U.S. Office of Personnel Management www.opm.gov - Recruiting, Retaining and Honoring a World-Class Workforce to Serve the American People
Labor-Management Relations
Official Time Usage in the Federal Government
Fiscal Year 2010 Survey Responses
- Introduction
- Official Time Statistics for Fiscal Year 2010
- Comparison of Hours Reported to Previous Fiscal Year
- Official Time Rates
- Categories
- Cost
- Conclusion
- Appendix A
- Appendix B
Introduction
The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 includes the following Congressional finding:
- The Congress finds that--
- experience in both private and public employment indicates that the statutory protection of the right of
employees to organize, bargain collectively, and participate through labor organizations of their own
choosing in decisions which affect them-
- safeguards the public interest,
- contributes to the effective conduct of public business, and
- facilitates and encourages the amicable settlements of disputes between employees and their employers involving conditions of employment; and
- experience in both private and public employment indicates that the statutory protection of the right of
employees to organize, bargain collectively, and participate through labor organizations of their own
choosing in decisions which affect them-
- the public interest demands the highest standards of employee performance and the continued development and implementation of modern and progressive work practices to facilitate and improve employee performance and the efficient accomplishment of the operations of the Government.
Therefore, labor organizations and collective bargaining in the civil service are in the public interest.
5 U.S.C. 7101(a) (emphasis supplied).
President Obama reinforced this Congressional finding through issuance of Executive Order 13522, “Creating Labor-Management Forums to Improve Delivery of Government Services.” The order recognizes that “Federal employees and their union representatives are an essential source of front-line ideas and information about the realities of delivering Government services to the American people.” Moreover, in addition to promoting satisfactory labor relations, the President noted that “[a] non-adversarial forum for managers, employees, and employees' union representatives to discuss Government operations will ... improve the productivity and effectiveness of the Federal Government.”
The role of unions in the Federal sector is significantly different than it is in the private sector. Indeed, the CSRA establishes a collective bargaining system that is tailored to the unique concerns of the Federal Government, carefully balancing the interests of the public, agency management, and employees. Thus, Federal employees are prohibited by law from striking. See 5 U.S.C. 7116(b)(7). Many of the terms and conditions of employment of a Federal employee (including pay and benefits for most employees) are set by law and not subject to bargaining. Others are taken off the bargaining table by a broad management rights provision. See 5 U.S.C. 7106(a). Finally, Federal sector unions must represent all employees in a bargaining unit, regardless of whether the employee is a dues-paying member of the union or not. See 5 U.S.C. 7114(a)(1). Membership in labor unions is therefore totally voluntary for Federal employees and, as a result, there are fewer incentives for Federal employees to join and pay union dues than there are for private sector and many state and local government employees. This voluntary membership in Federal sector unions results in considerable reliance by unions on the volunteer work of bargaining unit employees, rather than paid union business agents, to represent the union in representational matters such as collective bargaining and grievances.
"Official time," authorized by 5 U.S.C. 7131, is a core component of the Federal government's carefully crafted collective bargaining system. Official time is time spent by Federal employees performing representational work for a bargaining unit in lieu of their regularly assigned work. It allows unions to satisfy their duty of fair representation to members and non-members alike.
Official time is available for representational tasks only. It is therefore not available:
- for conducting internal union business (such as union elections or conventions); or
- for any other purpose not tied directly to representation of bargaining unit employees in matters concerning conditions of employment.
Rather, union representatives use official time in the service of bargaining unit members, including
- to participate in labor-management workgroups;
- to represent bargaining unit employees in meetings;
- to facilitate implementation of new workplace initiatives;
- to assist the agency in communicating important information about workplace matters to employees;
- to negotiate contracts and other collective bargaining agreements; and
- to represent employees in grievances and disciplinary actions.
Official Time Statistics for Fiscal Year 2010
Annual reporting on official time was initiated by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in 2002 to reinforce accountability on the part of both labor and management and to emphasize their shared responsibility that official time is authorized and used appropriately. OPM expects management and labor to develop sensible arrangements for official time that meet the needs and expectations of agencies, employees, and the ultimate customers - the American people.
OPM transmitted the call to report FY 2010 official time data in a June 28, 2011, memorandum to agencies. OPM used figures gathered from automated time and attendance systems via the Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) system to collect official time data. Agencies were asked to verify the official time hours used by employee representatives within their organizations, and to validate how those hours were used within four pre-defined categories (See Appendix A). FY 2010 was the second consecutive year that OPM relied upon agency official time usage data extracted from the EHRI system. Executive departments and agencies with employees represented by labor organizations, as well as the Government Printing Office and U.S. Capitol Police, are covered in this report.
Each agency that reported official time electronically received a consolidated report, encompassing all agency subcomponents, of their official time usage within each of the four categories. Since the EHRI system tracks individual records, it may not have accounted for changes to an employee's bargaining unit status during the course of the fiscal year. Recognizing this system's limitation, agencies were requested to authenticate this data against their internal records to ensure that the data reported for each agency was accurate and complete. Agencies that have not transitioned to an e-Payroll system were asked to submit their official time usage manually for FY 2010. All sixty-one total agencies covered in this report confirmed or updated their official time data.
