4/2 & sick incentive

[Guest guest]

We work a 4/2 schedule of 8 hour shifts with a 20 minute briefing before

shift starts. This schedule is worked by all uniformed personnel - officers

(sworn) and dispatchers & paramedics (not sworn). The difference is that

dispatchers & paramedics are considered salaried employees.

Our payroll period is 14 days long. We work 2 payroll periods with 10 work

days followed with 1 payroll period with 8 work days.

Our annual wage is divided by the number of " normal " work days in the year

(usually about 250 or 252) to get our daily rate. This the amount we are

paid for every day we work (plus shift differential, out of class, etc.).

The daily rate is divided by 8 to get our hourly rate. The hourly rate is

used for accounting of time off of less than a whole day or overtime.

Our contract defines overtime as more than 8 hours in a calendar day or more

than 40 hours in a calendar week. We also get the choice of 8 hours overtime

or 8 hours comp time for each holiday worked (13 holidays in our contract).

If you do not work the holiday, you have the choice of 8 hours pay at

straight time or 8 hours comp time.

Some centers seem to have a sick leave problem. We used to have one. We get

65 paid sick days per year. They renew on January 1st so next January, all

of us will have 65 days, again. Needless to say, some employees found very

inventive ways to use this benefit. We now have a Sick Incentive Benefit.

For each calendar month in which an employee does not use any sick leave,

he/she will receive 4 hours compensation as comp time or pay. Comp time can

be used as earned. Approximately the first of December, any sick incentive

time not used or scheduled is paid to the employee. The " good " employee is

rewarded with 6 extra days off or an extra 6 days pay just before the

holidays. The " bad " employee says he/she could care less but he/she realizes

that one day " sick " last month and one day " sick " this month could have been

8 hours off whenever he/she wanted it and would have saved the trip to the

boss' office to discuss " health issues " . Most employees will come to work on

those questionable days to earn the sick incentive.

I didn't mean for this to be this long. I'm almost into mode. <smile>

Kibby

Senior Dispatcher

Town of Tonawanda, NY