Straight Overtime

Tuesday December 19, 2006

During the week of October 16-20, 2006 the Union met with the Agency at Agency Headquarters in an effort to resolve claimants’ challenges to their straight time overtime payments. The purpose of the meeting was to draft individual responses to every complaint letter that we have received concerning the calculation of overtime pay. Despite the Union’s best efforts, none of the complaints were resolved and no responses went out. Agency personnel did not know how to decipher certain codes on various agency pay records to determine the type of pay a person received and how that pay was factored into payments already received. At the conclusion of the weeklong meetings, a sampling of claims in dispute was sent to NFC Ag in New Orleans to perform additional calculations to resolve the dispute. Also, immediately following the meetings at the Agency, the Union provided a comprehensive list of claimants with disputes, outlining what each claimant was disputing. That list is in the Agency’s possession.

The Union also provided to the Agency a list of persons who are not disputing their straight overtime payment but have other unresolved complaints related to their straight overtime payment, such as incorrect check amounts, wrong addresses and non-receipt of payment. The Union is diligently trying to get these complaints resolved.

On November 21, 2006 a conference call was held to assess the Agency’s progress in resolving the disputed claims. Seventeen of the disputed claims were evaluated and corrected. Those persons for whom the claim has been recalculated will receive a letter from the Agency explaining the new calculation and identifying what is the next step in fully resolving the claim. Arbitrator Vitaro has instructed the Agency to complete its audit of all disputed claims by March 1, 2007.

Again, your complaint has not been forgotten and AFGE is pressing to get you both a response and proper payment.