FY 2010 Survey Findings. Overall, FY 2010 brought an increase in the number of bargaining unit employees and official time used. During FY 2010, unions represented 1,185,685 non-Postal Federal civil service bargaining unit employees, an increase of 26,289 bargaining unit employees compared to 1,159,396 employees reported in FY 2009. Agencies reported that bargaining unit employees spent a total of 3,062,842 hours performing representational duties on official time. This is a 2.39 percent increase in official time hours used in FY 2009. Finally, the number of official time hours used per bargaining unit employee on representational matters during FY 2010, on average across the government, remained constant from FY 2009 at 2.58 hours.
TOTAL OFFICIAL TIME HOURS - FY 2006-2010
| FY 2010 | FY 2009 | FY 2008 | FY 2007 | FY 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Official Time Hours | 3,062,842 | 2,991,378 | 2,893,922 | 2,800,741 | 2,718,142 |
| Rate (Hours per BU Employee) | 2.58 | 2.58 | 2.60 | 2.69 | 2.60 |
Comparison of Hours Reported to Previous Fiscal Year
The following table shows the hours reported by agency in FY 2009 and FY 2010, and the change in percentage between the two years. The data show wide variations in official time hours reported among agencies compared to the previous year. Many of the agencies showing the widest variation from the previous year, however, have a small number of bargaining unit employees. Thus, modest numerical changes in reported hours translate into significant percentage changes for these agencies. Eighteen of the 61 agencies reported reductions in the number of official time hours used.
OFFICIAL TIME HOURS - FY 2010 vs. FY 2009
| Department/ Agency |
FY 2010 Official Time Hours |
FY 2009 Official Time Hours |
% Change | Department/ Agency |
FY 2010 Official Time Hours |
FY 2009 Official Time Hours |
% Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agencies with 1,000 or fewer bargaining unit employees | |||||||
African Development Foundation |
0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | National Credit Union Administration |
1,088.20 | 284.00 | 283.17% |
Armed Forces Retirement Home |
208.00 | 0.00 | 100.00%1 | National Endowment for the Humanities |
280.00 | 409.00 | -31.54% |
Commission on Civil Rights |
0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | National Gallery of Art |
1,093.25 | 475.00 | 130.16% |
Commodity Futures Trading Commission |
216.00 | 142.00 | 52.11% | National Mediation Board |
0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% |
Consumer Product Safety Commission |
97.75 | 51.00 | 91.67% | National Science Foundation |
1,619.25 | 1,644.00 | -1.51% |
Corporation for National and Community Service |
200.50 | 175.00 | 14.57% | National Transportation Safety Board |
133.00 | 12.00 | 1,000.83% |
Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency |
187.75 | 594.00 | -68.39% | Overseas Private Investment Corporation |
258.00 | 300.00 | -14.00% |
Export-Import Bank |
30.80 | 4.00 | 670.00% | Peace Corps |
1,195.00 | 165.00 | 624.24% |
Federal Election Commission |
144.40 | 609.000 | -76.29% | Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation |
462.75 | 241.00 | 92.01% |
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service |
0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | Presidio Trust |
102.00 | 18.00 | 466.67% |
Federal Trade Commission |
318.00 | 203.00 | 56.65% | Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia |
544.50 | 597.00 | -8.79% |
Holocaust Memorial Museum |
0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | Railroad Retirement Board |
5,253.20 | 4,986.00 | 5.36% |
International Boundary and Water Commission |
0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | U.S. Capitol Police |
3,347.50 | 2,092.00 | 60.01% |
Merit Systems Protection Board |
83.00 | 16.00 | 418.75% | U.S. International Trade Commission |
534.50 | 35.00 | 1,427.14% |
| Agencies with 25,000 or fewer bargaining unit employees | |||||||
Agency for International Development |
4,080.00 | 4,472.00 | -8.77% | Housing and Urban Development |
40,978.25 | 44,845.00 | -8.62% |
Broadcasting Board of Governors |
5,632.00 | 4,811.00 | 17.07% | Interior |
14,311.75 | 14,554.00 | -1.66% |
Commerce |
41,864.50 | 38,079.00 | 9.94% | Labor |
25,314.00 | 52,344.00 | -51.64% |
Education |
10,223.25 | 5,217.00 | 95.96% | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
16,485.31 | 18,694.00 | -11.81% |
Energy |
11,301.00 | 9,472.00 | 19.31% | National Archives and Records Administration |
5,327.60 | 4,543.00 | 17.27% |
Environmental Protection Agency |
36,846.00 | 31,828.00 | 15.77% | National Labor Relations Board |
11,480.00 | 12,222.00 | -6.07% |
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission |
12,841.75 | 3,318.00 | 287.03% | Nuclear Regulatory Commission |
2,985.00 | 3,436.00 | -13.13% |
Federal Communications Commission |
1,366.25 | 1,238.00 | 10.36% | Office of Personnel Management |
6,180.00 | 6,150.00 | 0.49% |
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation |
5,839.25 | 4,640.00 | 25.85% | Securities and Exchange Commission |
4,321.50 | 2,629.00 | 64.38% |
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission |
825.00 | 414.00 | 99.28% | Small Business Administration |
4,243.50 | 3,616.00 | 17.35% |
General Services Administration |
40,133.00 | 33,440.00 | 20.01% | Smithsonian |
172.80 | 399.00 | -56.69% |
Government Printing Office |
7,292.00 | 7,908.00 | -7.79% | State (includes AFSA unit) |
10,989.00 | 13,359.00 | -17.74% |
| Agencies with more than 25,000 bargaining unit employees | |||||||
Agriculture |
124,223.00 | 110,942.00 | 11.97% | Social Security Administration |
229,311.00 | 215,027.00 | 6.64% |
Defense |
348,703.71 | 370,149.00 | -5.79% | Transportation |
237,004.06 | 199,569.00 | 18.76% |
Health and Human Services |
38,618.69 | 36,580.00 | 5.57% | Treasury |
649,170.00 | 670,357.00 | -3.16% |
Homeland Security |
130,582.50 | 108,049.00 | 20.85% | Veterans Affairs |
809,740.47 | 801,294.00 | 1.05% |
Justice |
157,058.50 | 144,735.00 | 8.51% | Government-wide |
3,062,842 | 2,991,378 | 2.39% |
1The 100% increase in official time for the Armed Forces Retirement Home reflects the percentage of the change in hours from zero hours in FY 2009 to 208 hours in FY 2010.
