For many federal workers this is the first day back after a 3-day Labor Day weekend.

Welcome back!

Now that that is behind us, one of the first things to consider is the distinct possibility that there will be a 4-day weekend coming up in December. That’s not a fact, but it’s more likely than not. We’ll tell you why in a second.

This year Christmas Day (Dec. 25th) falls on a Thursday.

If the past is prolog, if history repeats itself, if…

Anyhow, you get the idea. Based on past practice, the odds that nonpostal federal workers will get a bonus holiday on Friday, Dec. 26th are good. Not guaranteed. Not a dead lock. But good.

Christmas day fell on a Thursday in 1952, 1958, 1969, 1975, 1980, 1986, 1997 and in 2003. In each of those years the President gave feds a full day off on the following Friday. They were Presidents Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and most recently President George W. Bush. Thanks to a quirk of the calendar, the President again this year will have another opportunity to give feds a bonus holiday.

Giving feds the 26th off would permit many of them to have an extended Christmas through New Years time-off period (Saturday December 20th through January 4th) by using up only a small number of annual leave days. For many feds that’s essential because of the use-it-or-lose it rule for carrying over excess annual leave from one year to the next.

A benefits specialist who deals with various federal programs said “thanks to your earlier columns I’ve already had inquiries from people wondering what a bonus Dec. 26th holiday would mean to them… They are concerned they might ‘lose’ a day of annual leave if they get the extra time off. This is where feds get a bad rap for looking a gift horse in the mouth. What I’ve told the people who asked me, or whose e-mails you passed on, is to take-a-chance. Assume that Dec. 26th will be a bonus holiday. Enjoy it and plan ahead. Now!”

A very long weekend over the Christmas holidays could do wonders for cities and regions that have a large number of feds. That includes places you would expect like the D.C.-Baltimore region (with more than 350,000 who would benefit from a bonus holiday), New York, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles and Dallas-Ft. Worth to places you might expect, like Austin, Tex., Honolulu, Hawaii, Ogden, Utah, Huntsville, Ala., and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho that have large (compared to their populations) concentrations of federal civil servants.

A bonus holiday for feds might clear the highways in many cities (unless people use the time to return Christmas presents) and it could be a major influx of cash for merchants, restaurants, resorts and B & B operations. It would be a big benefit to anything, any business, anyone who would love to have a large number of folks with time off, secure jobs who know they are getting a pay raise in January, on the loose.

When Will You Know

Timing, as they say, is everything. The sooner the President announces the bonus holiday (if he does) the better for everyone, but there is no rule on that. President Truman issued his Executive Order on December 6. President Clinton did it on Nov. 25. Last time he had the chance, in 2003, President Bush made it official on Dec. 9th.

Downside Of 4-Day Weekend

Yes there is one, if you are a federal contractor. Many, if not most, federal contractors will NOT pay their employees if they don’t (can’t) work on the Friday after Christmas.

So cross your digits and stay tuned!

Nearly Useless Factoid

John F. Kennedy simply loved sports. According to the National Park Service, he was well known for his official appointment of a scorekeeper and stat advisor which he affectionately titled ‘Undersecretary of Baseball.’

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com

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