ARTICLE
By Adrianna Lopez, Director of Labor Relations (Published in Monday Morning Quarterback February 23, 2026) If you’ve ever tried to decode California public works holiday pay rules, you already know: it’s not for the faint of heart. Between craft-specific holidays, DIR-published oddities, and the occasional “What do you mean the holiday is based on the *second new moon*?” moment… there’s a lot to consider. When Is Holiday Pay Required? On California public works, holiday pay is required for all hours worked on holidays listed on the craft’s prevailing wage determination. That’s it. Simple start. But of course, because it’s public works, the simplicity ends there. When work is performed on an identified holiday, each hour should be paid according to the craft’s published holiday rate, usually the Sunday or double-time rate. That means if a worker is onsite on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, or any other recognized holiday, you’re typically paying 2x their straight-time rate. Each Craft Has Their Own Holidays Every craft has its own set of holidays, and they aren’t always consistent across wage determinations, geographic regions, or collective bargaining agreements. Most crafts’ holidays come from their collective bargaining agreements, and then the DIR publishes those holidays. This may include unexpected holidays, which may catch open-shop contractors off guard. Example: Craft-Specific Holidays Among standard holidays, the Operating Engineers in Southern California also include the first Saturday following the first Friday in the months of June and December each year. If it’s on the published wage determination, it’s a holiday. When DIR Doesn’t Publish Craft-Specific Holidays When that happens, they default to California state-recognized holidays. Some are standard, and some… aren’t. ?Here are some of the unexpected ones… Genocide Remembrance Day – April 24 Juneteenth – June 19 Admission Day – September 9 Lunar New Year – the date corresponding with the second (or sometimes third) new moon after the winter solstice Wait…. What??? (Yes, you really do have to Google the moon cycles.) Pro Tips Check craft holidays for every new project. Verify whether DIR is using craft holidays or defaulting to state holidays. Plan early for surprise holidays and get them on the calendar Final Whistle California public works holiday rules blend labor law, bargained agreements, astronomy, and even some unexpected surprises. And, for those of you who haven’t followed the moon calendar lately, this is your courtesy reminder that Lunar New Year was just last week. Better check those craft holiday lists to make sure you didn’t miss it! Have questions or a topic you would like me to address? Contact me at alopez@agcsd.org.
By Adrianna Lopez, Director of Labor Relations (Published in Monday Morning Quarterback February 23, 2026)
If you’ve ever tried to decode California public works holiday pay rules, you already know: it’s not for the faint of heart. Between craft-specific holidays, DIR-published oddities, and the occasional “What do you mean the holiday is based on the *second new moon*?” moment… there’s a lot to consider.
When Is Holiday Pay Required? On California public works, holiday pay is required for all hours worked on holidays listed on the craft’s prevailing wage determination. That’s it. Simple start. But of course, because it’s public works, the simplicity ends there. When work is performed on an identified holiday, each hour should be paid according to the craft’s published holiday rate, usually the Sunday or double-time rate. That means if a worker is onsite on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, or any other recognized holiday, you’re typically paying 2x their straight-time rate. Each Craft Has Their Own Holidays Every craft has its own set of holidays, and they aren’t always consistent across wage determinations, geographic regions, or collective bargaining agreements. Most crafts’ holidays come from their collective bargaining agreements, and then the DIR publishes those holidays. This may include unexpected holidays, which may catch open-shop contractors off guard. Example: Craft-Specific Holidays Among standard holidays, the Operating Engineers in Southern California also include the first Saturday following the first Friday in the months of June and December each year. If it’s on the published wage determination, it’s a holiday. When DIR Doesn’t Publish Craft-Specific Holidays When that happens, they default to California state-recognized holidays. Some are standard, and some… aren’t. ?Here are some of the unexpected ones…
Wait…. What??? (Yes, you really do have to Google the moon cycles.) Pro Tips
Final Whistle
California public works holiday rules blend labor law, bargained agreements, astronomy, and even some unexpected surprises. And, for those of you who haven’t followed the moon calendar lately, this is your courtesy reminder that Lunar New Year was just last week. Better check those craft holiday lists to make sure you didn’t miss it! Have questions or a topic you would like me to address? Contact me at alopez@agcsd.org.