Official Time Rates
The official time rate, also referred to as the Hours Per Employee (HPE) rate, which indicates the average number of official time hours expended per bargaining unit employee, allows for meaningful comparisons of official time usage among agencies. The average FY 2010 government-wide HPE rate was 2.58 which is identical to the FY 2009 HPE rate.
OFFICIAL TIME RATE - FY 2010 vs. FY 2009
| Department/ Agency |
FY 2010 Official Time Rate | FY 2009 Official Time Rate | % Change | Department/ Agency |
FY 2010 Official Time Rate | FY 2009 Official Time Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Development Foundation | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | Justice | 4.63 | 4.37 | 6.02% |
| Agency for International Development | 1.65 | 3.73 | -55.66% | Labor | 2.22 | 4.39 | -49.49% |
| Agriculture | 3.56 | 2.83 | 25.87% | Merit Systems Protection Board | 1.05 | 0.21 | 400.30% |
| Armed Forces Retirement Home | 1.58 | 0.00 | 0.00% | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 1.66 | 1.89 | -12.20% |
| Broadcasting Board of Governors | 5.31 | 4.45 | 19.29% | National Archives and Records Administration | 1.83 | 2.31 | -20.94% |
| Commerce | 2.09 | 1.91 | 9.59% | National Credit Union Administration | 1.26 | 0.35 | 259.85% |
| Commission on Civil Rights | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | National Endowment for the Humanities | 7.18 | 5.17 | 38.87% |
| Commodity Futures Trading Commission | 3.32 | 0.71 | 368.04% | National Gallery of Art | 2.73 | 1.19 | 129.67% |
| Consumer Product Safety Commission | 0.38 | 0.23 | 66.67% | National Labor Relations Board | 10.67 | 11.57 | -7.79% |
| Corporation for National and Community Service | 0.52 | 0.49 | 7.12% | National Mediation Board | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% |
| Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency | 0.49 | 1.61 | -69.71% | National Science Foundation | 1.67 | 1.78 | -6.41% |
| Defense | 0.79 | 0.88 | -10.03% | National Transportation Safety Board | 0.52 | 0.05 | 943.14% |
| Education | 3.90 | 2.08 | 87.38% | Nuclear Regulatory Commission | 1.06 | 1.24 | -14.39% |
| Energy | 1.68 | 1.29 | 30.15% | Office of Personnel Management | 4.74 | 5.97 | -20.55% |
| Environmental Protection Agency | 2.97 | 2.65 | 12.03% | Overseas Private Investment Corporation | 2.58 | 3.00 | -14.00% |
| Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | 6.82 | 1.93 | 253.17% | Peace Corps | 2.66 | 0.40 | 563.89% |
| Export-Import Bank | 0.50 | 0.06 | 741.53% | Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation | 0.78 | 0.43 | 81.17% |
| Federal Communications Commission | 1.17 | 1.06 | 10.35% | Presidio Trust | 0.61 | 0.11 | 455.25% |
| Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation | 0.95 | 0.97 | -2.18% | Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia | 1.82 | 2.00 | -8.95% |
| Federal Election Commission | 0.68 | 2.68 | -74.58% | Railroad Retirement Board | 7.36 | 7.07 | 4.07% |
| Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | 0.74 | 0.37 | 99.98% | Securities and Exchange Commission | 1.57 | 1.00 | 56.75% |
| Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | Small Business Administration | 3.23 | 2.75 | 17.61% |
| Federal Trade Commission | 1.04 | 0.60 | 73.77% | Smithsonian | 0.07 | 0.15 | -56.43% |
| General Services Administration | 5.56 | 4.51 | 23.18% | Social Security Administration | 4.18 | 4.10 | 1.92% |
| Government Printing Office | 3.98 | 4.32 | -7.76% | State (includes AFSA unit) | 0.60 | 0.72 | -16.60% |
| Health and Human Services | 1.26 | 0.942 | 33.61% | Transportation | 6.04 | 5.15 | 17.33% |
| Holocaust Memorial Museum | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | Treasury | 7.02 | 7.35 | -4.46% |
| Homeland Security | 2.04 | 1.69 | 20.58% | U.S. Capitol Police | 3.43 | 2.14 | 60.27% |
| Housing and Urban Development | 5.76 | 6.59 | -12.62% | U.S. International Trade Commission | 2.26 | 0.14 | 1,517.74% |
| Interior | 0.71 | 0.72 | -1.86% | Veterans Affairs | 3.37 | 3.47 | -2.93% |
| International Boundary and Water Commission | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | Grand Total - all agencies | 2.58 | 2.58 | 0.00% |
2This corrects the previous erroneous Department of Health and Human Services official time rate of 1.17 as listed in the FY 2009 Official Time Usage Report.
