Policy and Shift Changes...

[Hale]

Okay we will start working 12's in December.. The shifts will be 2on, 2off, 3on, 2off. 7a-7p. 60hrs per week. every other weekend off. Only comp time so you will have 80hrs of comp time in a month....
My question is how does this comp time work?

[Hale]

does anyone know how comp time works?

[Cannady]

Generally it works like vacation time around here, but that's a lot of comp time to dump off.

[ateamer]

Comp time depends on your contract/collective bargaining agreement. Ours is that we get 1-1/2 hours paid time off for every hour worked, and have a cap of 40 hours comp time on the books. There is no deadline for taking the time off - it stays on the books until it is used. Not too many people use comp time - most everyone with more than a year on takes the cash for overtime.

[LaPlaca]

Ours is 1.5-1 also. 1.5 hrs for every hour worked. Ours caps at 80 hours though. We use it like vacation time as well. If we are out sick we can burn it before the sick time. 80 hours comp time in a month is HUGE. We work 4-10's. If we work on a holiday it automatically goes into the comp time bank. we dont get 'holiday pay'. So if I work xmas i get 10hrs x 1.5 for 15hrs of comp time. If I work OT i can choose to take the pay or get comp time for it.

[VA Dutch]

It is likely cheaper for them to give you "comp" time than it is to pay overtime. If you work enough to get several hours of comp time, you just take time off (ours was typically given as an extra day off every so often) -- rather than getting paid time and a half for the overtime.

We'd all love to have more money, but the fact remains that free time is so precious nowadays.....so use it when you can.


In my civilian job, I would love to get comp time. Heck, I would be off at least one day every other week - as I ALWAYS go way over forty hours. LOL!

[Hale]

In N.C. we do not have collective bargaining... Thanks for all the input.... This is gonna suck.

[ShepXD]

There is a standard 12 hour schedule:

2 on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off. Repeat.

This schedule gives you 84 hours in a 2 week period, and you have the option of running one 8 hour shift on one of the days to make it 80 hours even. Most departments use this schedule, so why is your department using a variation that makes it harder on everyone and more complicated by adding 80 hours of comp time?

[Hale]

I didnt really understand the shift lol. That sounds more like it because they said we would have every other weekend off.... I had about 30 minutes to take in all the schedule changes and new policy changes on some things...
So thanks for clearing it up shep.

[Flying Pig]

When I worked 12's we circumvented the 4 hrs by taking an early or late day.

Based on seniority, one day per each 2 week period, you selected whether you wanted to come in 4 hrs late or leave 4 hrs early. We worked 6am-6pm or 6pm-6am. We had an over lap shift that worked 4pm-2am. Worked pretty good.
Especially if you had the seniority, getting your early day on your Friday worked nice.

[oneoldcop]

also don't forget flsa rules; simply put, if you are on a 1 week schedule you can be required to work 43 hours before you qualify for OT; 2 weeks = 86 hrs; they can also put you on a 28 day pay schedule and that is 172 hrs that you must physically work before qualifying for OT.

Usually they just want you to take it off sometime during the pay period to cut OT costs.

[katseiye]

Our policy allows for 400 hrs accumulated comp time. However, since we're short on manpower frequently and they cut OT because the budget gets blown, you put in for comp at 1 1/2 times and they still put it on the books.

Our most proliferate officer has over 1400 hrs comp accumulated When he finally goes he'll be rolling phat with everthing he's accumulated in his time banks. So I guess ours isn't that restrictive.

[Smurfette_76]

That doesn't translate to 80 hours a month comp time. That's the standard schedule for 12s and its 84/two weeks. Where in the world did you get 80 hours of comp a month? It's 60 hours work one week, 24 the next with a total of 84 every two weeks.

[Hale]

I was soooooo confused.... HUSH lol

[Smurfette_76]

LOL. It happens. Don't sweat the new schedule and look on the bright side. When you want to take off, take the 24 hours on the short week and you'll be off from Sunday at 1900 to the next Monday morning at 0700. Not bad.