That’s the USFS for you! Sometimes you have to wonder if it’s a bunch of kids with crayons that write our policies!
It’s actually OPM’s deal. Too many hands on the strings. My hope is that the perm fix will correct this issue for support personnel and managers.
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Had a few extra deposits in my account this morning!
As for dispatchers and equipment operators not being included in the new series, the agency is working to get them added but that is up to OPM I’m told
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As a WG I’m not sure how it will transfer over, but in R5 we are in the 6c retirement category.
I will say I was happy to see those deposits hit my bank account and hope it works out for us.
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Right you guys are 6c but currently equipment operators have not been included in the new firefighter series. It was discussed at the BOD meeting and they are pushing hard for you to be included.
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Good to hear! I fought a lot of fire as a dozer operator with the feds, hopefully they get the pay they deserve!
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Nice job pushin! Glad it arrived for all the WG’s.
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Seems like Forest Service has back paid employees, maybe not all. Anyone from DOI back paid?
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Not yet for BLM. On the fire chat they said it would be coming on this paycheck for pp13. So most of us don’t get paid until Tuesday morning.
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DOI employees are on a different time line
Not all but, not worried.
The dispatchers got it. Maybe I’ll get it next pay period.
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The main issue I see is that NOPS dozers are paid at the GS-11 to 13 rate and the SOPS dozers are paid at the GS-07 to 09 rate. So putting us all into the same GS will cause heartache. Also this isn’t even taking into consideration that by law the WG-10 s5 is supposed to be 12% above prevailing rate. Which it definitely is not.
Well straight lies from the agencies, was told we would be getting the back pay on this PP 13 check and of course nothing there. Plus this is not a pay raise, it is a 20000 bonus. It does not increase you hourly/overtime rate. It will only be a flat payment. That is not a raise.
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Ok, let’s completely clear this up. I was there during the negotiations. I am a NFFE-FSC Union Steward.
What was said during the roundtable meeting is this.
Oct 1, 2021- May 21,2022/PP10, would be paid out June 26/27.
PP 11-14 will be paid out in August.
Supplement added to paychecks will start July 3rd
And a OT retro check will come sometime in Sept.
Now DOI employees are on a different schedule for payments. You are correct. This is not a raise. It is a supplement. There is a lot more work to do in DC. I met with several members of congress pleading our case over the past week. On my OWN time. Here’s the sad part. No one knows what we do and who we are. We are our worst enemy. Years of scare tactics of running away from the media and us not taking pictures/ advocating for ourselves have lead us down this path. We (The Union) have many new leadership in fire that are spending hours upon hours working locally and nationally to get this done. You as a Bargaining Unit Employee’s need to write/vote/support the people that support your interests. There are many that don’t support federal wildland firefighters simply because private and state have made their presence known.
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Thanks hrryup for all you do. Question on this retro overtime check, how and why is this getting calculated? If the supplemental payment is not a new salary structure, and simply a payment, how does this work and what is the overtime calculated from? Is this overtime payment calculated into future pay periods and does it include hazard pay?
My understanding of the OT check. Is that it is only OT related to Oct 1, 2021 - pp 14. The situation is very fluid and we are actively working with OPM to ensure people get paid correctly.
Another item brought to the table was the idea of qualifications based incentive pay. Example. You’re PD has you acting as a ENGB. But the fire asks you to be DIV. You would get a % bonus. Almost like hazard pay but for quals.
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I also appreciate your work on this matter Hrryup. It is good to know there are experienced and educated people talking with the people who need to hear it. The fact that you are talking about qual based incentive pay is a great step.
I also agree with the media point you made earlier. I’ve thought about that for years. It’s hard to get face time with a congressperson, so an effective way for them to notice the true issues at hand are through the media.
I’m also pumped the pay is making it into peoples hands. We just need to remember the government is almost always slow and this is only a start.
Keep pressing with this and keep writing to congress to help create a permanent solution. We all know what we want and what matters to us. Let it be known to them.
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NFFE President Randy Erwin speaking during the Legislative Week at the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers conference
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I am glad they support us now but where have they been for the past 3 decades ?
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I’ve been doing this job for maybe 12+ years now. I also had that same question. I feel like I personally was spinning my wheels. Getting nowhere. So I decided to get involved. Its been two years now and look what we’ve accomplished. We are the Union. It’s only as strong as we make it. It takes a lot of people to make it happen. So I asked this question. Where have WE been for the past three decades?
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