Categories
Agencies report official time by categories: Term Negotiations, Mid-Term Negotiations, Dispute Resolution, and General Labor-Management Relations. Official time usage for General Labor-Management Relations accounted for the greatest share of government-wide official time hours. Agencies reported 2,356,649.10 hours in the General Labor-Management Relations category, representing 76.94 percent of all reported official time hours.
OFFICIAL TIME USE BY CATEGORY - FY 2010
| Department/Agency | Bargaining Unit Employees | 2010 Total Hours | Term Negotiations | Mid-Term Negotiations | Dispute Resolution | General Labor-Mgmt Relations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
African Development Foundation |
1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Agency for International Development | 2,467.00 | 4,080.00 | 20.00 | 10.00 | 425.00 | 3,625.00 |
| Agriculture | 34,872.00 | 124,223.00 | 7,636.50 | 2,632.25 | 14,263.75 | 99,699.50 |
| Armed Forces Retirement Home | 132.00 | 208.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 208.00 |
| Broadcasting Board of Governors | 1,061.00 | 5,632.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 48.00 | 5,584.00 |
| Commerce | 20,000.00 | 41,864.50 | 1,645.50 | 2,278.50 | 18,439.00 | 19,501.50 |
| Commission on Civil Rights | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Commodity Futures Trading Commission | 65.00 | 216.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 216.00 |
| Consumer Product Safety Commission | 255.00 | 97.75 | 21.00 | 0.25 | 54.25 | 22.25 |
| Corporation for National and Community Service | 382.00 | 200.50 | 0.00 | 9.00 | 22.50 | 169.00 |
| Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency | 385.00 | 187.75 | 23.00 | 0.00 | 33.00 | 131.75 |
| Defense | 440,452.00 | 348,703.71 | 45,879.82 | 6,250.30 | 95,537.55 | 201,036.04 |
| Education | 2,623.00 | 10,223.25 | 4,059.25 | 239.50 | 3,002.75 | 2,921.75 |
| Energy | 6,731.00 | 11,301.00 | 361.50 | 213.00 | 3,296.50 | 7,430.00 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | 12,411.00 | 36,846.00 | 302.00 | 8,272.00 | 27,195.00 | 1,077.00 |
| Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | 1,884.00 | 12,841.75 | 7.00 | 34.00 | 1,327.75 | 11,473.00 |
| Export-Import Bank | 61.00 | 30.80 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 | 23.80 |
| Federal Communications Commission | 1,168.00 | 1,366.25 | 0.00 | 93.50 | 627.50 | 645.25 |
| Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation | 6,154.00 | 5,839.25 | 1,260.50 | 18.00 | 779.50 | 3,781.25 |
| Federal Election Commission | 212.00 | 144.40 | 102.90 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 40.50 |
| Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | 1,115.00 | 825.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 83.00 | 742.00 |
| Federal Mediation Conciliation Service | 34.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Federal Trade Commission | 305.00 | 318.00 | 0.00 | 49.00 | 117.50 | 151.50 |
| General Services Administration | 7,224.00 | 40,133.00 | 58.00 | 2,967.00 | 13,246.00 | 23,862.00 |
| Government Printing Office | 1,830.00 | 7,292.00 | 105.00 | 23.00 | 2,078.00 | 5,086.00 |
| Health and Human Services | 30,750.00 | 38,618.69 | 3,283.03 | 3,366.25 | 9,164.16 | 22,805.25 |
| Holocaust Memorial Museum | 13.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Homeland Security | 64,080.00 | 130,582.50 | 14,658.00 | 11,488.00 | 33,024.00 | 71,412.50 |
| Housing and Urban Development | 7,116.00 | 40,978.25 | 14,495.25 | 1,549.50 | 20,459.25 | 4,474.25 |
| Interior | 20,255.00 | 14,311.75 | 3,361.50 | 1,063.00 | 1,715.25 | 8,172.00 |
| International Boundary and Water Commission | 169.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Justice | 33,898.00 | 157,058.50 | 25,144.25 | 1,685.25 | 20,142.75 | 110,086.25 |
| Labor | 11,415.00 | 25,314.00 | 1,779.00 | 643.00 | 5,231.00 | 17,661.00 |
| Merit Systems Protection Board | 79.00 | 83.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 83.00 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 9,934.00 | 16,485.31 | 4.00 | 800.72 | 3,513.49 | 12,167.10 |
| National Archives and Records Administration | 2,917.00 | 5,327.60 | 0.00 | 65.80 | 389.90 | 4,871.90 |
| National Credit Union Administration | 864.00 | 1,088.20 | 93.50 | 218.50 | 181.00 | 595.20 |
| National Endowment for the Humanities | 39.00 | 280.00 | 21.00 | 3.00 | 42.50 | 213.50 |
| National Gallery of Art | 400.00 | 1,093.25 | 0.00 | 16.00 | 571.50 | 505.75 |
| National Labor Relations Board | 1,076.00 | 11,480.00 | 0.00 | 1,148.00 | 2,870.00 | 7,462.00 |
| National Mediation Board | 11.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| National Science Foundation | 972.00 | 1,619.25 | 0.00 | 5.00 | 246.00 | 1,368.25 |
