1. Rest Period. Each Licensed Psychiatric Technician (LPT) Crisis Team Technician (CTT) and Medical Services Assistant II (MSA II) shall have an unbroken rest period of at least twelve (12) hours between shifts, and of at least fifty-five (55) hours between shifts when the LPT, CTT or MSA II is off duty on the weekend or two (2) consecutive days off duty, and of at least thirty-one (31) hours between shifts when the LPT, CTT or MSA II is off-duty on a holiday or for a single day.
All hours worked within the above rest periods shall be paid at the rate of one and one-half (1 ½) times the LPT’s, CTT’s or MSA II’s straight-time rate of pay. This provision may be waived on the request of the individual LPT, CTT or MSA II and with the agreement of the supervisor provided that the LPT, CTT or MSA II is not otherwise eligible to receive overtime compensation. If employees are receiving overtime for such rest period time, they are ineligible for this payment. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to LPT’s, CTT’s or MSA II’s whose regularly scheduled shift requires less than twelve (12) hours between the end of one regularly scheduled workday and the beginning of the next regularly scheduled workday.
2.Discussions Regarding Continuing Education: At the request of the Union, appropriate County officials agree to meet to discuss the use of and need for continuing education. Such discussions shall include, but not be limited to educational leave hours and/or reimbursement for costs associated with continuing education.
Additionally, at such time as Continuing Education (CE) credits are required as a condition of State licensure, registration or certification for positions in this bargaining unit, the County agrees to meet with the Union regarding formal educational leave provisions for the fulfillment of such requirements.
3. Continuing Education Leave: The County shall provide continuing education leave as follows:
| Classification | # of Hours | Frequency |
| Pharmacist | 40 | Per year |
| Radiologic Technologist and Lead Radiologic Technologist | 40 (24 for ARRT and 15 for Mammography) | Every two years** |
| Medical Services Assistant II | 16 | Per year |
| Laboratory Assistant | 8 | Per year |
| Dietitian | 24** | Per fiscal year |
| Licensed Psychiatric Technician | 24** | Per fiscal year |
| Physical Therapist | 24* | Per year |
| Occupational Therapist | 24* | Per year |
| Supervising Physical or Occupational Therapist*** | 24* | Per year |
| Respiratory Therapist | 16 | Per year |
| Medical Laboratory Technician | 16 | Per year |
| Physician’s Assistant | 40 | Per year |
| Psychologist I/II | 36 | Every two years** |
| Supervising Mental Health Psychologist | 18 | Per year |
| Supervising Psychologist | 18 | Per year |
| Registered Dental Assistant | 12 | Per year |
| Speech Pathologist | 12 | Per year |
| Therapy Assistants | 15 | Per year |
| Ultrasonographer and Lead Ultrasonographer*** | 40 | Every three years** |
| Cardiac Sonographer and Lead Cardiac Sonographer*** | 40 | Every three years”” |
* The above amounts are meant to provide a baseline commitment to the continuing educational needs of the unit’s employees and do not constitute a limit on time for additional training that may be needed by the employee or the department.
** Balance periods for time off are annual, so 40 hours for a 2-year period is accrued at 20 hours per year; 36 hours every 2 years is accrued at 18 hours per year; 30 hours every 3 years is accrued at 10 hours per year.
*** Effective the first full pay period following Board of Supervisor approval of the 2022 successor MOU.
Continuing Education leave shall be provided under prescribed policies for leaves of absences for the purpose of completing Continuing Education (C.E.) requirements required by the State.
Qualifying employees may use continuing education leave with pay as follows:
a. Such time must be used solely for the purpose of attending courses/seminars required for the employee’s State certification/ licensure.
b. It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure that the courses/seminars requested under this provision be credited as appropriate to meet State requirements; otherwise reimbursement shall not be approved.
c. Such time must be requested and approved in advance by the employee’s manager or designee.
d. Such time will be paid at the straight time rate.
e. The employee must submit documentation to substantiate the attendance and completion of the course.
f. Reimbursement shall be paid within six (6) weeks from the time the employee submits complete and approved documentation.
Continuing educational leave with pay shall be prorated for part-time employees, or employees hired during the fiscal year, under the same conditions as stated above for full-time employees.
4. Lead Worker Differential:
a. A Licensed Psychiatric Technician or a Crisis Team Technician who is assigned to work in a lead capacity will receive a differential of one step in addition to all other compensation.
b. Creative Arts Therapists in San Mateo County Medical Center assigned as lead worker over other therapists shall receive premium pay at the rate of one step of their base salary in addition to all other compensation. Only one (1) employee at a time may be so assigned.
c. Respiratory Therapist I and II at the San Mateo County Medical Center assigned as lead worker over other therapists shall receive premium pay at the rate of one step of their base salary in addition to all other compensation. Only one (1) employee at a time may be so assigned.
d. Dietitians assigned as lead worker over other Dietitians shall receive premium pay at the rate of one step of their base salary in addition to all other compensation. Only one (1) employee at a time may be so assigned.
