ARTICLE 12 ALTERNATIVE WORK SCHEDULES SECTION 1 - GENERAL The Parties agree that the Agency can meet its mission and program goals while at the same time allowing employees (including shift workers) to exercise some control over their work time. Under an alternative work schedule (AWS), employees can schedule their activities to achieve a more desired balance between work and family responsibilities, to take advantage of educational opportunities, to pursue recreational activities, to become involved in community or volunteer programs, and so forth. Accordingly, the Parties agree that supervisors will allow employees to have flexible schedules when it is consistent with the basic business requirement of providing good customer service. SECTION 2 - DEFINITIONS A. Alternative Work Schedule (AWS) - a flexible work schedule which allows employees to vary their arrival/departure times and number of hours worked on a given day or the number of hours worked each week, within the limits established in this Article. B. AWS Time Off - credit hours used at any time in lieu of other paid leave categories. C. Basic Work Requirement (BWR) - the number of hours, excluding overtime or compensatory hours, which an employee is required to work or account for by leave or credit hours within a bi-weekly pay period. For full-time employees, the BWR is 8 hours per day and 80 hours per pay period. D. Core Hours - those hours each day that employees not in a leave status, using credit hours (AWS time off), or other authorized absence are required to be present for work. Occasional deviations from core hour requirements are permissible with prior supervisory approval. Core hours are established at each Center and subject to local negotiations. E. Credit Hours - hours worked in excess of the basic work requirement (8 hours per day and 80 hours per pay period for full-time employees), excluding overtime and compensatory time, at the election of the employee and approved by the supervisor. The maximum amount of credit hours that can be earned per day by a full-time employee is 2 hours, and per pay period is 20 hours. Credit hours cannot be earned on non-workdays (i.e., on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday if the assigned tour of duty is Monday through Friday). Maximum carryover to succeeding pay periods is 24 hours for full-time employees. Maximum carryover for part-time employees is one fourth of their basic work requirement. F. Flexible Time Bands - that part of the schedule of working hours during which an employee may choose his/her time of arrival to and departure from the work site within limits consistent with the duties and requirements of the position. Flexible time bands are established in accordance with each Center's local supplement or policy. SECTION 3 - AWS PROVISIONS A. The AWS is established in accordance with 5 CFR Part 610, Subpart D, and Subchapter II of Chapter 61 of Title 5, United States Code. B. The Parties agree that the AWS will be implemented at the DFAS Centers. The Director of a given organization at each Center retains authority for determining what positions within their organization will be covered as dictated by mission requirements. Permanent restriction of individual positions from the AWS must be approved by the Center Director (or designee), or by the Director of the Information Systems Organization (ISO) (or designee) for those activities under ISO purview; and the Union will be informed of those restrictions prior to their implementation. All employees determined by the Director of an organization to be covered may or may not elect to participate in the AWS within the requirements defined in this article. C. Supervisors retain authority for assigning overtime and restricting AWS coverage for individual employees temporarily as required by legitimate mission requirements or abuse of AWS privileges. D. An employee may elect to work a flexible daily schedule within the basic work requirement of an 8 hour day, 40-hour workweek. Such flexitime schedules are subject to core hours and approved tour(s) of duty. E. The approved tour of duty defines the limits (earliest beginning and latest ending times) within which an employee must complete his or her basic work requirement of 8 hours a day. Flexitime schedules will be made to fit within the approved tour of duty for the employee involved. An employee may adjust his or her flexitime schedule daily. The approved tour(s) of duty will be negotiated at each Center. F. Flexitime schedules will be made to accommodate the core hours requirement. An employee may make occasional adjustments to his or her work schedule within the core hours (core deviation) with the supervisor's approval. This can be done by beginning work earlier or departing later in the day, provided the basic daily work requirement is accomplished within the approved tour of duty. Core hours will be negotiated at each Center. G. Credit hours earned may be carried over from one pay period to the next. Employees may not exceed their biweekly BWR without their supervisor's prior authorization. Authorized time worked in excess of the biweekly BWR will be creditable as compensatory time, overtime, or credit hours, as appropriate. A maximum of 24 credit hours can be carried over from one pay period to another pay period, including to the following year. The parties agree that the employees under AWS will be compensated in a timely manner mutually agreeable to both employee and management for all directed and approved hours of work. H. Employee Scheduling/Requirements 1. Within the limits described