| National Transportation Safety Board | 255.00 | 133.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.75 | 131.25 |
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission | 2,812.00 | 2,985.00 | 2.00 | 11.00 | 814.25 | 2,157.75 |
| Office of Personnel Management | 1,303.00 | 6,180.00 | 0.00 | 500.00 | 1,880.00 | 3,800.00 |
| Overseas Private Investment Corporation | 100.00 | 258.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 | 20.00 | 230.00 |
| Peace Corps | 450.00 | 1,195.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 90.00 | 1,100.00 |
| Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation | 594.00 | 462.75 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 462.75 |
| Presidio Trust | 167.00 | 102.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 102.00 |
| Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia | 299.00 | 544.50 | 0.00 | 3.75 | 122.00 | 418.75 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | 714.00 | 5,253.20 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 90.40 | 5,162.80 |
| Securities and Exchange Commission | 2,757.00 | 4,321.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 718.75 | 3,602.75 |
| Small Business Administration | 1,312.00 | 4,243.50 | 1,322.00 | 16.50 | 593.75 | 2,311.25 |
| Smithsonian | 2,644.00 | 172.80 | 0.00 | 6.00 | 125.30 | 41.50 |
| Social Security Administration | 54,875.00 | 229,311.00 | 16,148.00 | 2,626.00 | 7,525.00 | 203,012.00 |
| State (includes AFSA unit) | 18,300.00 | 10,989.00 | 352.00 | 1,773.00 | 2,590.00 | 6,274.00 |
| Transportation | 39,223.00 | 237,004.06 | 3,056.19 | 3,876.51 | 19,624.55 | 210,446.81 |
| Treasury | 92,441.00 | 649,170.00 | 5,842.00 | 9,686.00 | 45,568.00 | 588,074.00 |
| U.S. Capitol Police | 976.00 | 3,347.50 | 640.50 | 0.00 | 83.00 | 2,624.00 |
| U.S. International Trade Commission | 236.00 | 534.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 534.50 |
| Veterans Affairs | 240,405.00 | 809,740.47 | 32,290.50 | 24,872.08 | 75,719.94 | 676,857.95 |
| Grand Total - all agencies | 1,185,685.00 | 3,062,841.99 | 183,979.69 | 88,511.16 | 433,702.04 | 2,356,649.10 |
Cost
Costs were estimated based on September 2010 wage data provided through the Central Personnel Data File (CPDF). The total payroll costs, salary and benefits, for FY 2010 official time hours was $137,392,031. We estimate each agency's official time wage costs by multiplying the reported official time hours by each agency's average bargaining unit employee hourly wage plus fringe benefits. In comparing FY 2009 and FY 2010 data, the cost of official time hours increased by 6.42 percent. This increase reflects, in part, the increased number of bargaining unit employees and the corresponding increase in official time usage government-wide. Official time costs represented less than two tenths of one percent of the total civilian personnel budget (salary and benefits) for Federal civil service bargaining unit employees.
OFFICIAL TIME COST BY AGENCY - FY 2010 vs. 2009
| Department/ Agency |
FY 10 Cost | FY 09 Cost | Department/ Agency |
FY 10 Cost | FY 09 Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Development Foundation | $0.00 | $0.00 | Justice | $6,207,833.41 | $5,613,521.00 |
| Agency for International Development | $276,881.88 | $289,203.00 | Labor | $1,266,638.26 | $2,574,262.00 |
| Agriculture | $4,106,537.23 | $3,597,265.00 | Merit Systems Protection Board | $7,570.73 | $1,427.00 |
| Armed Forces Retirement Home | $6,007.46 | $0.00 | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $1,202,705.57 | $1,325,172.00 |
| Broadcasting Board of Governors | $323,253.17 | $267,147.00 | National Archives and Records Administration | $196,999.42 | $163,182.00 |
| Commerce | $2,225,166.94 | $1,899,827.00 | National Credit Union Administration | $64,155.26 | $16,114.00 |
| Commission on Civil Rights | $0.00 | $0.00 | National Endowment for the Humanities | $15,675.38 | $22,108.00 |
| Commodity Futures Trading Commission | $17,804.05 | $11,286.00 | National Gallery of Art | $32,925.90 | $13,679.00 |
| Consumer Product Safety Commission | $5,758.84 | $3,027.00 | National Labor Relations Board | $690,288.84 | $733,622.00 |
| Corporation for National and Community Service | $9,077.73 | $7,758.00 | National Mediation Board | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency | $9,222.38 | $27,879.00 | National Science Foundation | $115,538.69 | $111,903.00 |
| Defense | $13,566,122.35 | $13,988,798.00 | National Transportation Safety Board | $9,814.50 | $810.00 |
| Education | $629,710.44 | $320,132.00 | Nuclear Regulatory Commission | $213,668.42 | $237,257.00 |
