Effective February 10, 2022, the Postal Service™ is revising the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM), sections 434.41 and 518.1, to add the observance of Juneteenth (June 19) as a federal holiday.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021, making June 19 a federal holiday. This newly observed holiday commemorates the freedom of enslaved African-Americans in the United States after the Civil War, and the Postal Service is fully supportive of annually recognizing this historic event.
Since the Postal Service is part of the nation’s critical infrastructure and USPS® customers rely on the Postal Service to deliver essential services, the Postal Service was unable to cease operations to observe Juneteenth during 2021. Beginning in 2022, the Postal Service will recognize the Juneteenth National Independence Day as a holiday eligible to full-time and part-time career employees. The observance will be reflected in the Employee and Labor Relations Manual and be subject to corresponding provisions in the ELM.
Although the Postal Service will not publish these revisions in the ELM until a future edition, the standards are effective immediately.
Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM)
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4 Pay Administration
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430 Basic and Special Pay Provisions
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434 Overtime and Premium Pay
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434.4 Holiday Leave Pay
434.41 Policy
434.411 Holidays Observed
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[Revise the text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. The following 11 days are observed as holidays:
(1) New Year’s Day.
(2) Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday.
(3) Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day).
(4) Memorial Day.
(5) Juneteenth National Independence Day.
(6) Independence Day.
(7) Labor Day.
(8) Columbus Day.
(9) Veterans’ Day.
(10) Thanksgiving Day.
(11) Christmas Day.
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5 Employee Benefits
510 Leave
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518 Holiday Leave
518.1 Observed Holidays
[Revise the text of 518.1 to read as follows:]
The following 11 days are observed as holidays by the U.S. Postal Service:
Note: Administrative leave is not granted for absence on state, local, or religious holidays. To the fullest extent practicable, annual leave or LWOP is granted to employees for observance of their religious holidays.
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The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into a future edition of the online ELM, which is available on the PolicyNet website:
n Go to blue.usps.gov.
n In the left-hand column, click Essential Links, and then click PolicyNet.
n Go to the right-hand side under “Published Forms and Directives.”
n Click Manuals.
The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is blue.usps.gov/cpim.
— Benefits and Wellness,
Human Resources, 2-10-22
