2019 - 2023 SCLEAMemorandum of Understanding: Article 14: Hours and Overtime

Sonoma County Law Enforcement Association

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14.1 Application

This Article is intended only as a basis for outlining standards for hours of work, work schedules and a basis for calculating overtime payments. Hours specified under Section 14.2, Types of Employment, indicate a commitment by the County to the normal maximum hours each employee is to be regularly scheduled, as long as there is sufficient work.

14.2 Types of Employment

Full Time: An allocated position which is regularly scheduled for eighty (80) hours of work in a bi-weekly pay period.

Part Time: An allocated position which is regularly scheduled for less than eighty (80) hours of work in a bi-weekly pay period.

Extra Help: A non-allocated assignment of duties which is defined in the Civil Service Rules.

14.3 Work Schedules

The County reserves the right to establish and modify work schedules consistent with this Memorandum.

14.4 Flex-Time Schedule

The County reserves the right to utilize a flex-time schedule. Employees assigned to a flex-time schedule will be eligible for overtime only when the hours worked exceed eighty (80) in a pay period or as otherwise required by law. The County reserves the right to discontinue the flex-time schedule and reassign an employee to a normal daily work schedule based on the operational needs of the department.

14.5 Posting of Work Schedules

For the convenience of employees, work schedules will be posted in advance.

14.6 Work Schedule Change

The County reserves the right to establish and modify individual work schedules. Except in cases where emergency operations require less notice or an employee requests a schedule change, a notice of change in an individual’s work schedule arising from other than transfer, promotion, or for light duty accommodation shall be given to the affected employee not less than seven (7) calendar days prior to the effective date of the schedule change. Notice shall include email, written notice, or posted schedule. Failure to give the seven (7) day notice (the first day being the day after notification) to a full-time employee shall entitle the affected employee to overtime compensation for all hours actually worked on the new schedule that vary from the employee’s previous regular work schedule until seven (7) calendar days notice is given. The County shall not ask employees to waive the seven days’ notice.

If any full-time employee has been given seven (7) calendar days advance notice of a shift change and the shift change results in the employee doubling back to work the new shift after leaving the work site, all hours worked on the new shift within the employee’s same work day as the former shift will be paid at the employee’s base rate, not at overtime, except as otherwise required by law. Part-time employees shall not be paid overtime for changes in schedule unless it results in an employee working over a normal work shift (8 or 10 or more hours) in a regular work day or over eighty (80) hours in a pay period. The term “emergency operations” shall be construed to mean the performance of County functions or services necessary, in the opinion of the County, to protect or preserve the lives, safety, health, or property of the County or the public it serves, but “emergency operations” shall not be construed to mean situations where the County knew in advance of non-emergency situations and could have reasonably planned for any work schedule change necessary to adequately cope with the situation.

Article 14.6 will be effective June 14, 2019.

14.7 Statutory Overtime for the Non-Exempt Employee

Overtime for the non-exempt employee is divided into statutory overtime and non-statutory overtime. Statutory overtime is overtime that is required by law. Currently, for the non-sworn, non-exempt employee it is defined as all hours worked in excess of forty (40) hours in a regular 7-day work period. Statutory overtime for the sworn, non-exempt employee is defined as all hours worked in excess of eighty-six (86) hours in a 14-day work period (which currently coincides with the pay period).

14.8 Non-Statutory Overtime

Non-statutory overtime for the non-sworn, non-exempt employee is defined as hours in paid status, except sick leave, in excess of forty (40) hours in a 7-day work period. For the sworn, non-exempt employee and for the exempt employee, non-statutory overtime is defined as hours in paid status, except sick leave, in excess of eighty (80) in a regular 14-day work period. Non-statutory overtime for all employees is also defined as hours in paid status, except sick leave, in excess of the normal full-time daily work shift established by the Department Head or any other circumstance except Section 14.6 where overtime pay is provided in this Memorandum.

Non-statutory overtime, as described above, will include sick leave hours for employees subject to mandatory overtime in excess of 20 hours per month, including block training, for two consecutive months prior to activation of this rule. For purposes of this Section, “mandatory overtime” refers to a monthly administratively established number of hours for which employees are required to sign up.

In the event an Emergency schedule change results in mandatory overtime falling below 20 hours (including block training), inclusion of sick leave in the non-statutory overtime calculation will be subject to meet and confer.

14.9 Assignment of Overtime

A Department Head may require and authorize an employee to work overtime if such overtime is essential to the continuing efficient operation of the Department in which the employee works. No employee shall work overtime unless authorized by the employee’s designated supervisor.

14.10 Overtime Earned

Overtime shall be earned at the rate of one and one half (1-1/2) hours for each one (1) hour of overtime worked.

14.11 Overtime Compensation

Exempt employees shall be compensated for accrued overtime either in cash at the employee’s base hourly rate or as compensatory time off. Non-exempt employees shall first be compensated for statutory overtime in cash at the employee’s regular rate of pay. Additional overtime earned by the non-exempt employee shall be compensated either in cash at the employee’s base hourly rate or as compensatory time off. The employee assigned to overtime shall make a choice whether to be compensated in cash or in compensatory time until a maximum of forty (40) hours of compensatory time have been accrued. The Department Head in each County department has the right to specify how an employee will be compensated for overtime after (40) hours of compensatory time have been accumulated and until a maximum of one hundred and twenty (120) hours of compensatory time have been accumulated. When one hundred twenty (120) hours of compensatory time are accumulated, the department will compensate the employee in cash for any additional overtime worked.
Notwithstanding the language in Section 14.11.a above, the Department Head may require overtime worked to relieve compensatory time off to be paid in cash.

14.12 Approval for Compensatory Time Off

No employee shall take compensatory time off without prior approval of the employee’s Department Head. The Department Head shall attempt to schedule such time off at the time agreeable to the employee.

14.13 Requests for Compensatory Time Payments

Each employee may request payment for any or all of the employee’s current balance of compensatory time off with the employee’s normal pay for any pay period.

14.14 Compensatory Time Payment at Separation

Each employee who is separated from County service shall be entitled to payment for accrued compensatory time at the employee’s base hourly rate at the time of the employee’s separation.

14.15 Half-Time Pay Provision

If overtime compensation causes an employee’s total regular hours in a pay period to be less than the employee’s ongoing schedule then the overtime hours shall be compensated at straight time and the employee shall receive half-time compensation at the base hourly rate in cash or in compensatory time off, in accordance with Section 14.11.

14.16 Overtime Not Cumulative

Overtime eligibility provisions are not cumulative. An employee shall not be entitled to multiple overtime compensation even though more than one overtime condition in this Memorandum may apply.

14.17 Non-Applicability of FLSA

In the event FLSA is rendered inapplicable to the County, either by legislative or judicial action, then the County shall, from the effective date of such action, consider all overtime as non-statutory and assign all employees to a fourteen-day (14) regular work period.

14.18 Shift Bidding ― Detention

The County will maintain the existing shift bidding policy during the term of this agreement. Association grievances concerning the interpretation, application or alleged violation of Section 14.18.a. are subject to the grievance procedure under Article 30 of this MOU.
Any individual grievance concerning the interpretation, application or alleged violation of the shift bidding policy shall be subject only to the Departmental Grievance Procedure as set forth in this MOU; and any such individual grievance is hereby expressly excluded from the Grievance Procedure as set forth in Article 30 of this MOU.