| Energy | $684,310.81 | $557,555.00 | Office of Personnel Management | $278,916.47 | $284,649.00 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $2,379,429.11 | $2,001,095.00 | Overseas Private Investment Corporation | $16,046.45 | $17,951.00 |
| Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | $625,938.33 | $163,548.00 | Peace Corps | $50,965.24 | $7,024.00 |
| Export-Import Bank | $1,348.39 | $168.00 | Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation | $27,559.40 | $13,716.00 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $99,187.73 | $86,075.00 | Presidio Trust | $4,137.31 | $705.00 |
| Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation | $387,128.83 | $297,298.00 | Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia | $26,746.12 | $27,996.00 |
| Federal Election Commission | $8,283.77 | $32,669.00 | Railroad Retirement Board | $257,131.47 | $237,815.00 |
| Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | $56,737.88 | $27,243.00 | Securities and Exchange Commission | $394,705.49 | $229,906.00 |
| Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service | $0.00 | $0.00 | Small Business Administration | $229,823.43 | $190,487.00 |
| Federal Trade Commission | $17,181.14 | $10,638.00 | Smithsonian | $6,935.92 | $14,689.00 |
| General Services Administration | $2,103,475.38 | $1,698,543.00 | Social Security Administration | $9,694,940.02 | $8,890,079.00 |
| Government Printing Office | $333,197.88 | $343,660.00 | State (includes AFSA unit) | $611,994.61 | $708,166.00 |
| Health and Human Services | $1,944,579.35 | $1,779,656.003 | Transportation | $15,475,649.96 | $12,619,748.00 |
| Holocaust Memorial Museum | $0.00 | $0.00 | Treasury | $27,619,268.73 | $27,724,032.00 |
| Homeland Security | $5,699,682.92 | $4,285,982.00 | U.S. Capitol Police | $156,935.254 | $91,414.00 |
| Housing and Urban Development | $2,313,019.78 | $2,515,084.00 | U.S. International Trade Commission | $36,220.87 | $2,303.00 |
| Interior | $513,474.14 | $509,847.00 | Veterans Affairs | $34,137,767.50 | $32,505,688.00 |
| International Boundary and Water Commission | $0.00 | $0.00 | Grand Total - all agencies | $137,392,031.48 | $129,100,798.00 |
3This corrects the previous erroneous calculation of official time cost for the Department of Health and Human Services of $1,626,668 as listed in the FY 2009 Official Time Usage Report.
4 While U.S. Capitol Police provided time and attendance data on official time hours used for FY 2010, OPM did not receive the FY 2010 bargaining unit employee average salary figures. The FY 2009 bargaining unit employee average salary figures were used for FY 2010 for U.S. Capitol Police.
Conclusion
Total official time hours across the government have increased 2.39 percent from fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2010. The hours expended per bargaining unit employee remained at the rate of 2.58 from fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2010.
For further information regarding this report, please contact Partnership and Labor Relations at PLR@OPM.gov.
Appendix A: Definitions and Terminology
Official Time means all time, regardless of agency nomenclature, granted to an employee by the agency to perform representational functions under 5 U.S.C. Chapter 71 and by collective bargaining agreement when the employee would otherwise be in a duty status.
Official Time Reporting Categories— agencies are being asked to report four categories of official time use.
- Term Negotiations— this category for reporting official time hours refers to time used by union representatives to prepare for and negotiate a basic collective bargaining agreement or its successor.
- Mid-Term Negotiations— this category for reporting official time hours refers to time used to bargain over issues raised during the life of a term agreement.
- Dispute Resolution— this category for reporting official time hours refers to time used to process grievances up to and including arbitrations and to process appeals of bargaining unit employees to the various administrative agencies such as the MSPB, FLRA and EEOC and, as necessary, to the courts.
- General Labor-Management Relations— this category for reporting official time hours refers to time used for activities not included in the above three categories. Examples of such activities include: meetings between labor and management officials to discuss general conditions of employment, labor-management committee meetings, labor relations training for union representatives, and union participation in formal meetings and investigative interviews.
Representational Functions refers to activities undertaken by employees acting on behalf of the labor organization or fulfilling the organization's responsibility to represent bargaining unit employees in accordance with 5 U.S.C. Chapter 71 and a collective bargaining agreement.
