United States Office of Personnel Management

December 6, 2001

MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES (CPM 2001-13)

FROM: KAY COLES JAMES, Director

SUBJECT: Excused Absence for Federal Employees on December 24, 2001

The President has issued an Executive order excusing Federal employees from duty on Monday, December 24, 2001, except those who, in the judgment of the head of the agency, cannot be excused for reasons of national security, defense, or other essential public business. For pay and leave purposes, December 24, 2001, will be treated as falling within the scope of statutes and Executive orders governing holidays for Federal employees.

Federal workers have shown remarkable strength and courage throughout the current national emergency in performing their jobs with the utmost professionalism and resolve. In signing the Executive order, the President has recognized the continuing commitment of Federal employees to serve America and has demonstrated his belief that our valued holiday traditions should be carried on in spite of the events on and following September 11th.

Most employees who are excused from duty on December 24th will receive the basic pay they would have received if no Executive order had been issued. An employee who was previously scheduled to take annual leave on December 24th will not be charged annual leave (or any other form of paid leave, compensatory time off, or credit hours) for that day. (This policy does not apply to employees who receive annual premium pay for standby duty under 5 U.S.C. 5545(c)(1) or to firefighters who are covered by the special pay provisions of 5 U.S.C. 5545b.) An employee who is required to work nonovertime hours on December 24th is entitled to holiday premium pay under 5 U.S.C. 5546(b).

For general pay and leave administration instructions, please refer to our fact sheets on:

Federal holidays at http://www.opm.gov/oca/worksch/HTML/HOLIDAY.HTM, compressed work schedules at http://www.opm.gov/oca/worksch/HTML/AWScws.htm, and flexible work schedules at http://www.opm.gov/oca/worksch/HTML/awsfws.htm.

Employees of the U.S. Postal Service and contract employees should contact their supervisor (or contract officer) to obtain information on their pay and leave entitlements for December 24th.

http://www.opm.gov/oca/compmemo/2001/2001-13.htm

[Note from BF: The Postmaster General, John Potter, has stated that Postal Workers are not included because we are not federal workers.]

-- Anonymous, December 23, 2001

Answers

APWU president William Burrus has written to John Potter about this. His letter, in PDF format, can be seen at http://www.apwu.org/

-- Anonymous, December 23, 2001

John Potter, the inept Wizard in that family, just has his logic skewed a little. Of *course* postal workers are Federal employees, just look at your pay records. But, there is another mandate that keeps you on the job for December 24th. It's that old guarantee we all know and love so well, that neither snow, rain, hail, or the day before Christmas, will keep our carriers (and their support staff) from carrying out their appointed duties. Bet you never read the fine print before taking that job. ;-)

-- Anonymous, December 23, 2001

The Post Office is privatized and you aren't -really- a Federal Employee, so unless you have a cold, I guess you have to work.

-- Anonymous, December 23, 2001

A Big Birdie told me that postal employees can't take time off in December -- that's rush.

If it were up to me, I'd give y'all tomorrow and Wednesday off!

-- Anonymous, December 23, 2001

The USPS is NOT privatized.

-- Anonymous, December 24, 2001

Barefoot, some people deal with contract employee deliveries and little postal outlets that are part of some other business, like a rural postal station in the corner of some store. That could lead to the idea that the USPS has been privatized, but those "postal" folks are not the *real McCoy* like you are, even if they go barefoot too.

-- Anonymous, December 24, 2001