Union workers and bargaining unit employees under the federal and civilian workforce — operating the standard 40-hour week with all the protections and rights the CHAPPS system was built to deliver.
Full-Time Civilian Bargaining employees are the workers represented by collective bargaining agreements — mail carriers, government workers, utility workers, transportation workers, and anyone else covered by a union contract in a 40-hour-per-week role.
These workers have fought hard for their rights through their unions. CHAPPS does not replace collective bargaining — it strengthens it. By introducing the 10/10/10/10 pay split and the 3-Bid Scheduling system, CHAPPS gives bargaining units a new, more powerful framework to negotiate from.
Under the current system, a bargaining unit worker pays full income tax on all 40 hours of their pay. Under CHAPPS, only 10 of those 40 hours — 25% — are taxable. The other 75% is formally structured as non-taxable categories that are documented, owned, and protected.
The 10/10/10/10 split applied to a full-time bargaining unit employee's 40-hour week. Every category fully documented. Every hour accounted for.
| Pay Category | Hours/Week | Hours/Year | Tax Status | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benefits Pay | 10 hrs | 520 hrs | Non-Taxable | Health insurance, dental, vision — documented as non-taxable earned income |
| Stipend Pay | 10 hrs | 520 hrs | Non-Taxable | Special duty compensation, uniform allowances, job-specific supplements |
| Next Year's Salary | 10 hrs | 520 hrs | Non-Taxable | Accumulates quarterly — converts to active pay every 15 weeks |
| This Year's Salary | 10 hrs | 520 hrs | Taxable | Base take-home pay — the only portion subject to income tax |
| TOTAL | 40 hrs/wk | 2,080 hrs/yr | 75% Non-Tax | Under traditional pay: 100% taxable. Under CHAPPS: 25% taxable. |
Under the traditional system, employers tell workers when to show up. Under CHAPPS, workers bid for their schedule, position, and location. The employer reviews and approves available slots — but the worker has a voice and a documented process.
The 3-Bid system covers all 7 days of the week with zero mandatory overtime. Three bid types rotate across the workforce so that every day is covered by workers who chose that schedule — not workers forced into it.
| Bid Type | Days Worked | N/S Days | Hrs/Wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bid A | Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu | Sat & Sun | 40 |
| Bid B | Sat, Sun, Mon, Thu, Fri | Tue & Wed | 40 |
| Bid C | Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat | Sun & Mon | 40 |
| All 3 Bids Combined | 7 days covered | No overtime | |
Each worker has exactly 2 Non-Scheduled (N/S) days per week. Together, the three bid types ensure complete 7-day operational coverage without a single overtime hour.
Based on the CHAPPS book Table 6: Benefits and Pay for One Week — Employee 1 Sample. Every week produces the same exact result: 10 hours per category.
| DAY | N/S DAY | BENEFITS | STIPEND | NEXT YR'S SALARY | THIS YR'S SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saturday | 4 hrs | — | — | 4 hrs |
| 2 | Tuesday | 4 hrs | — | — | 4 hrs |
| 3 | Wednesday | 2 hrs | 2 hrs | 2 hrs | 2 hrs |
| 4 | Thursday | — | 4 hrs | 4 hrs | — |
| 5 | Friday | — | 4 hrs | 4 hrs | — |
| WEEKLY TOTAL | 10 hrs | 10 hrs | 10 hrs | 10 hrs | |
CHAPPS gives union workers and bargaining unit employees the documentation, structure, and pay system to negotiate from a position of power. Join and get everything you need to bring CHAPPS to your workplace.