Appendix B
OFFICIAL TIME SUMMARY BY AGENCY - FY 2010
| Department/ Agency | 2010 BU Employees | 2010 Total Hours 5 | Term Negotiations | Mid-Term Negotiations | Dispute Resolution | General Labor-Mgmt Relations | Hours per BU employee | Hourly Rate | Salary Cost | Salary + Benefits Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Development Foundation | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $31.44 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Agency for International Development | 2,467.00 | 4,080.00 | 20.00 | 10.00 | 425.00 | 3,625.00 | 1.65 | $49.62 | $202,458.23 | $276,881.88 |
| Agriculture | 34,872.00 | 124,223.00 | 7,636.50 | 2,623.25 | 14,263.75 | 99,699.50 | 3.56 | $24.17 | $3,002,732.69 | $4,106,537.23 |
| Armed Forces Retirement Home | 132.00 | 208.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 208.00 | 1.58 | $21.12 | $4,392.70 | $6,007.46 |
| Broadcasting Board of Governors | 1,061.00 | 5,632.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 48.00 | 5,584.00 | 5.31 | $41.97 | $236,365.29 | $323,253.17 |
| Commerce | 20,000.00 | 41,864.50 | 1,645.50 | 2,278.50 | 18,439.00 | 19,501.50 | 2.09 | $38.86 | $1,627,059.77 | $2,225,166.94 |
| Commission on Civil Rights | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $34.80 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Commodity Futures Trading Commission | 65.00 | 216.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 216.00 | 3.32 | $60.27 | $13,018.47 | $17,804.05 |
| Consumer Product Safety Commission | 255.00 | 97.75 | 21.00 | 0.25 | 54.25 | 22.25 | 0.38 | $43.08 | $4,210.91 | $5,758.84 |
| Corporation for National and Community Service | 382.00 | 200.50 | 0.00 | 9.00 | 22.50 | 169.00 | 0.52 | $33.11 | $6,637.71 | $9.077.73 |
| Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency | 385.00 | 187.75 | 23.00 | 0.00 | 33.00 | 131.75 | 0.49 | $35.92 | $6,743.47 | $9,222.38 |
| Defense | 440,452.00 | 348,703.71 | 45,879.82 | 6,250.30 | 95,537.55 | 201,036.04 | 0.79 | $28.45 | $9,919,656.58 | $13,566,122.35 |
| Education | 2,623.00 | 10,223.25 | 4,059.25 | 239.50 | 3,002.75 | 2,921.75 | 3.90 | $45.04 | $460,449.28 | $629,710.44 |
| Energy | 6,731.00 | 11,301.00 | 361.50 | 213.00 | 3,296.50 | 7,430.00 | 1.68 | $44.28 | $500,373.51 | $684,310.81 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | 12,411.00 | 36,846.00 | 302.00 | 8,272.00 | 27,195.00 | 1,077.00 | 2.97 | $47.22 | $1,739,857.49 | $2,379,429.11 |
| Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | 1,884.00 | 12,841.75 | 7.00 | 34.00 | 1,327.75 | 11,473.00 | 6.82 | $35.64 | $457,691.08 | $625,938.33 |
| Export-Import Bank | 61.00 | 30.80 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 | 23.80 | 0.50 | $32.01 | $985.96 | $1,348.39 |
| Federal Communications Commission | 1,168.00 | 1,366.25 | 0.00 | 93.50 | 627.50 | 645.25 | 1.17 | $53.08 | $72,526.86 | $99,187.73 |
| Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation | 6,154.00 | 5,839.25 | 1,260.50 | 18.00 | 779.50 | 3,781.25 | 0.95 | $48.48 | $283,071.68 | $387,128.83 |
| Federal Election Commission | 212.00 | 144.40 | 102.90 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 40.50 | 0.68 | $41.72 | $6,024.26 | $8,238.77 |
| Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | 1,115.00 | 825.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 83.00 | 742.00 | 0.74 | $50.29 | $41,487.19 | $56,737.88 |
| Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service | 34.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $33.26 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Federal Trade Commission | 305.00 | 318.00 | 0.00 | 49.00 | 117.50 | 151.50 | 1.04 | $39.51 | $12,562.99 | $17,181.14 |
| General Services Administration | 7,224.00 | 40,133.00 | 58.00 | 2,967.00 | 13,246.00 | 23,862.00 | 5.56 | $38.32 | $1,538,077.93 | $2,103,475.38 |
| Government Printing Office | 1,830.00 | 7,292.00 | 105.00 | 23.00 | 2,078.00 | 5,086.00 | 3.98 | $33.41 | $243,636.94 | $333,197.88 |
| Health and Human Services | 30,750.00 | 38,618.69 | 3,283.03 | 3,366.25 | 9,164.16 | 22,805.25 | 1.26 | $36.82 | $1,421,891.89 | $1,944,579.35 |
| Holocaust Memorial Museum | 13.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $27.66 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Homeland Security | 64,080.00 | 130,582.50 | 14,658.00 | 11,488.00 | 33,024.00 | 71,412.50 | 2.04 | $31.92 | $4,167,653.49 | $5,699,682.92 |
| Housing and Urban Development | 7,116.00 | 40,978.25 | 14,495.25 | 1,549.50 | 20,459.25 | 4,474.25 | 5.76 | $41.27 | $1,691,298.46 | $2,313,019.78 |
| Interior | 20,255.00 | 14,311.75 | 3,361.50 | 1,063.00 | 1,715.25 | 8,172.00 | 0.71 | $26.23 | $375,456.38 | $513,474.14 |
| International Boundary and Water Commission | 169.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $22.51 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Justice | 33,898.00 | 157,058.50 | 25,144.25 | 1,685.25 | 20,142.75 | 110,086.25 | 4.63 | $28.90 | $4,539,217.18 | $6,207,833.41 |