5. Chief Therapist Differential: In Family Health Services, one (1) Supervising Therapist designated as Chief Therapist shall receive a 5.74% differential, in addition to all other compensation, for having responsibilities for the overall organization and planning of the California Children Services Medical Therapy Unit. Only one employee at a time may be so assigned.
6. Advanced Patient Care Differential: Medical Services Assistants II who are assigned to the clinics and perform advanced patient care duties as defined in the classification specification shall receive a differential of six and two tenths’ percent (6.2%) in addition to all other compensation.
7. Long Term Care Unit: Full-time nursing positions in the Long-Term Care Unit of San Mateo County Health Center in classifications covered by this bargaining unit will be filled from among internal permanent part-time applicants, if any. If more than one (1) permanent part-time employee applies for transfer, work performance and seniority will be the principal selection factors considered. Such a part-time employee, when transferred, will serve a thirty (30) day trial period, during which they may be returned to permanent part-time status, without right of appeal.
8. On Call Pay:
a. Dietitians assigned to weekend coverage shall receive on call pay at the hourly rate outlined in Section 10 of this MOU.
b. Pharmacists, Lead Pharmacists, Supervising Pharmacists, and Senior Clinical Pharmacist (formerly Clinical Coordinator of Pharmacy Services) in an on-call status will be compensated at one quarter (1/4) of the Pharmacist’s base pay for all time spent in such capacity. This agreement settles all outstanding grievances on the issue of on call pay for Lead Pharmacists, Supervising Pharmacists, and Senior Clinical Pharmacist (formerly Clinical Coordinator of Pharmacy Services).
Pharmacists contacted at home by phone will receive a minimum of one (1) hour pay at the overtime rate for each work-related telephone call received while in an on-call capacity so long as the calls are more than one (1) hour apart.
A Pharmacist called back to work will be compensated in accordance with Section 7.4 of the Memorandum of Understanding.
9. Personal Protective Equipment: The County will provide employees with Personal Protective Equipment, including disposable lab coats, that meets State and Federal regulatory guidelines.
10. Scrubs: Effective in 2019, the County began providing scrubs to Pharmacist Technicians. Effective in 2022, Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacy Buyer, and employees in Central Supply were added to the linen distribution. Effective the first full pay period following Board of Supervisors’ approval of a successor MOU in 2024, Dietitians and Registered Dental Assistants will be added to the linen distribution. Upon provision of scrubs, employees shall be required to wear them while at work.
11. Minimum Call Back Pay: Employees required to report back to work during off-duty hours in the San Mateo Medical Center in the Pharmacy, Operating Room, and Radiology shall be compensated for a minimum of two (2) hours of overtime at one and one-half (1 ½) times the employee’s straight time rate. Employees called back to work for these departments are not covered under Section 7.4.
12. Discussion Regarding Conversion of Vacant Positions: The County will meet with the Union prior to converting any vacant Clinical Laboratory Scientist or vacant Laboratory Assistant position to a Medical Laboratory Technician to discuss the rationale for doing so.
13. Reduction in Force of Less than Fourteen (14) Days: For reductions in force of fourteen (14) days or less including “call-offs”, scheduled hours shall be reduced or cancelled in the following order:
a. Employees working beyond 40 hours in a week
b. Volunteers to reduce or cancel hours
c. Extra Help
d. Part-Time working beyond hired FTE in that payroll week
Staff who volunteer or are involuntarily reduced may use (within accrual balances) earned vacation, holiday or comp time, or unpaid leave of absence.
Employees will be notified at least one and a half (1 ½) hours prior to the start of their shift. Employees who are not notified at least one and a half (1 ½) hours prior to the beginning of a scheduled shift and who report for work will be worked and paid a minimum of four (4) hours. This minimum guarantee shall not apply if the employer has contacted the employee personally by telephone at least one and a half (1 ½) hours prior to the beginning of the shift. In attempting to make personal contact, the employer shall call employees in both call-off order and in order of seniority until an employee is contacted. If the employer is unable to personally contact any of the employees in a unit scheduled to work, and if all of those employees report for work, the employee at the top of the call-off list, with the least seniority shall be sent home without pay. It shall be the responsibility of each employee to notify the employer of their current home phone number and address.
Prior to temporarily closing, employees will be consulted on the timing and process of the closure. Every effort will be made to provide eight hours’ notice prior to closing.
14. Speech Pathologist Salary: The salary schedule for the Speech Pathologist job classification will be aligned with the Physical Therapist II job classification and the Occupational Therapist II job classification.
15. Discussion Regarding Training of Students in Pharmacy: The County and Union will meet to discuss the Union’s concerns regarding training of students in the Pharmacy department.
