Overtime and Compensatory Time Because of the unique nature of the duties and emergency response obligations of the Division, management reserves the right to assign employees to work overtime as needed.
Compensatory Time Off a. An employee in the bargaining unit shall have the option to elect to take compensatory time off in lieu of cash compensation for overtime work. Compensatory time off shall be granted at the appropriate rate of overtime in accordance with Section 6 of this Article (Overtime).
Overtime/Compensatory Time Overtime shall be paid for all hours worked in excess of the regularly scheduled workday. Compensatory time may be earned, in lieu of overtime, with prior mutual agreement between the employee and employer, for overtime hours or hours earned under 18.7 or 18.8 of this article. In no case will compensatory time be allowed, in lieu of overtime once the employee has reached the compensatory time limit in 18.10. Upon separation from employment, employees will be paid for any unused compensatory time.
Compensatory Time A Bargaining Unit member may choose to take compensatory time in lieu of overtime compensation if such choice is indicated during the tour of duty in which the overtime is worked. Compensatory time shall be credited to the Bargaining Unit member and accumulated at the rate of one and one-half (1 ½) hours for each overtime hour worked. Each Bargaining Unit member’s compensatory time bank shall be limited in accumulation to a maximum number of two hundred forty (240) hours. Once a Bargaining Unit member has reached the maximum hours of compensatory time as compensation for overtime hours worked, all additional overtime will be paid. The Bargaining Unit member may choose to carry over any balance into the following year. Any balance of compensatory time carried over into the following year shall count towards the two hundred forty (240) hour cap in that year. Compensatory time off must be taken at a time agreeable to the Department and the Bargaining Unit member. Approval for compensatory time off shall not be unreasonably withheld. Compensatory time off should be requested as far in advance as possible but no later than forty eight (48) hours in advance. When Bargaining Unit members request compensatory time off at least 45 calendar days in advance, the employer will, within five (5) working days of the request being made, notify the member whether or not his/her request has been approved. Approval for compensatory time shall not be unreasonably withheld. As soon as the employer notifies the member that his/her request has been approved, and if the employer determines that the shift will be filled, the employer will post the overtime assignment to cover the member’s request. If there are no volunteers to cover this need for overtime, and if the employer determines that the shift will be filled, a mandate to cover the shift will occur no less than seven (7) calendar days in advance of the beginning of the shift that needs to be covered. The employee being mandated will have the lowest number of overtime hours worked and will be notified by a supervisor. In the event the employee being mandated is on an approved leave and cannot be provided seven
