The day after Thanksgiving, commonly known as Black Friday, will be a holiday for the government of Guam. Krystal Paco-San Agustin, the governor’s communications director, said the governor will be issuing an executive order to declare the holiday on November 29, 2024.
Guam governors have discretion to declare local holidays. Former Governor Eddie Calvo declared the Black Friday holiday for most of his eight years in office; Lou Leon Guerrero has not. Making the day after Thanksgiving – a GovGuam holiday by law – a holiday provides most GovGuam employees with four-day weekends. Mr. Calvo reasoned in his tenure that providing the holiday, which is considered to be the busiest shopping day of the year, encouraged spending in retail outlets throughout the island, stimulating economic growth.
It is unclear at this time what Ms. Leon Guerrero’s reasons are for making the declaration.
Normally when governors declare holidays that are outside the ones listed by law, the executive branch would need to account for holiday pay for those employees required to work on those holidays, such as police officers, medics, nurses, and doctors.
The audited financials of the government of Guam show five straight years of budgetary surpluses.
