Dear ,

General Membership 11/24/25

Christmas Bazaar

AG Directive on GovGuam Annual Leave

I am writing to address recent instructions from Attorney General Moylan, as outlined in a letter to Mr. Edward Birn, Director of the Department of Administration (DOA), dated October 10, 2025.

The AG has directed the DOA Director to correct the accumulation of annual leave hours by the Government of Guam employees. This change affects all employees except teachers (who do not accrue annual leave), as well as police officers and nurses.

Here's how it'll work, and you'll be able to keep it at the end of October 2026:

·      Effective at the end of October 2026, employees may retain up to 420 hours of annual leave.

·      Of these, 320 hours will roll over as annual leave for the next fiscal year.

·      100 hours will be converted to sick leave.

·      Any annual leave above 420 hours at that time will be forfeited.

GFT recommends that employees plan and use their annual leave to reduce their balance down to 420 hours or less by the deadline. Any hours above this limit will be lost and will not be converted or paid out.

This directive appears to conflict with DOA Circular #07-036, issued on August 8, 2007, by then-Director Lourdes Perez. The circular stated that excess annual leave beyond 420 hours (after 100 hours are credited to sick leave) should be carried over, not lost, unless the employee retires or resigns.

Guam's law 4GCA-4109 on annual leave provides employees with less than five years of service accrue with 4 hours of annual leave each two-week pay period, employees with five years but less than 15 accrue 6 hours per pay period, and employees with more than 15 years will accrue 8 hours per pay period. This law also states that the maximum number of hours you will be paid for annual leave will be 320 upon retirement or separation.

It seems that the legislation of Guam has made an exception for the most “relevant and special cases of employees”, these are nurses and peace officers. I believe the Legislature and the Governor should ensure equity for all Government of Guam employees. We agree that fiscal responsibility for our taxpayers should be upheld, and it should have been since 2007. However, due to the actions of appointed officials, employees who were misled into believing they could carry over their annual leave should not face punishment for administrative errors. A correction could involve extending the timeline beyond one fiscal year. We suggest considering a more extended transition period – such as five years - to allow employees to use their leave without losing benefits. Alternatively, a buyout option could be offered, allowing accumulated hours to go toward retirement.

I hope all parties can work together with the Attorney General and find a fair solution. Requiring employees to use all excess leave within one year could negatively impact staffing levels in already understaffed departments.

Sincerely,

Tim Fedenko, GFT President