HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994-03-22 - AGENDA REPORTS - EARTHQUAKE EXEMPT OVERTIME (2)AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR
City,/,WAager Approval
be presented by:
George Caravalho
DATE: March 22, 1994
SUBJECT: EARTHQUAKE EXEMPT EMPLOYEE OVERTIME
DEPARTMENT: City Manager
During the weeks after the earthquake, City employees, Police, Fire Department and many other
agencies maintained 24 hour operations. The Emergency Operations Center, shelters, medical
facilities and other facilities were fully operational and serving the needs of the community. As
you well know, large amounts of overtime were worked by the employees of these agencies and
their personal needs at home were temporarily set aside. A majority of these employees were
compensated with time and a half overtime pay for these long hours worked. Exempt
employees (employees exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act requiring overtime pay),
however, received no compensation for their extraordinary efforts.
We have investigated the possibility of reimbursing exempt employees for overtime worked
during the disaster. During the first two weeks of the disaster, non-exempt employees worked
5,137 hours of overtime, or approximately 24 hrs. per week per employee. Exempt employees,
during this period, worked 2,648 hours overtime, or approximately 28 hours per week during
the same period, Non-exempt employees were compensated for all overtime hours worked at
time and one-half in the amount of $122,844.00 for this two week period. Exempt employees,
however, received no compensation for the extra hours worked. The value of the hours worked
is approximately $88,400.00.
RECOMMENDATION
I believe that in these unusual circumstances exempt employees should receive some form of
incentive pay for the overtime worked during the first two weeks of the disaster to encourage
extraordinary performance in any future emergency situation. I recommend the City offer
exempt employees the option of taking their overtime hours worked during the fust two weeks
in the form of payment at a straight time rate or to accrue the hours as vacation. This would
be a one time action and does not set precedence for other overtime worked by exempt
employees. Payment would be limited to the overtime hours worked during the first two weeks
of the disaster even though employees continued to work many hours of overtime for several
weeks thereafter.
agnrpt.xe p.dmg APPROVED
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