certainly positive news,” Ron Arnold, director of the Daviess County Economic Development Corp. said. “Al-Qaida doesn’t take furlough days. We can’t afford to stop.”
Jeremy Sowders, director of business development with Radius Indiana, said the development is positive not just for Crane, but for the region the base supports. Crane is the third-largest employer in southern Indiana and one of the largest naval installations in the world.
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