Presidential Executive Order- Half-Day off

[James48843]

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release December 11, 2009
EXECUTIVE ORDER

- - - - - - -
HALF-DAY CLOSING OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS
AND AGENCIES ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2009



By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:


Section 1. All executive branch departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty for the last half of the scheduled workday on Thursday, December 24, 2009, the day before Christmas Day,except as provided in section 2 of this order.


Sec. 2. The heads of executive branch departments and agencies may determine that certain offices and installations of their organizations, or parts thereof, must remain open and that certain employees must remain on duty for the full scheduled workday on December 24, 2009, for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.


Sec. 3. Thursday, December 24, 2009, shall be considered as falling within the scope of Executive Order 11582 of February 11, 1971, and of 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b) and other similar statutes insofar as they relate to the pay and leave of employees of the United States.


Sec. 4. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its
officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.



Signed-
BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 11, 2009.
# #

[Guest2]

Correctional Officers and some Correctional Workers never get to see those early releases. Young new hires rarely get to see the Holidays as an Off-Duty Day. :(

[Show-me]

Except Postal employees.

[KevinD]

Except Postal employees.

I'm only going to deliver half my route on the 24th. I'll let yall know how that works out for me. :D :laugh:

[Buster]

THE WHITE HOUSE




Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release December 11, 2009
EXECUTIVE ORDER

- - - - - - -
HALF-DAY CLOSING OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS
AND AGENCIES ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2009



By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:


Section 1. All executive branch departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty for the last half of the scheduled workday on Thursday, December 24, 2009, the day before Christmas Day,except as provided in section 2 of this order.


Sec. 2. The heads of executive branch departments and agencies may determine that certain offices and installations of their organizations, or parts thereof, must remain open and that certain employees must remain on duty for the full scheduled workday on December 24, 2009, for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.


Sec. 3. Thursday, December 24, 2009, shall be considered as falling within the scope of Executive Order 11582 of February 11, 1971, and of 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b) and other similar statutes insofar as they relate to the pay and leave of employees of the United States.


Sec. 4. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its
officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.



Signed-
BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 11, 2009.
# #


But!..if you are already on Annual for that day you don't get 4 hours back off your annual.....Hmmm, do I want to come in for that day?..decisions, decisions.:suspicious:

[Silverbird]

Uh oh, I'd better get more of my mailing done quicker then. I specialize in the Christmas Eve arrival date. :cheesy:

[CapeChem]

I already changed my time card to reflect the time off....Or resubmit your request showing the time off

[Callme_CO]

don't be generous and give everyone an extra holiday during this recession year.

[PessOptimist]

Here is my agencies guidance on the half day:

Guidance Regarding the Holiday for Federal Employees


December 24, 2009


President Obama has issued an Executive Order that closes all executive departments and agencies and excuses nonessential employees for the last half of the scheduled workday on Thursday, December 24. In accordance with that Executive Order, the Agency will be closed and its employees excused from duty for the last half of that day. The following will apply:

Previously Scheduled Leave:

Any employee who was previously scheduled to take annual leave for the last half of that day will not be charged annual leave (or any other form of paid leave, compensatory time off, or credit hours) for the last half of that day. An employee who was previously scheduled to take “use-or-lose” annual leave for the last half of that day will forfeit such leave unless he or she makes arrangements to schedule another period of time off before the end of this leave year, January 2, 2010. There is no authority to restore annual leave that is forfeited under these circumstances.

Impact on Alternative Work Schedules (AWS):




1. Compressed Work Schedule. An employee on a compressed work schedule (i.e., a fixed 4-10 or 5/4-9 schedule) is entitled to one-half the total number of non-overtime hours that they are scheduled for that day. For example, an employee who would regularly work 10 hours on December 24th is entitled to 5 hours of pay for the holiday. If Thursday, December 24th, is an employee’s AWS day off on a compressed work schedule, then the prior workday, normally Wednesday, December 23st, will be the employee’s “in lieu of” holiday.

2. Flexible AWS. An employee on a flexible AWS work schedule who is excused from duty for the half day holiday is only entitled by law to a maximum of 4 hours of pay on the holiday. This includes those employees who would regularly work 9 hours that day, earning one credit hour. Employees on a flexible AWS who would regularly work a 9-hour day on Thursday, December 24th, need to adjust their work schedule during that pay period by either making arrangements to work an extra hour on another day, or use credit hours or compensatory time off to avoid having to take an extra hour of annual leave during that pay period. Employees who are scheduled to use credit hours as their flexible AWS day on December 24th would only use 4 credit hours on that day and would be entitled to 4 hours of pay for the holiday.

