No, it isn’t December. This is May, and for postal workers, May starts a run of holidays. Every month from May to February (except June) has a holiday in it. Here are some holiday rules to help you ensure that you are getting all of your holiday benefits.

There are ten holidays observed by the Postal Service: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. CCAs are only paid for Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. PTFs do not receive holiday pay, but instead receive a higher hourly pay rate to compensate them for the lost holiday pay. For both CCAs and regulars, the carrier must be in a paystatus either the last hour of the employee’s scheduled workday prior to the holiday, or the first hour of the employee’s scheduledworkday after the holiday. LWOP does not count as being in a pay status, but annual leave and sick leave do.

What if you are a regular carrier and the holiday falls on your non-scheduled day? In that case, the holiday for that employee is moved to the first regular workday before the holiday, and that day becomes the carrier’s new designated holiday. For instance, if Memorial Day, which is on a Monday, falls on your non-scheduled day, then the previous Saturday becomes your designated holiday. Sunday is skipped because it is not a workday for a regular carrier.

Management can require you to work on a holiday or designated holiday, but there are some restrictions. CCAs can be required to work on a holiday with no restrictions, other than the usual work-hour guarantee. For regulars, management must choose the carriers to bring in by using a “pecking order”. This pecking order is specified in your city’s local agreement. You should talk to your steward to find out what your city’s pecking order specifies. Management must follow this pecking order when scheduling in carriers on a holiday, including designated holidays. If management does not follow this pecking order, carriers should follow instructions and file a grievance. The Overtime Desired List does not affect who is scheduled to work on a holiday. Only the pecking order matters. But once the carriers are scheduled in, any overtime should be assigned according to the normal overtime rules. If management does not follow the overtime rules, carriers should follow instructions and file a grievance.

If a regular is scheduled in to work a holiday, that carrier is guaranteed eight hours of work or pay. The carrier is paid at the regular hourly rate. One exception is Christmas, when carriers who work on Christmas Day are paid at the time-and-a-half rate.

Holiday rules can be complicated, so see your steward if you have any questions. The union has fought hard for you to get these holiday benefits, so make the most of them, and always remember to file a grievance if management does not follow the rules.