All,
Whoa what’s this?!? A Sunday update?? That’s right folks, the times they are a changing. I’m moving over to Sun/Mon so I am going to adjust my update schedule accordingly. You are still allowed to read it on Monday if that is what makes you feel safe. On that note, check your schedules for PP3 for the transition and let Angie or me know if there are any issues. Alright, lets get into it.
27 Pay Periods is a Challenge for the Agency
The Department of Interior has requested that all timecards for pay period 27 be submitted by 1600EST on Thursday, December 20. The reason for the early cutoff for submission is two-fold, primarily due to the Christmas holiday, but also to allow time to handle issues relating to twenty-seven pay periods in 2018.
This is an issue because it means that the cutoff for timecard submission is before the end of the pay period. Timekeepers have been instructed to enter anticipated leave and shifts worked through the end of the pay period, to ensure employee pay is as accurate as possible. So if you currently have approved leave on Saturday 12/22 and you turn it in on Friday 12/21, your LES will likely be incorrect. It will likely show that you took the leave you actually turned in. Any discrepancies will be reconciled when PP1 is submitted in January. Please make sure you are thoroughly checking your LES for PP27 and PP1 and let your supervisor know if there are any discrepancies.
Also, on the evening of Monday, December 10 the master CRU-ART server crashed, creating some issues for timekeepers attempting to submit timecards to CASTLE. The server was rebuilt late Monday evening and, as of Tuesday morning, was functional and accepting timecard submissions. There should be no noticeable impact to employees since the server was back up in time to allow for the transmission of PP26 but make sure you are checking your pay stubs to be sure.
Line Solicitation is Up!
Make sure you are checking by the bay headers when you sign in and please cross your name off if you do not have any interest in the line that has been posted.
Cascade Trial Period
The only thing that I have heard mentioned as an issue is if aircraft are coming over from ZOA with pilot’s discretion it can create a situation where the aircraft is unable to make the restriction at MFR. Every time this happens, please make a note and let me know so we can bring that up as an issue when we get together with Cascade at the end of the trial period.
The Trump Shutdown
These things are very unpredictable but by the President’s own admission, he will be claiming credit for the shutdown so it is starting to feel more and more likely that it will happen. Dec 21st is the new deadline to reach a deal. Based on the posturing that has already taken place, our national legislative experts believe the likelihood of shutting the government down is high. The most recent prediction is that it could even last until the new Congress takes their seats on 1/3/2019. SkyOne is available to you if you need assistance between paychecks for bills and such during the shutdown.
ProStan
I wanted to take a second and piggy back a bit on what Alex said earlier this week about ProStan. ProStan is an excellent tool that we can use to solve disputes without mgmt involvement. I would like to think that we all agree that going to mgmt with an issue is more likely to end in a broad stroke of discipline than actually correcting the issue. So for that reason, if you have an issue with someone or if you think there might be an issue, I would encourage you strongly to take that issue to one of your ProStan reps and see what they say. There is a flyer hanging in the back of the area if you interested in learning more. Those reps are:
M’Lynda Jallinger
Tony Germann
Andy Olsen
Pablo Pescador
Denise Spencer
Alright That’s it!
In Solidarity,
Drew