Holiday Memo

     
postal report, postal reporter, postalreporter, postal workers, postal employees, postal news, postalease, news and views, usps

PostalReporter.com

Home

What's New
From the Editor
Your Rights
Commentary
Craft Resources
Links
About
Resources
Excessing


 Information Contract Information Burrus Updates
 Mandatory Safety Talk Pay Info

General Information

    REC Site Closure MOU
     

Holiday Leave / Annual Leave Exchange

  Below is an excerpt from the National Agreement between USPS and APWU with the new language in bold italics
 

ARTICLE 11
HOLIDAYS

Section 3. Payment

A. An employee shall receive holiday pay at the employee's base hourly straight time rate for a number of hours equal to the employee's regular duty working schedule, not to exceed eight (8) hours. Effective February 2, 2002, employees who work their holiday, at their option, may elect to have their annual leave balance credited with eight (8) hours of annual leave in lieu of holiday leave pay.

Section 4. Holiday Work

A. An employee required to work on a holiday other than Christmas shall be paid the base hourly straight time rate for each hour worked up to eight (8) hours. Effective February 2, 2002, employees who work their holiday, at their option, may elect to have their annual leave balance credited with eight (8) hours of annual leave or receive holiday pay to which the employee is entitled as above described.

B. An employee required to work on Christmas shall be paid on and one-half (1½) times the base hourly straight time rate for each hour worked. Effective February 2, 2002, employees who work their holiday, at their option, may elect to have their annual leave balance credited with eight (8) hours of annual leave or receive holiday pay to which the employee is entitled as above described.

 


6/6/02         

Annual leave in lieu of holiday pay options

The annual leave in lieu of holiday pay options has not been reprogrammed into the USPS payroll system.

Many employees who exercised this option in February (President Day) and in May (Memorial Day) have not seen the annual leave credited to your leave balance. This is scheduled to be done within the next couple of pay periods. Exact date has not been provided to the union.

However, the USPS and APWU have agreed the employee can used this leave even though its not listed on an employee leave balance. The local office should have a list of every employee entitled to the annual leave from the holiday option. .This is an employees annual leave. They must input it manually until the payroll/leave program is updated. This was confirmed by phone with USPS Headquarter Labor Relations Specialist Lisa Hambalek on Thursday, June 6, 2002.


 

Holiday Memo (pdf)       

New Procedures for Holiday Leave

In accordance with the Goldberg Interest Arbitration Award, effective Feb. 2, 2002, eligible full-time and part-time regular employees may elect to receive up to eight hours of annual leave in lieu of holiday leave pay. Employees can exercise this option starting with the Presidents’ Day holiday, Feb. 18, 2002. Greg Bell, Director of Industrial Relations, announced the procedures for exercising the new option.

The new Article 11 contract provisions give eligible APWU full-time and part-time regular employees an option to receive holiday leave pay or annual leave if the employee works any part of their holiday or designated holiday. This option applies whether the employee is required to work or volunteers to work the holiday or designated holiday.

To be eligible for holiday pay, an employee must be in a pay status the last hour of the employee’s scheduled workday prior to the holiday or the first hour of the employee’s scheduled workday after the holiday. Management is not permitted to disapprove properly submitted requests to receive annual leave in lieu of holiday leave pay.

The option to elect annual leave in lieu of holiday leave is available only to employees who work at least some part of their holiday or designated holiday.

If an employee elects to be credited with annual leave in lieu of holiday leave pay and requests to work only part of the holiday or designated holiday, the employee must request some type of leave (i.e., annual, sick or LWOP) for the remainder of that day, as with any other workday. If the employee works a partial holiday because management requires it, the employee is to be paid guaranteed time for the remainder of the day.

Part-time regulars (PTRs) who elect annual leave in lieu of holiday leave pay are entitled to an amount of annual leave equal to their regular work schedule, not to exceed eight hours. For example, a PTR who is normally scheduled six hours per day would be entitled to six hours of holiday leave pay. Therefore, if otherwise eligible, the employee may elect to convert that holiday leave pay to six hours of annual leave.

Administration

Employees must use the current Form 3971 to notify management of their intent to elect annual leave in lieu of holiday leave pay, pending modification of the PS Form 3971
. Employees should check the block labeled “Other” under “Type of Absence” and write, “Elect Annual Leave in lieu of Holiday Leave (holiday name, i.e. President’s Day)” in the “Remarks” section. The Form 3971 must be submitted to the supervisor no later than the end of the employee’s holiday or designated holiday.

The employee’s request (Form 3971) must be signed and dated by the supervisor, who will keep the original for record-keeping purposes. The employee must be provided with a copy. Until payroll system changes are completed, the annual leave hours will not appear on employees’ annual leave balances. However, the leave is available for use the pay period following the holiday, subject to normal leave approval procedures.

Employees’ annual leave balances will be updated as soon as the payroll systems have been modified. Once payroll system changes are completed, annual leave in lieu of holiday leave pay will show up in employees’ annual leave balances the pay period following the holiday. Because deferred holiday leave is combined with other annual leave, it becomes subject to loss if the employee has more than the maximum leave carryover at the end of the leave year.