6109.11,14-15 Page 1 of 20 FSH 6109.11 - PAY ADMINISTRATION, ATTENDANCE AND LEAVE HANDBOOK WO AMENDMENT 6109.11-92-1 EFFECTIVE 8/3/92 14 - PAY ADMINISTRATION FOR FEDERAL WAGE SYSTEM EMPLOYEES. Instructions specific to timekeeping on overtime pay entitlement, leave benefits, compensable travel, holding pay, hazard and environmental differential and shift differential are in FSH 6109.36, Time and Attendance Handbook. Further information is in FSH 6109.41, FPM Supplement 532-1. See your personnel office for assistance. 14.1 - Within-Grade Increases. Wage employees are not covered by the Title 5, United States Code provisions for withholding increases and granting quality increases. A quality increase may not be granted to a wage employee. A wage employee's performance is satisfactory when that employee achieves or maintains a performance rating of satisfactory or better. 14.11 - Processing and Postponing Increases. The National Finance Center will automatically process increases when due, unless notified to withhold them. If an employee has been given an unsatisfactory performance rating, NFC will withhold the increase. Contact your personnel office for instructions. Notify the employee in writing of the reason(s) for the unsatisfactory rating. A within-grade increase is effective on the first day of the first pay period after an employee becomes entitled to the increase. When the effective date of a within-grade increase and the effective date of a personnel action occur at the same time, process the actions in the order that gives the employee the maximum benefit. When a within-grade increase is delayed beyond its proper effective date through administrative oversight, error, or delay, make the increase effective as of the date it was properly due. When an improper personnel action is corrected in accordance with a mandatory statutory or regulatory requirement, the waiting period is not extended and begins on the date it would have begun had the improper action not occurred. 14.2 - Premium Pay and Differentials 14.21 - Entitlement to Overtime Pay. Except as modified by standby or on-call duty, all wage employees are entitled to overtime pay for work in excess of 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in an administrative workweek, whichever is the greater number of overtime hours. 14.22 - Overtime Rate. In general, a wage employee shall be paid for overtime work at the rate of one and one-half times the employee's rate of basic pay. 14.22a - Computing Overtime Pay for Nightwork 1. If an employee is regularly receiving a second or third shift differential for the entire shift, overtime pay is computed on the shift rate, even though the hours of overtime worked extended into, or fell entirely within a day shift, or were performed on a nonworkday. 2. If an employee is regularly working a first shift and performs overtime work during the second or third shift, overtime pay is computed at one and one-half the first shift rate (scheduled rate of pay). 3. If an employee has a regularly rotating tour of duty which includes two or three shifts, overtime pay is computed on the rate of the regularly scheduled shift in effect for the calendar day on which the overtime work is performed. 14.22b - Computing Amount of Overtime Work 1. Absence With Pay. Consider absence with pay during the basic 40-hour workweek as hours worked. Hours worked in excess of a basic 40-hour workweek, which included periods of absence with pay, are compensated for at overtime rates. 2. Absence Without Pay. For a period of absence without pay in an employee's basic workweek, an equal period of work performed outside the basic workweek, but in the same administrative workweek, must be substituted and paid for at the rate applicable to the basic workweek before the remaining period of service may be paid for at the overtime rate on the basis of exceeding 40 hours in an administrative workweek. For a period of absence without pay in an employee's daily tour of duty, an equal period of service performed outside the daily tour, but in the same workday, must be substituted and paid for at the rate applicable to the daily tour of duty before any remaining period of service may be paid for at the overtime rate on the basis of exceeding 8 hours in a workday. 3. Night, Holiday, or Sunday Work. Include hours of night, holiday, or Sunday work to determine, for overtime pay purposes, the total number of hours of employment in the same administrative workweek. 4. Callback Overtime. Whether or not work is performed, except at fire duty locations, credit a wage employee with at least 2 hours overtime when called back to perform unscheduled overtime: a. On a nonworkday. b. During hours outside the employee's normal work hours on a holiday. c. After leaving the place of employment on a workday. 5. Overtime on a Nonworkday. If the overtime work is performed on a nonworkday, the overtime pay is computed on the average rate of basic pay for all regularly scheduled shifts worked by the employee during the basic workweek. 14.3 - Compensatory Time. Do not authorize compensatory time off for wage employees except for religious observance or through participation in a flexible alternative work schedule. 