Although major portions of the U.S. are currently hot (and sweaty) under the collar, some forward-thinking feds are already making Christmas plans. As in time off around Christmas. Like a 4-day Christmas weekend.

Clever calendar-watchers have noticed that this year Christmas Day (Dec. 25th) falls on a Thursday. That means that the day after the Christmas holiday is a Friday.

Connect-the-dots people.

Which raises this issue:

If the federal holiday for Christmas is a Thursday will federal workers get a bonus holiday the next day, on Friday? That would set up a 4-day weekend. That would delight many feds, not to mention merchants, innkeepers, resort managers and parking lot owners who could use a surge of last minute cash activity on the part of 1.6 million citizens who didn’t lose their jobs this year.

So what are the odds of getting the Friday after Christmas off.

I hesitate to call the White House, what with the Russia-Georgia thing, the economy, the housing crisis, etc., so let’s go to the history books.

If the past means anything federal workers (not postal employees) have a better than even chance of getting a bonus holiday this year on Friday, Dec. 26th. Earlier this year we checked on what past Presidents had done when Christmas fell on a Tuesday. Did they get the day off on Monday, Dec. 24th? Answer: yes… and sometimes no.

When Christmas fell on a Tuesday in the past, Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon and Carter all gave feds a bonus holiday on the Monday before. Most recently President Bush did the same thing in 2001.

But there have been times when feds were released 3 or 4 hours early on Christmas eve.

Making the call is not easy because it is, literally, a federal case. Payroll costs are higher if the bonus day off is designated as a “holiday” rather than a day of administrative leave. There is also the question of essential vs. nonessential workers, people on swing shifts, etc. Bottom line, it is not a given.

For the track record, click here.

For the will-we-or-won’t-we countdown to Christmas, stay tuned.

Retiree COLA

As reported here Friday federal retirees on on track for a 6.2 percent cost of living adjustment increase in January. The final figure will be determined by the Consumer Price Index (which measures inflation) for the months of August and September. The official retiree COLA will be announced in mid-October. For details, click here.

Round Up The Usual Suspects

Liz the Librarian, a fed from out west, says someone (not her) spotted this bit of graffiti in one of the Men’s Rooms on Capitol Hill:

“If pro is opposite of con, then what is the opposite of progress?

“Congress! ”

Nearly Useless Factoid

Today in history in 1850, writer Honore de Balzac died at age 51. The only reason I mention it is that, for some unknown reason, Mike loves to walk around the office exclaiming “BALZAC!” sk.

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com

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