The sudden federal holiday and pre-existing contracts

President Biden's late afternoon June 17 signature on legislation designating Juneteenth as a new federal holiday and his request that this holiday be observed and celebrated for the first time today, June 18, threw federal, state and local government agencies, businesses, labor unions and schools off track from routine schedules and hours of service.

In AMO, several members have called to ask the impact of marking this holiday today instead of on its official date of June 19 - a Saturday. The specific issue was the application of compensation for work performed on this sudden new federal holiday, which celebrates the end of slavery in the United States in 1865.

This issue is settled under terms of existing collective bargaining agreements or related MOUs or side letters in our union.

If the contract you work under or an MOU or side letter specifies federal holidays by name, there is no change in holiday pay today because Juneteenth is not among those named.

If your contract or an MOU or side letter addresses holidays without naming these occasions specifically, the holiday pay provision applies.

AMO's commercial contracts list 10 federal holidays by name, so Juneteenth is not covered. We are awaiting clarification of the language common to Military Sealift Command and Maritime Administration contracts.