Crane workers face furloughs due to budget cuts

CRANE, Ind. (AP) — More than 4,000 civilian employees at the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center will face 22 weeks of furloughs beginning next month under automatic federal budget cuts that took effect Friday.

The Herald-Times reports (http://bit.ly/XFY5PM ) the furloughs are expected to start in April and will occur once a week.

U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly says Crane will lose $36 million under the budget cuts.

Defense contractors working with Crane also face uncertainty. Many saw work slow down before the budget cuts and are waiting to see whether money continues to flow for their services.

The cuts at Crane are part of $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts designed to shrink the federal deficit.

___

Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com