Working for the USPTO

[whokebe]

man,i love this job

When did you get hired?

[teege]

What would this federal raise mean for examiners?  Anyone know?


Rejecting President Obama's recommendation to freeze locality pay at 2009 rates, the House allocated 1.5 percent of the 2.0 percent raise to base pay and 0.5 percent to locality pay.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=44218&dcn=todaysnews

[Examinerguy]

means we would get a 1.5% pay increase. For some fuc*ed up reason we don't get the locality pay increase.

[xephay]

effective sunday (beginning of Q2 of FY) 1/3 will get no OT, 1/3 will get up to 16 hrs, and the remaining 1/3 up to 32 hrs--depending on the inventory (backlog) of the art units.

also implementation of new count system is delayed til end of jan.

[xephay]

some examples, the following group art units get 32 hours OT

- GAU 2195 with 130 months of inventory--top of the list
- GAU 2617 (cellular communications) with 54 months of inventory
- GAU 2150s, 2160s (database) 38 months backlog

[klaviernista]

means we would get a 1.5% pay increase. For some fuc*ed up reason we don't get the locality pay increase.

Examiners don't get the locality pay because they already make 20-25% more than every other government employee at an equivalent GS level.

[Examinerguy]

Examiners don't get the locality pay because they already make 20-25% more than every other government employee at an equivalent GS level.

Please do your homework:

Regular DC Payscale: http://www.opm.gov/oca/09tables/html/dcb.asp
Examiner 0576 Payscale: http://apps.opm.gov/SSR/tables/StaticFiles/SrText/0576_20090101.txt



REGULAR DC PAYSCALE: GS-7 Step 1 - $41,210
EXAMINER PAYSCALE: GS-7 Step 1 - $51,220
Difference: 24.29%

REGULAR DC PAYSCALE: GS-9 Step 1 - $50,408
EXAMINER PAYSCALE: GS-9 Step 1 - $59,786
Difference: 18.6%


REGULAR DC PAYSCALE: GS-11 Step 1 - $60,989
EXAMINER PAYSCALE: GS-11 Step 1 - $68,866
Difference: 12.9%

REGULAR DC PAYSCALE: GS-12 Step 1 - $73,100
EXAMINER PAYSCALE: GS-12 Step 1 - $78,979
Difference: 8%.

You get the point...it isn't as good as you think.

[klaviernista]

Examiners don't get the locality pay because they already make 20-25% more than every other government employee at an equivalent GS level.

Please do your homework . . .

You get the point...it isn't as good as you think.

I stand corrected, at least with respect to GS levels higher than 9.

[teege]

effective sunday (beginning of Q2 of FY) 1/3 will get no OT, 1/3 will get up to 16 hrs, and the remaining 1/3 up to 32 hrs--depending on the inventory (backlog) of the art units.

also implementation of new count system is delayed til end of jan.

Any resource that states the AU backlog?  Would like to tell where mine stands.

[dablueman]

USPTO CLOSED Monday December 21. 

This is crazy. Just 12 inches on Saturday and we get Monday off.

[teege]

So I don't have a monthly parking pass to the USPTO garages but I heard that on the weekend I could use the garages for free. 

I tried to come in one weekend and couldn't seem to get in.  Is this free parking on the weekend true?  I think I tried the West building, pressed the button for a ticket and it didn't work.

[Examinerguy]

USPTO CLOSED Monday December 21. 

This is crazy. Just 12 inches on Saturday and we get Monday off.

The number I saw was 15.5 inches in Alexandria.

[dablueman]

USPTO CLOSED Monday December 21. 

This is crazy. Just 12 inches on Saturday and we get Monday off.

The number I saw was 15.5 inches in Alexandria.

I guess it depends on where you are. Where I live in Alexandria it was about 12 inches. Still, I'm not use to everything closing down for 3 days because of just 12-15 inches.

[Kaitlin]

It does vary around the area.  Was 18-22" northwest of DC--and all fell within 24 hours.  Metro stopped running its above-ground trains.
It all comes down to what the area is prepared to handle, which in turn depends on how often it needs to be prepared for such things. Last storm close to this size in the DC area was around 1996. 
See, e.g. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2009/12/video_washingtonians_react_to.html#more
(Note especially the comment posted there by NoJunk:
"There is a SNOW PLOW STUCK on the road in front of our house, down by the Accotink Creek. 
It is spinning its wheels."  )

[xephay]

So I don't have a monthly parking pass to the USPTO garages but I heard that on the weekend I could use the garages for free. 

I tried to come in one weekend and couldn't seem to get in.  Is this free parking on the weekend true?  I think I tried the West building, pressed the button for a ticket and it didn't work.

True for Eisenhower gate of EAST garage only -- weekends and nights.  You can use your USPTO badge to enter the Eisenhower entrance of the East garage, and leave the same gate without paying, when the attendant is not there (basically outside of the 5 am - 10:30 pm M-F hours).

You MUST have the transponder/puck to use West garage at all times.