1. Dispatcher Differential: Effective the first full pay period following Board of Supervisors’ approval of the 2019 MOU between the County and the Union, Communication Dispatchers received a ten (10%) differential pay.
Effective the first full pay period following Board of Supervisors adoption of the MOU in 2024, the ten percent (10%) differential will be extended to the Communications Dispatcher I, Communications Dispatcher II, Communications Dispatch Coordinator and Supervising Communications Dispatcher as an increase in base pay. At the same time, the Communications Dispatcher Differential will be deleted.
2. Public Safety Dispatcher POST Incentive:
a. Communications Dispatcher Is, Communications Dispatchers IIs, Communications Dispatch Coordinator and Supervising Communications Dispatchers who obtain a California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Public Safety Dispatchers’ Intermediate Certificate shall receive incentive pay equal to two percent (2%) of base salary.
b. Communications Dispatcher Is, Communications Dispatchers IIs, Communications Dispatch Coordinator and Supervising Communications Dispatchers who obtain a POST Public Safety Dispatchers’ Advanced Certificate shall receive incentive pay equal to an additional three and one-half percent (3.5%) of base salary.
3. Cross-Trained Dispatcher Premium Pay:
a. Communications Dispatcher IIs who are qualified as Cross- Trained Dispatchers shall receive premium pay of seven and one-half percent (7.5%) in addition to their base salary. A Cross-Trained Dispatcher is defined as a Communications Dispatcher II who is currently certified at all radios.
b. Communications Dispatcher IIs and Communications Dispatcher Is who are qualified as a Universal Calltaker (UCT) shall receive premium pay of two and one-half percent (2.5%) in addition to their base salary. A UCT is defined as a Communications Dispatcher I or II who is currently certified to receive all types of calls including EMD.
c. Cross-Trained Dispatchers shall be eligible for UCT premium pay in addition to Cross-Trained Pay for a total of ten percent (10%).
This premium pay shall not be granted until training is received and certification is issued. Certification will not be issued to any Dispatcher unable to demonstrate proficiency in the required radio categories. Should a previously trained and certified Cross-Trained Dispatcher lose certification, this premium pay shall also be lost until certification is regained.
4. Acting Supervisor Differential: Communications Dispatchers IIs assigned in writing or designated in a temporary capacity to serve as acting supervisor during a shift will receive an eight percent (8%) differential only for the time worked as acting supervisor.
a. Communications Training Officer (CTO) and Communications Training Instructor (CTI) Differential: Dispatchers who are assigned in writing to serve as CTO or CTI will receive an eleven and forty-eight one-hundredths percent (11.48%) differential only for time spent training including classroom instruction.
b. Work Schedule: Communications Dispatcher I and Communications Dispatcher IIs will conduct a shift and vacation bid for an 80-hour schedule which encompasses Wednesday and Saturday rotational days.
i. 84-Hour Schedule: Upon shift assignment, if the Public Safety Communications department has less than forty (40) qualified Dispatchers (22 qualified Law Dispatchers and 18 qualified Fire/EMS Controllers) as of December 1, 2023, an 84-hour schedule will be put in effect starting January 7, 2024, whereby each qualified Dispatcher will be regularly scheduled for four (4) hours of overtime every other 7-day work period on the employee’s eight (8) hour work day, and will keep the start and stop time of the shift consistent with the other six (6) work days.
ii. 80-Hour Schedule: When the Department has twenty-two (22) qualified Law Dispatchers and eighteen (18) qualified Fire/EMS Controllers and such staffing levels are sustained for 56 consecutive days, or as soon as the Department has forty-six (46) qualified Dispatchers, whichever comes first, the four (4) hours of regularly scheduled overtime will be removed from the schedule. This will not result in a new shift and vacation bid, other than the annual bid which normally occurs in approximately October and November. At such time, each qualified Dispatcher will be regularly scheduled for six 12-hour shifts and one 8-hour shift per pay period. Upon meeting the staffing threshold, the 80-hour schedule will become the permanent schedule for Department, and regularly scheduled overtime will not be added back, even if staffing levels fall below twenty-two (22) qualified Law Dispatchers and eighteen (18) qualified Fire/EMS Controllers.
iii. Definitions: For the purpose of this section, a “Qualified Dispatcher” is defined as a FIRE/EMS Controller who has completed their EMD calltaking training and Fire/EMS radio training. For Law Dispatchers, qualification is defined by completing law calltaking and all law radio positions.
c. The Supervising Communications Dispatchers will work an 80-hour two (2) week schedule which encompasses six (6) twelve-hour shifts and one (1) eight-hour shift per pay period. The eight-hour shift must be the rotational day. The schedule must provide for 24/7 supervision coverage.
5. 7-Day Work Period: For employees assigned to the 12-hour shift schedule, the fixed and recurring 7-day work period will begin exactly four (4) hours into an employee’s eight (8) hour shift on the day of the week which constitutes the employee’s alternating regular day off. The same day of the week shall be permanently designated as the employee’s alternating, regular day off. The Department will continue to permit time off to be scheduled in full shift increments, even where a shift spans two (2) 7- day work periods. The 7-day work period is for payroll purposes only.
For example, for an employee who works Sunday through Tuesday, with an alternating day off of Wednesday, the employee’s 7-day work period will be as follows:
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| 12 | 12 | 12 | 4 (end) | Off | Off | Off |
| 4 (start) | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | 12 | Off (end) | Off | