PAX Centurion - May / June 2013

Page 16 • PAX CENTURION • May/June 2013 617-989-BPPA (2772) A s the Bargaining Process presses on the issue of Compen- satory Time has caused extensive discussions. When it is earned, who decides if it is comp time or overtime pay, when we can use it, and how much of it we can use are in conten- tion. I have received quite an education on comp time, how it has been and is used throughout the history of the Department. I have also seen how the Department values the flexibility that Comp Time gives them on how they utilize officers, both on duty and off. I have also been enlightened to what our predecessors were thinking when they ensured a piece of the Collective BargainingAgree- ment, specificallyArticle 4 Section B, was included. That piece states “Employees shall not be required to accept compensatory time off in lieu of monetary compensation for overtime service.” Finally I have realized how an informal system (for lack of a better term), never properly bargained, has benefited concerned parties as well as been an albatross to the same parties. We have all heard about the “old timers” who preached the “make ‘em pay” philosophy. They would rather use a hundred contractually guaranteed days than do a single swap to save the City money. Some may still subscribe to that idea. Time has allowed us to come to a partial resolution to that issue. We have a bargained provision in our contract that allows for swaps at the commander’s discretion. I do not believe I was a police officer when this was bargained and therefore not a member of our Bargaining Commit- tee I can only speculate how this came about. What I do know is the BPPA and the City (most likely in an effort to reduce absences and improve planning) created a system that allows an officer to work a tour of duty without pay for the 95% guarantee he could take a tour off with pay at a later date of his choosing at the commanders discretion. I say 95% because if the world came crumbling down the commander would have the right to call you in. I acknowledge that that very rarely happens. Within this there is an agreement that a “body for body swap” is permitted at the commander’s discretion. I’d assume that the BPPA wanted to ensure the opportunity to at least make it possible for officers to get time off to fit their personal schedules periodically without having to “burn a day” and the City agreed to these terms. We have also seen the instances when the Department has al- lowed an officer to work out of turn for a particular event. Some- times it’s at the request of the officer; usually it’s at the request/ direction of the Department or City. It always holds some benefit to the Department and/or the City but not necessarily for the officer. Whether it’s a meeting about the hot spots in a district and the people involved or an early morning sweep some of the people are hand- picked. I realize that how an officer does his job, the style of policing he uses, has bearing on the supervisor’s decisions as to who attends. I believe that hard work should be recognized. There must be a way that eliminates any managerial favoritism. We work very hard to A question of Comp Time… respect seniority and to operate under the low-man principle with regard to details and overtime. There are provisions in place that in very particular instances allow for the “needs of the department” to take precedence in cases of overtime. I wonder if there could be one in place for compensatory time or should those particular instances always be overtime based on clearly articulated facts for said need? For that to happen there must be two willing groups that at least want to work together to see if the creation of such a method is plausible. If that system doesn’t exist then overtime or comp time would be at the discretion of the low man or the officer that the Department can prove has a special skill set that shows he alone can perform that particular mission or task. There is also the question of community outreach. There are a great number of officers that do work with children and community groups. There are instances when the officers are clearly representing the Department and City in some ceremonial function. They do that as ambassadors of the Department. There are also times that people that also happen to be police of- ficers do it on their own time, their own dime, as dads, moms or just caring, concerned people. It is not unreasonable that an officer, on or off duty, when acting as a representative of the Department be compensated for his time one way or another. I do not believe any person gets involved in these types of events for money or time off. That is obvious by how many of us do these things away from the Department. I’m sure there would still be programs run and staffed by people who are also police officers (just not representing the Department) if the Department didn’t value the positive recognition they get for these things. I understand and appreciate that with the time they allow and what they provide to these programs the Depart- ment is a fully vested partner in the programs. I hope they realize that our commitment to these programs as representatives makes an equal partner. I would ask that you all keep in mind something. We are a Union. We work together. Please recognize that if we operate outside of the system we have established we are hurting two people. The obvious is the guy that was the low man or “should have gotten it”.You or I, the person perform the work, is the other. We work outside of our 40 hours for less than time and a half. We do 8 for 8 after 40 when we do Comp Time. If we are so valued by the Department for that par- ticular period of time and we agree we should not have to take comp for cash (art IV sec B) then shouldn’t we expect to get 1 and ½ hour for each hour worked outside of 40 if we chose time? All this being said I hope we realize our value. What our time is worth. I hope the Department, the City, and the Community realizes how hard we work outside of our 40 hours to make this city more livable and safer. I hope they recognize that we are not greedy men and women. I promise the Bargaining Committee knows it and will do everything it can do to make everyone else understand. By Chris Broderick, D4 Representative