By ADAM ANDRZEJEWSKI | REAL CLEAR POLITICS
In yet another example of what we’ve dubbed “Club Fed” because of generous vacation, salary and other benefits in the agencies, the Department of Labor sent an email to employees outlining yet another perk of federal employment: three hours extra paid time off after early dismissal the Friday before ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”
While employees are off for “Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” a holiday first recognized by President Joe Biden in 2021 — the same day as Columbus Day — they were able to start the long weekend early the Friday before, according to an internal email that OpenTheBooks.com auditors reviewed.
It will mean another $2.3 million in tax dollars gone to paid time off piled atop an already-hefty list of observed holidays.
Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su made the announcement in an email in which she laments “deplorable and harmful aspects of colonialism” related to the existence of the United States.
According to public disclosures, 14,712 Department of Labor employees had $1.6 billion in salaries for FY 2022, not including benefits (which typically amount to about 30% of salary) or bonuses.
That amounts to an average salary of $109,030 a year. Three additional hours of paid time off for the entire department staff amounts to $2.3 million of lost productivity or opportunity cost for U.S. taxpayers.
The perk extends to employees who telework, allowing them to log off three hours early.
The extra time is added to the 11 federal holidays that employees enjoy throughout the year, including eight hours for Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day. On average, federal workers also receive 13 sick days and 20 vacation days per year. That’s 44 days of paid time off each year.
“Federal employees already receive generous salaries and time off versus the private sector, all furnished by taxpayers,” OpenTheBooks.com Founder & CEO Adam Andrzejewski said. But the benefits of Club Fed seem to keep growing. This new holiday perk from the Department of Labor follows news that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has approved 115 additional hours of paid vacation time for his employees.”
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.
This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.
