President Trump has declared tomorrow a federal holiday in honor of the passing of former President George H.W. Bush who passed away last Friday. Consequently, federal offices, including the Post Office, will be closed on Wednesday, December 5 in observance of the day of mourning.
Holiday Pay
The Office of Personnel Management has provided detailed guidance as to how federal employees will be compensated for this holiday. What follows is a brief summary of the full guidance released by OPM.
Important note: Each employee’s situation is likely to be different, so please be sure to read OPM’s guidance, particularly if you have a unique scheduling situation. If you have any questions or concerns, OPM advises federal employees to check with their human resources office for assistance.
Employees who work a standard 8 hour/40 hour per week schedule will receive the basic pay of 8 hours of time they would have worked. Part-time employees who are excused from work on a holiday receive their rate of basic pay for the hours they are regularly scheduled to work on that day.
If employees are already scheduled leave on Wednesday, they will not be charged leave for that day. However, if an employee has scheduled “use or lose” annual leave for Wednesday, December 5, and is unable to reschedule that leave for use before the end of the leave year (i.e., January 5, 2019), the leave will be forfeited.
“In-Lieu-of” Holidays
When a holiday falls on a nonworkday outside a full-time employee’s basic workweek, he or she is entitled to an “in-lieu-of” holiday. For example, if the work schedule is Friday – Tuesday with Wednesday and Thursday being scheduled non-workdays, the employee would receive an “in-lieu-of” holiday for the preceding workday, Tuesday, December 4 in this example.
The workday immediately preceding that day will be designated as the employee’s “in-lieu-of” holiday for employees on an alternative work schedule (AWS).
Part-time employees are not eligible to receive an “in-lieu-of” holiday.
Holiday Premium Pay
An employee who performs any work during his or her regularly scheduled basic (i.e., non-overtime) tour of duty on the National Day of Mourning for President George H. W. Bush (or an applicable in-lieu-of holiday) generally receives holiday premium pay under 5 U.S.C. 5546(b) in addition to his or her regular pay. Employees assigned to work on December 5th during their regularly scheduled tour of duty are entitled to a minimum of 2 hours of holiday premium pay. However, not all federal employees are entitled to holiday premium pay.
Full-time employees on standard work schedules (8 hours a day, 40 hours a week) receive holiday premium pay for up to 8 hours of work during their regularly scheduled basic tour of duty on the National Day of Mourning for President George H. W. Bush.
Part-time employees who are required to perform work during a regularly scheduled basic tour of duty on the National Day of Mourning for President George H. W. Bush are entitled to receive holiday premium pay for up to 8 hours of non-overtime work (or up to the maximum number of non-overtime hours in their compressed work schedule).
OPM Pay Guidance for Day of Mourning – December 5, 2018
Pay for APWU Employees
Career employees in American Postal Workers Union (APWU) bargaining units will receive Administrative Leave in accordance with 519.4 of the Employee and Labor Relations Manual and the May 4, 2000 Memorandum Re Clarification of Regulations for National Day of Observance.