14.4 - Salary Limitation. Do not subject wage employees to the salary limitation applicable to GS employees (27 Comp. Gen. 46; 34 Comp. Gen. 512.) 14.5 - Shift Differential. Pay shift differentials in addition to an employee's scheduled rate of pay for regularly scheduled nonovertime work performed on second (between 3 p.m. and midnight) and third (between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m.) shifts. The amounts of the shift differentials are fixed at 7-1/2 percent for the second shift and 10 percent for the third shift. 14.51 - Entitlement to Shift Differential 1. Pay the authorized second shift differential of 7-1/2 percent for the entire shift when five or more hours of the regularly scheduled 8-hour shift fall between the hours of 3 p.m. and midnight. 2. Pay the authorized third shift differential of 10 percent for the entire shift when five or more hours of the regularly scheduled 8-hour shift fall between the hours of 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. 3. To determine whether the majority of whole hours (5 hours in the case of an 8-hour shift) is within the prescribed period, include meal breaks of 1 hour or less. That is, if 4 hours of work plus a 1-hour meal break (a total of 5 hours) fall within the second or third shift period, pay the differential for the entire shift. 4. There is no entitlement to shift differential for all or any part of a shift when less than a majority of the shift hours fall within a differential period. 14.52 - Computing Shift Pay 1. A wage employee regularly assigned to a second or third shift is entitled to a shift differential during periods of leave with pay, for periods when the employee is excused from night work on a holiday, and while in official travel status, whether performing actual duty or not. The shift differential payable during periods of leave with pay corresponds to the shift to which the employee is assigned at the time of going on leave and the duration of such assignment. 2. A wage employee regularly assigned to a second or third shift continues to receive the regular shift differential during a temporary assignment to the day shift or to another shift having a lower differential, including overtime hours of work. If the temporary assignment is to a regularly scheduled shift with a higher differential, then the employee receives the higher differential for work performed on that shift, including overtime hours of work. A wage employee regularly assigned to a day shift is entitled to a shift differential for any period when temporarily assigned to work a regular second or third shift, including overtime hours of work. Temporary assignment as used here means an assignment not-to-exceed 120 calendar days by detail and/or a change in tour of duty. Assignments to last in excess of 120 calendar days require appropriate personnel actions. 14.53 - Relationship to Premium Pay. Include shift differentials in the rates of basic pay for wage employees to determine a basis for computing overtime pay, Sunday pay, holiday pay, and amounts of deductions for retirement and group life insurance. 14.6 - Pay for Holidays 14.61 - Pay for Holidays on Which Employees Are Excused From Work. A wage employee who is excused from work because of the occurrence of a holiday is entitled to the basic rate of pay for that day provided that both: 1. A regular tour of duty is assigned. 2. The appointment is not limited to 90 days or less, or the employee has been currently employed for a continuous period of 90 days or more under one or more appointments without a break in service. See section 23 for determining holidays. 14.62 - Pay for Work Performed on Holiday. A wage employee who is entitled to holiday pay and who performs work on a holiday is entitled to the rate of basic pay plus premium pay at a rate equal to the employee's rate of basic pay for that holiday work which is not overtime work. A wage employee is entitled to pay for overtime work performed on a holiday at the same rate as for overtime on other workdays. A wage employee who is required to report for work on a holiday is entitled to at least 2 hours of holiday pay whether or not work is actually performed. 14.7 - Pay for Sunday Work. Only full-time employees are entitled to premium pay for Sunday work. Premium pay for Sunday work is additional pay at the rate of 25 percent of an employee's hourly rate of basic pay. Employees earn Sunday premium pay for a work period which includes the performance of regularly scheduled work, any part of which is within the period beginning at midnight Saturday and ending at midnight Sunday. Entitlement is contingent upon actual performance of work. Premium pay for Sunday work shall not exceed 8-hours for each tour of duty. 14.8 - Environmental Differential Pay. Environmental differential pay is additional pay for exposures to various degrees of hazards, physical hardships, and working conditions of an unusual nature. Each unit should try to eliminate or reduce to the lowest level possible all hazards, physical hardships, and working conditions of an unusual nature. When action does not overcome the unusual nature of the hazard, physical hardship, or working condition, an environmental differential is warranted. Even though an environmental differential is authorized, the unit manager is responsible for continuing positive action to eliminate danger and risk which contribute to or cause the hazard, physical hardship, or working condition of an unusual nature. The existence of environmental differentials is not intended to condone work practices which circumvent Forest Service or Federal safety laws, rules, and regulations. 