| Labor | 11,415.00 | 25,314.00 | 1,779.00 | 643.00 | 5,231.00 | 17,661.00 | 2.22 | $36.59 | $926,175.98 | $1,266,638.26 |
| Merit Systems Protection Board | 79.00 | 83.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 83.00 | 1.05 | $66.70 | $5,535.78 | $7,570.73 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 9,934.00 | 16,485.31 | 4.00 | 800.72 | 3,513.49 | 12,167.10 | 1.66 | $53.35 | $879,427.88 | $1,202,705.57 |
| National Archives and Records Administration | 2,917.00 | 5,327.60 | 0.00 | 65.80 | 389.90 | 4,871.90 | 1.83 | $27.04 | $144,047.55 | $196,999.42 |
| National Credit Union Administration | 864.00 | 1,088.20 | 93.50 | 218.50 | 181.00 | 595.20 | 1.26 | $43.11 | $46,910.84 | $64,155.26 |
| National Endowment for the Humanities | 39.00 | 280.00 | 21.00 | 3.00 | 42.50 | 213.50 | 7.18 | $40.94 | $11,461.96 | $15,675.38 |
| National Gallery of Art | 400.00 | 1,093.25 | 0.00 | 16.00 | 571.50 | 505.75 | 2.73 | $22.02 | $24,075.68 | $32,925.90 |
| National Labor Relations Board | 1,076.00 | 11,480.00 | 0.00 | 1,148.00 | 2,870.00 | 7,462.00 | 10.67 | $43.97 | $504,744.69 | $690,288.84 |
| National Mediation Board | 11.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $31.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| National Science Foundation | 972.00 | 1,619.25 | 0.00 | 5.00 | 246.00 | 1,368.25 | 1.67 | $52.17 | $84,482.81 | $115,538.69 |
| National Transportation Safety Board | 255.00 | 133.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.75 | 131.25 | 0.52 | $53.96 | $7,176.44 | $9,814.50 |
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission | 2,812.00 | 2,985.00 | 2.00 | 11.00 | 814.25 | 2,157.75 | 1.06 | $52.34 | $156,236.05 | $213,668.42 |
| Office of Personnel Management | 1,303.00 | 6,180.00 | 0.00 | 500.00 | 1,880.00 | 3,800.00 | 4.74 | $33.00 | $203,945.94 | $278,916.47 |
| Overseas Private Investment Corporation | 100.00 | 258.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 | 20.00 | 230.00 | 2.58 | $45.48 | $11,733.29 | $16,046.45 |
| Peace Corps | 450.00 | 1,195.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 90.00 | 1,100.00 | 2.66 | $31.19 | $37,266.19 | $50,965.24 |
| Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation | 594.00 | 462.75 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 462.75 | 0.78 | $43.55 | $20,151.65 | $27,559.40 |
| Presidio Trust | 167.00 | 102.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 102.00 | 0.61 | $29.66 | $3,025.23 | $4,137.31 |
| Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia | 299.00 | 544.50 | 0.00 | 3.75 | 122.00 | 418.75 | 1.82 | $35.92 | $19,556.97 | $26,746.12 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | 714.00 | 5,253.20 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 90.40 | 5,162.80 | 7.36 | $35.79 | $188,016.57 | $257,131.47 |
| Securities and Exchange Commission | 2,757.00 | 4,321.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 718.75 | 3,602.75 | 1.57 | $66.79 | $288,611.79 | $394,705.49 |
| Small Business Administration | 1,312.00 | 4,243.50 | 1,322.00 | 16.50 | 593.75 | 2,311.25 | 3.23 | $39.60 | $168,048.72 | $229,823.43 |
| Smithsonian | 2,644.00 | 172.80 | 0.00 | 6.00 | 125.30 | 41.50 | 0.07 | $29.35 | $5,071.60 | $6,935.92 |
| Social Security Administration | 54,875.00 | 229,311.00 | 16,148.00 | 2,626.00 | 7,525.00 | 203,012.00 | 4.18 | $30.91 | $7,089,017.27 | $9,694,940.02 |
| State (includes AFSA unit) | 18,300.00 | 10,989.00 | 352.00 | 1,773.00 | 2,590.00 | 6,274.00 | 0.60 | $40.72 | $447,495.33 | $611,994.61 |
| Transportation | 39,223.00 | 237,004.06 | 3,056.19 | 3,876.51 | 19,624.55 | 210,446.81 | 6.04 | $47.75 | $11,315,918.37 | $15,475,649.96 |
| Treasury | 92,441.00 | 649,170.00 | 5,842.00 | 9,686.00 | 45,568.00 | 588,074.00 | 7.02 | $31.11 | $20,195,429.02 | $27,619,268.73 |
| U.S. Capitol Police | 976.00 | 3,347.50 | 640.50 | 0.00 | 83.00 | 2,624.00 | 3.43 | $34.286 | $114,752.30 | $156,935.25 |
| U.S. International Trade Commission | 236.00 | 534.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 534.50 | 2.26 | $49.55 | $26,484.99 | $36,220.87 |
| Veterans Affairs | 240,405.00 | 809,740.47 | 32,290.50 | 24,872.08 | 75,719.94 | 676,857.95 | 3.37 | $30.83 | $24,961,807.18 | $34,137,767.50 |
| Grand Total - all agencies |
1,185,685.00 | 3,062,841.99 | 183,979.69 | 88,511.16 | 443,702.04 | 2,356,649.10 | 2.58 | $32.80 | $100,462,146.45 | $137,392,031.48 |
5 Numbers may not total due to rounding.
6 While U.S. Capitol Police provided time and attendance data on official time hours used for FY 2010, OPM did not receive the FY 2010 bargaining unit employee average salary figures. The FY 2009 bargaining unit employee average salary figures were used for FY 2010 for U.S. Capitol Police.
This page can be found on the web at the following url: http://archive.opm.gov/LaborManagementRelations/OfficialTime/OfficialTime2010.asp
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