16. Cross-Trained Medical Laboratory Technicians and Laboratory Assistants: Effective 2022, Cross-trained Medical Laboratory Technicians shall receive an extra two and one-half percent (2.5%) base pay for being cross-trained in two areas of specialization. Cross-trained Medical Laboratory Technicians shall receive an extra five percent (5%) base pay for being cross-trained in three (3) or more areas of specialization.
Effective in 2022, Laboratory Assistants will receive an extra two and one-half percent (2.5%) base pay for being cross- trained to work in two (2) or more different worksites.
17. Physician Assistants Exempt Status and Leave Bank: In exchange for the elimination of receiving compensation for hours worked in excess forty (40) per week, as is currently agreed upon in the Memorandum of Understanding, Physician’s Assistants (PA) shall be recognized as having exempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The increase received by the Nurse Practitioners, effective November 25, 2012, in exchange for no longer receiving overtime, will be granted to the Physician’s Assistant as part of their salary alignment.
Physician’s Assistants whose FTE status is seventy-five percent (75%) or greater shall receive the equivalent of three (3) hours per pay period of time placed into a bank for their use as paid time off throughout the year (78 hours per year). This bank will be established the first full pay period of each fiscal year and must be used prior to the final pay period in the fiscal year. Balances remaining at the end of the fiscal year will be forfeited with no cash value. Processes for advance approval for time off will not change and the Physician’s Assistant will be expected to follow established policies when requesting to use this time.
18. Night Shift Differential: Employees in job classifications in the Health Unit who are regularly assigned by a supervisor to work the night shift, as defined by the County, at the San Mateo County Medical Center shall be paid shift differential rate of twelve percent (12%) for all hours worked during such shift. This is in lieu of shift differential provided under Section 8 (entitled “Shift Differential”) of the MOU between the parties.
To be eligible for shift differential, such shifts must be approved by the Department Head or designee. Time worked on a flexible schedule requested by the employee and approved by the supervisor shall not be eligible for shift differential.
19. Mammography, Computerize Tomography, and Fluoroscopy Certification Differential: Effective 2022, the County agrees to pay a ten percent (10%) differential for Radiologic Technicians II and III who maintain and utilize current Mammography, Computerize Tomography (CT) and/or Fluoroscopy certifications.
20. Specialty Certification Differentials: The County agrees to a one step (5.74%) differential for the following specialty certifications. Employees shall be eligible for a maximum of one (1) specialty certification differential at one time.
a. Physical Therapy: Geriatrics, Neurology, Orthopedics, Women’s Health, Certified Hand Therapist, and Pediatrics
b. Occupational Therapy: Gerontology, Physical Rehabilitation, Certified Hand Therapist, Pediatrics, and Mental Health
c. Speech Therapy: Swallowing and swallowing disorders Supervisors who obtain above certifications will be eligible for the differential.
21. IBCLC Lactation Consultant Differential: Effective 2022, subject to pre-approval of the employee’s manager, employees in the classifications of Community Worker I/II, Peer Support Worker I/II, Supervising Dietitian, and Dietitian who are assigned to Family Health, who are certified as International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC), and who provide lactation support and education for more than fifty percent (50%) of their work time, are eligible to receive a differential of one hundred dollars ($100) per pay period.
22. Respiratory Therapist Pulmonary Function Testing Differential: Effective 2022, Respiratory Therapists certified as Pulmonary Function Technologists will receive a differential of one step (5.74%) only for time spent performing Pulmonary Function Testing.
23. Training Pay (Laboratory): Effective the first full pay period following Board of Supervisors’ approval of a successor MOU in 2024 employees regularly assigned to the Laboratory, who are assigned by a manager to train new hire(s) in the Laboratory will receive an additional five percent (5%) base pay only for time spent training.
24. Weekend Differential: Effective the first full pay period following Board of Supervisors’ approval of a successor MOU in 2024, Employees in job classifications in the Health Unit shall be paid a differential of six percent (6%) more than their base rate for any work performed at the San Mateo County Medical Center between Friday 2315 hours and Sunday 2315 hours. Employees may not receive both the weekend differential and night shift differential concurrently (i.e., employees who qualify for a night shift differential and a weekend differential will receive only the night shift differential).
25. Ultrasonography Certification Differential: Effective the first full pay period following Board of Supervisors’ approval of a successor MOU in 2024, the County agrees to pay a three percent (3%) differential for Ultrasonographers who maintain and utilize two out of the following three certifications Abdomen, OB/GYN, or Breast.
26. Pharmacy Compounding Chemotherapy Differential: Effective the first full pay period following Board of Supervisors’ approval of a successor MOU in 2024, employees in the Pharmacy Technician, Pharmacy Buyer, and Pharmacist classifications assigned to compounding hazardous chemotherapy shall receive a five percent (5.0%) differential for all hours performing hazardous chemotherapy compounding.