14.81 - Eligibility for Environmental Differential. Pay an environmental differential to a wage employee who is exposed to a hazard, physical hardship, or working condition listed under the categories in exhibit 01. Exposure to a hazard, physical hardship, or working condition listed in exhibit 01 is not taken into consideration in the job-grading process, and additional pay for exposure to such conditions is provided only through the environmental differentials authorized by this section. An employee subjected at the same time to more than one hazard, physical hardship, or working condition listed in exhibit 01 shall be paid for the exposure which results in the highest differential, but shall not be paid more than one differential for the same hours of work. 14.81 - Exhibit 01 Schedule of Environmental Differentials Paid for Exposure to Various Degrees of Hazards, Physical Hardships, and Working Conditions of an Unusual Nature SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 14.81 - EXHIBIT 01. 14.81 - Exhibit 01--Continued SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 14.81 - EXHIBIT 01. 14.81 - Exhibit 01--Continued SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 14.81 - EXHIBIT 01. 14.81 - Exhibit 01--Continued SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 14.81 - EXHIBIT 01. 14.81 - Exhibit 01--Continued SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 14.81 - EXHIBIT 01. 14.81 - Exhibit 01--Continued SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 14.81 - EXHIBIT 01. 14.81 - Exhibit 01--Continued SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 14.81 - EXHIBIT 01. 14.81 - Exhibit 01--Continued SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 14.81 - EXHIBIT 01. 14.81 - Exhibit 01--Continued SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 14.81 - EXHIBIT 01. 14.81 - Exhibit 01--Continued SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 14.81 - EXHIBIT 01. 14.81 - Exhibit 01--Continued SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 14.81 - EXHIBIT 01. 14.81 - Exhibit 01--Continued SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 14.81 - EXHIBIT 01. 14.82 - Establishment of Environmental Differentials 1. Exhibit 01 in section 14.81 is a schedule of environmental pay differentials showing methods of payment and various degrees of hazards, physical hardships and working conditions, each of an unusual nature, for which the differentials are payable. Environmental differentials are authorized only when the exposure is under the circumstances described in the category listed in exhibit 01. The examples listed under the categories in exhibit 01 are illustrative only, and are not intended to be exclusive of other exposures which may be encountered under the circumstances which describe the listed category. 2. Environmental differentials are stated as percentage amounts and are authorized for the categories of exposures as described in exhibit 01, section 14.81. Determine the amount of the environmental differential payable by multiplying the percentage rate authorized for the described exposure by the second rate for Grade WG-10 on the current regular nonsupervisory wage schedule for the area, counting one-half cent and over as a full cent. Pay the resulting cents-an-hour amount uniformly to each wage employee in the area who qualifies for the authorized environmental differential, regardless of the grade level of the wage employee or the Federal wage system wage schedule on which the employee is paid. 3. Amendments to categories in exhibit 01 in the form of additions, changes, or deletions may be made by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on its own motion, at the request of an agency, or at the request of the national office of a labor organization and after receiving the advice of the National Wage Policy Committee. Each request for an addition to, or change in, a category in exhibit 01, section 14.81, should be submitted to the Washington Office through the appropriate Region or Station Personnel Officer or Office. The request should include information about the hazard, physical hardship, or working condition showing: (1) the nature of the exposure so as to show clearly that the hazard, physical hardship, or working condition which results from that exposure is of an unusual nature; (2) the degree to which the employee is exposed to the hazard, physical hardship, or working condition; (3) the period of time during which the exposure will continue to exist; and (4) the degree to which control may be exercised over the physical hardship, hazard, or working condition. The request shall also include the rate of environmental differential recommended. 14.83 - When Environmental Differential is Paid 14.83a - Eligibility. Each Region, Station, and Area shall pay the environmental differential as prescribed in FSH 6109.41, FPM Supplement 532-1, to a wage employee who performs assigned duties involving exposure to identified hazards, physical hardship or working conditions. 