Earlier today, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) provided official guidance to agencies on employee pay and leave issues resulting from the three-day shutdown.
An NTEU-supported provision to the continuing resolution requires that both furloughed and excepted employees who worked during the shutdown be paid as soon as possible once the shutdown ended.
The OPM guidance includes information for agencies on how to address and provide credit for various types of pay situations such as basic, overtime, premium, night pay, allowances, differentials and the Fair Labor Standards Act. It also addresses leave accrual and instructs agencies to restore and credit any lost annual or sick leave, and provides guidance for the Family and Medical Leave Act, leave without pay and alternative work schedules. The guidance confirms that for purposes of General Schedule waiting periods for within-grade increases, the three days are treated as time in regular pay status.
The shutdown was stressful and disruptive for federal workers and their families, and NTEU is doing everything possible to ensure that all employees are paid on time.