Essential Employees Required to Work on the last half of December 24th or on December 25th:

Employees who are scheduled/directed to work on the last half of the scheduled workday on December 24th or any work on December 25th will receive holiday premium pay for their non-overtime holiday work. Time and attendance will be recorded based on the requirements of the employee’s pay plan, as appropriate.

If you have any questions about the holiday you may contact your Human Resources Advisor.

Frankly, I'm surprised that they made a provision for the AWS people. Usually they don't and if the time off falls on a scheduled day off for us, we don't get it. Why are they being so nice and so equitable this year?:notrust:

[wwwtractor]

A day off is only a "day off" if you can actually take it. People who work around the clock on a schedule go on as usual 24/7.

[Callme_CO]

I will always work a critical post. Yay for me!!

[Buster]

I will always work a critical post. Yay for me!!
And thank you for doing a thankless Job..I appreciate what you must have to put up with...Good Job mate!;)

[fabijo]

Here is the OPM's official guidance on the day:

http://www.opm.gov/oca/compmemo/2009/2009-22-Attachment.asp

On the question of leave, here you go:




Q1. Are employees who are scheduled to take annual leave on the last half of the scheduled workday on Thursday, December 24, charged leave for that day?

A1. Employees who are scheduled to take annual leave for the last half of the scheduled workday on Thursday, December 24, will not be charged leave for the last half of the scheduled workday.

[burrocrat]

well my present came a bit early this year, got the whole place to myself starting this afternoon, most folks won't be back in until tue of next week. not that i'm 'essential' personnel, around here i think it means 'no seniority'.

lots of good reasons of course, use-or-lose leave, bad weather and need to get home, just a few more trinkets to buy or errands to run, etc.

now i can really get some work done, maybe get caught up on things, if i can stay off the MB.

[Callme_CO]

at least i get 4 hours of Holiday pay for that day.

[SkyPilot]

CO, You and me bud, workin' out the Holiday. Can't shut down the Big Houses, so we gots to take care of the business. Merry Christmas to all the BOP Family, be blessed and stay safe.

:)

[Callme_CO]

CO, You and me bud, workin' out the Holiday. Can't shut down the Big Houses, so we gots to take care of the business. Merry Christmas to all the BOP Family, be blessed and stay safe.

:)
it's funny i remember the first chirstmas i had to work. My mom was shocked. She couldn't believe i had a job that worked holidays. My response was that Inmates need guarding on holiday's too.

[PessOptimist]

I meant to post this last week, I appreciate all you shift workers and essential personnel having to work and usually not getting any holiday leave/pay/comp time. In past years I have been there, having been on shift work most of my younger life.

In the 12 years I have been in my present position, I have usually not gotten the "extra" holiday time off due to my 4-10s AWS. This was true of Thanksgiving in particular because Wednesday was the alternate holiday for us and the extra time off always came on the day before Thanksgiving which is always Wednesday.

The point of mentioning all this is that I find it strange that this year the government is going to great lengths to make sure AWS people are not overlooked and to not charge people on scheduled annual leave for the holiday time off. I have never heard of that before. Usually if you are on annual you just don't get the extra hours off. And getting a ruling that since my holiday for Christmas is Thursday that I get a half day off today and get one half my normally scheduled hours, or five hours, is also unheard of. So, why? Do the people in power believe we will think more kindly of them? Are they going to do the same until, say, 2012 so we remember what nice people they are?

I appreciate the time off but it is such a radical change from past policy it makes me suspicious. It won't change the way I vote, which right now by the way is not decided.

I did get an extra present today about five minutes after I was off duty for my half day holiday. The phone rang, I answered it and it was a report that our local phone service was not working. (the dial 9 outside line thing) So I checked it out and found it to be a LEC problem so had to wait about two hours for Qwest to show up and fix it. Since I was on holiday pay I get at least double time and the timekeepers were debating before I left if under the rules it should be triple time, since as unscheduled work time it was overtime. Either way it is more money.

Once again, all my best to those of you on shift work and/or declared essential. Many of us, especially those of us that have been there/done that, will be thinking of you.

[burrocrat]

Merry Christmas to all you essentials that are sticking around, and the rest of the MB too.

I love my job, but i'm shutting it down and locking it up for my extra half day vacation, outta here. See you next week.