COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
SUBJECT:
title
Ratification of Edgewater Professional Firefighter International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 4575, Lieutenant, Driver Engineer and Firefighter Collective Bargaining Agreement.
body
DEPARTMENT:
Human Resources
SUMMARY: The changes in this agreement are presented in the underlined and strikethrough format. The changes are as follows:
Ø Article 14 - Shift Exchanges -
§ 14.1 Add: The ability to conduct shift exchanges is a right that members of the Edgewater Fire-Rescue Department are entitled to. Regulations regarding shift swaps shall be governed by a reasonable policy mutually agreed upon by the Fire Chief and President of IAFF Local 4575.
§ 14.1 Remove: Shift exchanges are primarily intended, but not limited to education, training, and certification purposes.
§ 14.2 Remove: Employees wishing to participate in a shift exchange, shall submit the request utilizing an approved department software to obtain permission from their supervisors. The shift exchange must comply with the current staffing matrix and shall not reduce the number of staffed units at the time of the request.
§ 14.3 Remove: The employee’s performing the shift exchange must have equal qualifications related to their primary assigned job duties. (i.e. Paramedic for Paramedic, Driver Engineer for Driver Engineer, Driver Engineer for a ride-up Driver Engineer, Lieutenant for Lieutenant, and Lieutenant for a ride-up Lieutenant).
§ 14.5 Remove: The employee agreeing to work the duty period shall be accountable for the exchanged duty shift. Should the individual agreeing to work the shift exchange be absent, sick, injured, or tardy, then PTO, vacation, floating holiday, or sick time will be charged to the employee agreeing to work the exchange. Failure to work an agreed to shift exchange or abuse of shift exchange privileges may result in discipline to that individual including revocation of shift exchange privileges in the discretion of the Fire Chief.
Ø Article 21 - Hours of Work and Overtime -
§ 21.2.3 Add: The requirement of extra time and mandating members may be necessary to fulfill the department’s staffing requirements. Regulations regarding call-back and unscheduled assignments will be governed by a mutually agreed-upon policy between the Fire Chief and the President of IAFF Local 4575. This policy will include, but not be limited to, the notifications process, tracking procedures, selection process, and the process for addressing immediate staffing needs.
§ 21.2.3 Remove: Notification of available extra time and/or overtime hours, forty-eight (48) hours or more from the vacancy or staff shortage, shall be transmitted via email and text utilizing an approved software. An overtime log of extra time and/or overtime hours scheduled or worked shall be maintained, and visually available for accessible to all members, for use in selecting employees for the available extra time and/or overtime opportunities. The Fire Chief or his designee shall send the notification utilizing the approved software. All eligible members will have, twelve (12) hours, from the time the notification was sent, to respond. No response, by an eligible member, shall be appropriately annotated as a denial of the extra time and/or overtime. The extra time and/or overtime opportunity shall first be offered on rank for rank basis (i.e. Firefighter for Firefighter, Driver Engineer for Driver Engineer, and Lieutenant for Lieutenant) to the qualified employee with the least amount of extra time and/or overtime hours logged. If the members of the same rank needing coverage do not accept the overtime, all other eligible ranks shall be notified. In the case of employees with equal hours logged, extra time and/or overtime shall first be offered based off higher seniority. The extra time and/or overtime shall be offered as the entire time on such shift time to be covered. In the case the overtime log is exhausted to fill the entire shift, partial coverage may be offered to fill the vacancy or staff shortage for the shift. In the event the overtime log has been exhausted and coverage is still required, the Reserve Firefighter (part time employee) list shall be utilized. If the Reserve Firefighter list is exhausted, mandatory extra time and/or overtime may be issued as outlined in Section 21.2.5, by the Fire Chief or his designee for the vacancy or staff shortage. Members may receive a telephone call, after notification has been sent out, to coordinate the filling of extra time and/or overtime.
§ 21.2.4 Remove: Notification of available extra time and/or overtime hours, less than forty-eight (48) hours from the vacancy or staff shortage, shall be transmitted via email and text utilizing an approved software. An overtime log of extra time and/or overtime hours scheduled or worked shall be maintained, and visually available or accessible to all members, for use in selecting employees for the available extra time and/or overtime opportunities. The Fire Chief or his designee shall send the notification utilizing the approved software. All eligible members will have one (1) hour, from the time the notification was sent, to respond. No response, by an eligible member, shall be appropriately annotated as a denial of the extra time and/or overtime. The extra time and/or overtime opportunity shall first be offered on rank for rank basis to the qualified employee currently on shift with the least amount of extra time and/or overtime hours logged. If the members of the same rank needing coverage do not accept the overtime, all other eligible ranks shall be notified. In the case of employees with equal hours logged, extra time and/or overtime shall first be offered based off higher seniority. The extra time and/or overtime shall be offered as the entire time on such shift time to be covered. In the case the overtime log is exhausted to fill the entire shift, partial coverage may be offered to fill the vacancy or staff shortage for the shift. In the event the overtime log has been exhausted and coverage is still required, the Reserve Firefighter (part time employee) list may be utilized. If the Reserve Firefighter list is exhausted, mandatory overtime may be issued, as outlined in Section 21.2.5 by the Fire Chief or his designee for the vacancy or staff shortage. Members may receive a telephone call, after notification has been sent out, to coordinate the filling of extra time and/or overtime.
§ 21.2.5 Remove: Every effort will be made to fill mandatory extra time and/or overtime with a qualified member coming off shift utilizing a rank for rank basis. The mandatory overtime seniority log shall be utilized when selecting the qualified member for mandatory extra time, overtime, or call back. The qualified member shall be selected from the bottom of the mandatory overtime seniority log, provided such overtime does not permit the member to work in excess of fifty (50) hours unless for extraordinary circumstances and approved by the Fire Chief or his designee. When members are mandated they are to be placed at the top of their seniority list.
Ø Article 29 - Wages -
§ For fiscal year, 2024-2025, all eligible employees shall receive a 5% increase in their hourly rate of pay the first full pay cycle in the month of October. The 5% increase for fiscal year 2024-2025 will be subject to the City Council appropriating sufficient funds in the budget to fund the pay increase pursuant to § 447.309(2)(b), Florida Statutes. Employees are not eligible for this increase until they have successfully completed their new-hire probation and been deemed a regular employee. For fiscal year 2024-2025, in addition to the increase above, the City agrees to meet with the IAFF in January 2025 to discuss possible additional pay increases for fiscal year 2024-2025. This shall not be considered a reopening of this Agreement. Any agreements reached through the meeting and discussion process will be subject to ratification by both parties.
Ø Exhibit A - Update seniority list
BUDGETED ITEM: ☒ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not Applicable
BUDGET AMENDMENT REQUIRED: ☐ Yes ☒ No ☐ Not Applicable
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Motion to approve the October 1, 2022 - September 30, 2025 Edgewater Professional Firefighters IAFF Lieutenant, Driver Engineer and Firefighter Collective Bargaining Agreement for the fiscal year 2024/2025 and authorize the Mayor to execute the agreement.