CBP officer

[merlin436]

Yeah, none of this really makes sense. The government will justify their actions by saying they want a fresh candidate group because they haven't had an exam in a long time. The very fact that the government can post another job on usajobs.gov is just another statistic for the Department of Labor to say the country is improving and Obama is doing a great job turning this country around. It's all just propaganda that has our hopes up that sometime soon we might be working for DHS. To think that a majority of candidates in TSU will be in the academy within the next year... or two years is unrealistic going by the 2009-present hiring process. We have what... 1,000 - 1,500 or maybe more candidates in TSU or close to it ready to work for CBP? How many guys and girls were actually hired in the last year in a half? I honestly don't have any idea what those numbers are but I can only imagine... maybe 250? At this rate, it will take 4-6 years to deplete the current TSU list! Now they are going to possibly have another exam? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. The government doesn't make sense but I think we already knew that.

I did some checking around...CBP hired over 2300 CBPOs in FY07, over 2900 CBPOs in FY08, and over 2900 CBPOs in FY09.

This year, they've hired just over 150 so far.

What the hiring numbers will be as far as 2011 goes is anybody's guess...but I'll bet that most, if not everybody currently in TSU today will get an offer before the end of 2011...if they stay in the process.

[seeOH]

I did some checking around...CBP hired over 2300 CBPOs in FY07, over 2900 CBPOs in FY08, and over 2900 CBPOs in FY09.

This year, they've hired just over 150 so far.

What the hiring numbers will be as far as 2011 goes is anybody's guess...but I'll bet that most, if not everybody currently in TSU today will get an offer before the end of 2011...if they stay in the process.

I'm actually shocked that they hired that many in FY09. Then again, not everyone that goes to FLETC posts on officer.com As for this year, 150 is about right. Thanks for doing the research. I appreciate your time and effort.

[Thek9]

I'm actually shocked that they hired that many in FY09. Then again, not everyone that goes to FLETC posts on officer.com As for this year, 150 is about right. Thanks for doing the research. I appreciate your time and effort.

I hope the 150 this year realize there good fortune and do/done well in FLETC.

[Lamp Lighter]

I had drinks with a friend of mine last night who works at HQ. He asked me if I had heard anything about the CBPO position I had applied for. When I said no he said that he wasn't surprised and that the budget shortfall CBP is facing is crippling the agency. He also said the overtime that current CBPOs are getting is obscene.

[PL07]

We are getting large amounts of overtime and some officers are getting forced at my port.

[merlin436]

There is always somebody, somewhere pulling in large amounts of OT. It's also true that many Officers see little at all.
It's always best not to count of seeing much in OT. That way, if you happen to get into one of the many situations where OT is sparce...you're prepared for it.


In my corner of the agency I'm actually about $1500 short of where I was last year, as I recall...I finished with just over 8K in OT earnings FY09.

[cross.sandiego]

Let me say: I'm damn glad to be here but...

He also said the overtime that current CBPOs are getting is obscene.

What does he think is the obscene part? The 2x regular pay part? Maybe it's that the port is chronically XX% understaffed 'round the clock so it has to rely on volunteers to maintain minimum operational staffing levels (if not for officer safety purposes). Could he be irritated because if there are not enough volunteers, the draft calls start going out? Oh and forget about going to the kid's soccer game - you've got a job tonight/this morning! Wedding anniversary? Report to lane 23. When was the last time he manned a vehicle primary booth for a shift lasting from 0800 hrs to 2400 hrs? When was the last time he had to do it twice or three times in one week?

We were all informed that OT would be part of the job, but really? There has to be a better solution. Don't get me wrong. We all have bills to pay. San Diego is an expensive town and the extra $ sure makes it easier. That said, for many it's not about the money. They'd prefer to have a bit more balance in their lives, but here, everybody does OT. None are exempt. even the 12s and 13s have been getting hammered.

Tell your bud at HQ we need more bodies. The staffing models here on the SW border are skewed. Logic would dictate bringing in 5s and 7s to back-fill watch bill vacancies is a more cost effective option than having a gaggle of 11-step-whatevers on double-pay manning those same posts. And then when all those 11s go over pro-rate, the lowest jr. officers get reamed. I thought it was a bad strategy when I was the draft-bi*ch, and even though I'm negative money for the last several pay periods, I still say it needs to be re-thought.

[kc12]

Paying O/T is cheaper than hiring new people. It always has been and unless O/T is drasitcally increased it always will be. The G only has to pay for medical, vacations, uniforms, sick time, social security has a cap, once per person person. These don't go up based on the amount of work a person does (social security does until it hits the cap). If it takes three people to do the work of four then money has been saved by not hiring the fourth person.

[cross.sandiego]

Paying O/T is cheaper than hiring new people.

If Paying OT is cheaper, then we're saving the agency money. How can a person at HQ justify a statement like that if paying us the OT rate is the more cost effective measure? If HQ truly thinks our OT is obscene then hire more officers. If not they are either hypocrites or just have their heads shoved up their arses. Which is it?

[merlin436]

I'd be curious to know just when it reaches the point that it does 'pay' to hire new people.

A GS-05 working 60 hour weeks will make roughly what I do as a GS-11 working 40 hour weeks. Assuming 'hard ot' -that is OT that needs to be assigned for whatever reason, regardless of cost...I really wonder where and when 'break-even' is reached. Added to it all...future GS-12's. Pretty soon it'll cost that much more to fill shifts with GS-12 journeymen...and people will start to cap out that much sooner working fewer hours of OT.

[PL07]

If and when the GS 12s come, they will be forced to hire due to GS 12s maxing out the OT.

[merlin436]

I would think so...at least in many ports.

I suppose they could try moving OT around so that Officers in ports seeing the least amount of OT would then be seeing more. I somehow doubt it though. If they're not spreading out the OT to relieve the most over-burdened PoEs as of today then they'll probably won't be all that open to spreading it out tomorrow either.

[Cman21]

I know some CBP officers that work at Newark Airport and they say that every year they max out their OT. I believe it's 35,000k.

[merlin436]

The total premium pay cap is currently $35K. That includes OT, as well as differentials, holiday pay, etc.

[tc05sti]

im going to imagine they do away with the cap when the 12's are in effect