Juneteenth, the Newest Federal Holiday

Juneteenth is the annual celebration of June 19th, commemorating the day when the last enslaved African-Americans were informed that they were free. As of the bipartisan legislation signed into law on June 17, 2021, it is now an official federal holiday.

This makes Juneteenth National Independence Day the first federal holiday created by Congress in nearly four decades, and gives it the same status as Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and other federal holidays. The holiday has also been known over the years as Emancipation Day, Black Independence Day or Jubilee Day.

What is Juneteenth?

Celebrated for decades through family gatherings and events such as parades and public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, Juneteenth recognizes the date when news of emancipation finally reached Galveston, on June 19, 1865.

Nearly two months after the end of the Civil War, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, along with more than 1,800 federal troops, arrived to take control of the state, confirming the freedom of the last remaining slaves in the deepest parts of the South. Although the Emancipation Proclamation—an executive order declaring that “all persons held as slaves” would be free—was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, and Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender in Appomattox, Va., marked the end of the Civil War in April 1865, news spread slowly and often met resistance from plantation owners.

When and why did Juneteenth gain federal holiday status?

President Biden signed the bipartisan legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday on June 17, 2021. The bill passed the Senate unanimously and was approved 415-14 in the House.

Congressional leaders from both parties said establishing the holiday was an important gesture in recognizing those who suffered under American slavery and as an act of racial reconciliation.

What does this mean for firefighters?

For firefighters in the federal service (Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, etc.), the creation of a new federal holiday means holiday overtime pay rate for those who work the day. For firefighters in state or local employment, the rules and policies regarding federal holidays may vary…it’s best to research what they are in your department.

Under certain prescribed conditions, a state or local government agency may give compensatory time, at a rate of not less than one and one-half hours for each overtime hour worked, in lieu of cash overtime compensation. This can include employees engaged in fire protection work, who may potentially accrue up to 480 hours of compensatory time.

There are some great available resources out there which delineate and seek to protect the rights of firefighters when it comes to holidays, overtime, and related issues, such as http://www.firefighterovertime.org/tag/holiday-pay/

Be aware, commemorate our history, and stay safe out there, firefighters!