Firefighter overtime still an issue in DC
Since Washington, D.C., fire chief Kenneth Ellerbe took over the Fire and Emergency Medical Services department, overtime employee attendance expenses have decreased by more than 50 percent, the Washington Examiner reports.
However, the department still exceeded its budget by $1 million in fiscal year 2011, which ended last month. Additionally, more than half of the 176 outstanding grievances against the department are related to time and attendance compensation, with dozens of workers claiming they are still owed overtime pay, according to the firefighters union.
At a recent hearing before the D.C. Council's Judiciary Committee, Ellerbe presented a proposal to switch from 12-hour shifts to 24-hour shifts. This would require firefighters to work more often but for less time, which would reduce the need for overtime expenses.
First responders such as police and firefighters traditionally accrue high levels of overtime due to the nature of their jobs. To reduce overtime, the fire department of Charleston, West Virginia, is looking into reducing sick time, according to the Charleston Daily Mail.
However, the department still exceeded its budget by $1 million in fiscal year 2011, which ended last month. Additionally, more than half of the 176 outstanding grievances against the department are related to time and attendance compensation, with dozens of workers claiming they are still owed overtime pay, according to the firefighters union.
At a recent hearing before the D.C. Council's Judiciary Committee, Ellerbe presented a proposal to switch from 12-hour shifts to 24-hour shifts. This would require firefighters to work more often but for less time, which would reduce the need for overtime expenses.
First responders such as police and firefighters traditionally accrue high levels of overtime due to the nature of their jobs. To reduce overtime, the fire department of Charleston, West Virginia, is looking into reducing sick time, according to the Charleston Daily Mail.
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