14.83b - Computing Environmental Differential 1. If entitled to an environmental differential which is paid on an actual exposure basis, the employee shall be paid a minimum of 1 hour's differential pay for the exposure. For exposures beyond one hour, the employee shall be paid in increments of one-quarter hour for each 15 minutes and portions thereof in excess of 15 minutes. 2. If an employee is exposed at intermittent times during a day to a hazard, physical hardship, or working condition for which the environmental differential is paid on an actual exposure basis, consider each exposure separately. The amount of time exposed is not added together before payment is made for exposure beyond one hour's duration, except that pay for the environmental differential may not exceed the number of hours of active duty by the employee on the day of exposure. 3. If an employee is exposed to a hazard, physical hardship, or working condition for which an environmental differential is payable on a shift basis and exposed on the same day to a hazard, physical hardship, or working condition for which an environmental differential payable on an actual exposure basis at a higher rate is authorized, the employee shall be paid the environmental differential on the basis of the actual higher rate exposure and the environmental differential on the basis of the shift for the remaining hours in a pay status that day. 4. When an employee is exposed to more than one category listed in exhibit 01 to section 14.81 for which the environmental differentials is payable on an actual exposure basis, each category is considered separately in computing the amount of environmental differential payable. 14.84 - Determining Local Situations When Environmental Differentials Are Payable. Regional Foresters and Directors must evaluate their situations against the guidelines in FSH 6109.41, FPM Supplement 532-1, to determine whether the local situation is covered by one or more of the defined categories. Regional Foresters and Directors may redelegate, to lower levels, the responsibility for evaluating their situations against the guidelines. 1. If the local situation is covered by one or more of the defined categories (but not covered by a specific illustrative example), the authorized environmental differential is paid for the most appropriate category. 2. If the local situation is not covered by one of the defined categories, but is considered to be so unusual in nature as to warrant payment of an environmental differential, do not pay a differential, but initiate a request to the Office of Personnel Management to consider authorizing the payment of an environmental differential. 14.85 - Relationship to Other Pay. Include any environmental differential as part of the employee's basic rate of pay and use it to compute premium pay for overtime, holiday, or Sunday work. A wage employee who is exposed to a situation for which an environmental differential is authorized is entitled to the appropriate differential whether the employee has a full-time, part-time, or intermittent tour of duty; is on regular assignment or on detail; or serving under a temporary appointment or under an appointment without time limitation. However, to receive a differential either under part, there must be actual exposures to the environmental condition. For situations involving multiple exposures, see section 14.83b. 14.86 - Environmental Differential Pay During Absence While on Leave 1. Include environmental differential as part of an employee's basic rate of pay for periods of paid leave (annual leave, sick leave, administrative excusals, etc.) under the following circumstances: a. When an employee is exposed to a situation for which an environmental differential is authorized on the basis of hours in a pay status, pay the differential during a period of absence on paid leave on the day on which the exposure occurs. b. When an employee is exposed to a situations for which an environmental differential is authorized on an actual exposure basis, pay the differential during a period of absence on paid leave only to the extent that such leave is within the minimum payment periods specified in section 14.83b. 2. Do not pay an employee an environmental differential during a period of absence on paid leave on any day when the employee is not exposed to situations for which environmental differential is authorized. 15 - PAY PLAN FOR EMERGENCY FIREFIGHTERS 1. The Emergency Firefighters Pay Plan has rules different from other pay plans. 2. The pay plan for the employment and compensation of all emergency firefighters is in exhibit 5, section 13.6, Fire Business Management Handbook, FSH 5109.34. 3. Employment under this plan is uncertain and purely temporary in nature. It should not be used to fill positions identified by the fire control organization and financial plan. 4. Persons employed under the pay plan are not required to meet Office of Personnel Management qualification standards for employment. 5. The National Finance Center prepares an annual report on a fiscal-year basis on the use made of the pay plan. Each Region and National Forest will receive copies of its part of the report.