NEW NATIONAL AGREEMENT BEING IMPLEMENTED WAGE PAYMENTS SCHEDULED HOLIDAY LEAVE OPTIONS TAKE EFFECT WITH MEMORIAL DAY

The National Office is continuing to work hard to ensure that the terms of the recently ratified 2000 National Agreement are fully implemented.

As previously announced, the $499 lump-sum payment will be included in paychecks for Pay Period 12 of 2002, which will be paid on June 7, 2002; the November 2000 and November 2001 wage increases of 1.3% and 1.9% will be added to paychecks beginning with Pay Period 13 of 2002, and therefore will first appear in paychecks issued on June 21, 2002; and the retroactive amounts due to employees because of the November 2000 and November 2001 wage increases will be included in paychecks for Pay Period 17 of 2002, which will be paid on August 16, 2002.

Also, Memorial Day of 2002 will be the first holiday on which mail handlers, if they choose, can take advantage of the new holiday leave provisions that are now part of Article 11 of the National Agreement. Under these new provisions, full-time and part-time regular employees may elect to receive up to eight hours of annual leave instead of holiday leave pay.

In particular, under the new contract language, eligible employees (which means regular employees who are in a pay status "the last hour of the employee's scheduled workday prior to or the first hour of the employee's scheduled workday after the holiday") who work any part of their holiday or the day designated as their holiday may choose to receive additional annual leave instead of additional pay for working on the holiday. The annual leave option is available whether or not the employee volunteers or is required to work on his/her holiday or day designated as his/her holiday.

If the employee elects to receive additional annual leave instead of additional holiday pay, the appropriate payment for hours that are actually worked on the holiday will still be paid. But holiday leave hours will not be paid, and instead the employee's annual leave balance will be adjusted by the number of hours to which the employee would be entitled (8 hours for full-time employees; up to 8 hours, depending on regular schedule, for part-time regular employees). Because the new leave will be credited as annual leave, it will be subject to the usual rules for using annual leave and/or losing annual leave if the employee is over the maximum leave carryover at the end of the leave year.

Mail handlers who want to choose annual leave instead of holiday leave pay must use Form 3971 to notify management of their intent. Until modifications to Form 3971 are finalized, employees should (1) check the block labeled "Other" under "Type of Absence" and (2) write the words "Elect Annual Leave in lieu of Holiday Leave (name of holiday - e.g., Memorial Day)" in the "Remarks" section of the Form. The form must be submitted to the supervisor no later than the end of the employee's holiday.

The employee's request (Form 3971) must be signed and dated by the supervisor, who will keep the original for recordkeeping purposes and give a copy to the employee. Until payroll changes are finalized, the additional annual leave hours will not appear on the employee's annual leave balances. The leave will be available for use, however, the pay period following the holiday, subject to normal leave approval procedures.

Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about these new provisions:

Q: Does it make any difference how many hours an employee works on the holiday?
A: No, employees are granted the annual leave option if they work on their holiday, regardless of the number of hours worked.

Q: If an employee works his/her entire shift on a holiday, and chooses to exercise his/her option to receive annual leave, what happens?
A: The employee will receive 8 hours of holiday pay, for the hours actually worked, and a credit of 8 hours to his/her annual leave balance, instead of receiving 16 hours of pay for working on the holiday. In other words, the employee is giving up 8 hours of pay, but will get 8 hours of annual leave.

Q: If the employee does not work a full day, must the employee take leave for the remainder of his/her day?
A: If an employee elects annual leave in lieu of holiday leave pay, and requests to work only part of the holiday, the employee must request some type of paid or unpaid leave (e.g., annual, sick, LWOP) to account for the remainder of the day. For example, if the employee works for 5 hours, he or she would have to take 3 hours of leave. Supervisors may deny requests to work only part of the holiday, but supervisors should exercise their discretion to approve or disapprove leave requests based on local leave policy and procedures. If an employee works a partial holiday because management requires it, guaranteed time is normally appropriate for the remainder of the day.

Q: May mail handlers who do not work any part of their holiday or designated holiday elect annual leave in lieu of holiday leave pay?
A: No. Only mail handlers who work on their holiday are eligible for this new annual leave option.