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Labor Policy relating to overtime
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. Government operations and services should be managed as efficiently as possible.
2. Scheduling employees to work overtime is sometimes necessary-for example,
for continuity or cost-effectiveness of operations-but should not serve as a substitute for sound management practices.
3. Overtime entails sacrifice by employees who are asked or required to work longer hours than usual, and sometimes entails additional cost to the county.
4. No employee should be required or permitted to work so much overtime that his or her health or safety, or the health or safety of others, is unnecessarily placed at risk, or that the quality or productivity of government operations or services is substantially impaired.
5. Like all employers, King County is bound by the requirements of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the Washington Minimum Wage Act, which require overtime pay for certain employees under certain circumstances.
FOR THE FOREGOING REASONS, LP 2010-031, Section 1.18, and LAB 5-020 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
Overtime. ((In providing essential regional services, King County, from time to time, schedules employees for overtime work. It shall be the policy of King County that overtime shall be assigned sparingly to respond to unforeseen circumstances. Overtime should not be used as a means to accomplish day to day work.)) Subject to the county's collective bargaining obligations and applicable law, the county executive shall pursue as a goal in collective bargaining an agreement that is supportive of the following:
A. Overtime should be required or permitted only when necessary-for example, for continuity or cost-effectiveness of operations-and not as a substitute for efficient scheduling or adequate staffing.
B. In assigning and administering overtime, managers should continue to give appropriate consideration to the health and safety of employees and the public, the quality and productivity of services, and the need to maintain an appropriate staffing level for operations.
C. To reduce unemployment, the county should hire or recall employees in preference to paying current employees to work overtime if doing so is cost-effective, taking into consideration all applicable costs, such as training, benefits and equipment.
D. Job classifications that are not required by law to be compensated on an hourly basis should be compensated on a salaried basis whenever possible.
E. Vacations, compensatory time off and other forms of scheduled leave should be coordinated to minimize the use of overtime to cover for employees who are on leave.
The committee determines that this labor policy shall be maintained as confidential OR
_x made public.
Adopted by the Labor Policy Committee on June 25, 2012 by the following vote:
Yes: 8 - Mr. Phillips, Mr. Gossett, Ms. Patterson, Ms. Lambert, Mr. Ferguson, Mr. McDermott, Mr. von Reichbauer and Mr. Dunn
No: 0
Excused: 1 - Ms. Hague
King County, Washington
_________________________
Chair
Attest:
______________________________, Clerk of the Council