herein, employees authorized to participate in the AWS may vary their starting/ending times and lunch periods, as well as their hours of work (from day to day, week to week, and/or pay period to pay period). Employees are responsible for meeting their job requirements, as well as their BWR. 2. Employees must present their work schedule (See Section 5) and their request for the use of credit hours (AWS time off) to their immediate supervisor in advance. Normally these requests must be made by COB Thursday of the preceding pay period and approved or disapproved by COB the following day. However, supervisors may approve requests at any time as long as employees can fulfill their BWR by the end of the pay period. In making their requests, employees are responsible for ensuring that mission demands of their jobs will not be negatively affected by their absence. In granting approval for AWS time off, supervisors must insure that there will be adequate employee and supervisory coverage to meet operational demands. 3. Use of credit hours (AWS time off) may be for an entire workday or a portion of a workday as long as the BWR will be fulfilled during the pay period and the supervisor approves the request in advance. Employees will be offered the opportunity to resolve scheduling conflicts among themselves. 4. Pre-scheduled annual leave will take priority over requested use of credit hours (AWS time off). 5. Credit hours (AWS time off) may be used/taken prior to being earned as long as the BWR is fulfilled within that pay period. 6. Credit hours may be earned and used in l5 minute increments. 7. Unless an absence has been approved in advance, full-time employees must work at least 8 hours every day, with a minimum of l/2 hour lunch break. Any time less than 8 hours worked must be covered by (a) approved use of credit hours (AWS time off); (b) approved leave; or (c) use of compensatory time off. 8. Employees are responsible for monitoring their work hour balances and insuring that they meet their BWR. Failure to meet the BWR, or abuses of the AWS, may result in an employee's restriction from AWS coverage. 9. Employees may substitute credit hours earned for leave used during that pay period. 10. Employees utilizing the AWS are expected, whenever possible, to schedule pre-arranged appointments using credit hours (AWS time off). 11. Disapproval of requested use of credit hours (AWS time off) must be based on just cause for such factors as, but not limited to, impairment of mission accomplishment, inability of the employee to meet the BWR, or abuse of the AWS privilege. SECTION 4 - PAY AND EXCUSED ABSENCE UNDER AWS A. Premium Pay: Regular rules will apply for payment to employees who are entitled to Holiday or Sunday pay. B. Overtime Pay: Time worked at an employee's option beyond 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week is credit hours earned and may be credited toward the BWR. In contrast, overtime includes only those hours officially ordered and approved in advance by management and is not credited toward the BWR. However, at an employee's request, and with the supervisor's approval, official overtime hours may be converted to credit hours earned and credited toward the BWR on an hour for hour basis (i.e., one hour of overtime equals one credit hour earned). Regular rules apply in computing overtime pay and compensatory time off for overtime hours worked. C. Holiday Pay: All holidays will be 8-hour workdays under the AWS. D. Excused Absences: Procedures for excused absences (administrative leave, early release, etc.) as it relates to the AWS is specific to each Center and therefore must be negotiated locally. E. Other Absences and Leave: Failure to fulfill the BWR by the end of the pay period will result in an employee being charged approved or unapproved leave for the amount of time he/she lacks in meeting the BWR. SECTION 5 - AWS RESTRICTIONS A. All employees will return to an 8-hour workday during periods of temporary duty (TDY) and cannot earn credit hours. B. Supervisors retain the authority and responsibility to temporarily restrict AWS coverage when required by mission requirements. In such circumstances, supervisors will coordinate with the employees involved in revising the work schedule to the degree possible. C. An employee may be removed from AWS coverage for just cause. In such cases, the employee will be notified in advance (ordinarily two weeks) and revert back to the standard flexible coverage or standard tour of duty for their respective Center. D. Each Center will locally determine proper work schedules for those employees who attend on site training. E. Time and Attendance will be maintained in accordance with the proper regulatory authority. SECTION 6 - RESOLVING CONFLICTING REQUIREMENTS A. In cases where a scheduling conflict arises in trying to satisfy the desires of two or more employees for AWS, supervisors will resolve the conflict by matching individual skills to workload requirements, or by referring to service computation date (on a rotating basis). Employees will be offered the opportunity to resolve scheduling conflicts among themselves. If establishment or change of the day off under AWS would conflict with a previously scheduled leave or vacation period of another employee, the person with the scheduled leave or vacation will be given precedence. B. In the case of possible disagreements regarding exclusions of a group of employees from the AWS, if not resolved by the affected organizational Director (or designee) and the Union, the issue will be resolved by the Labor-Management Committee.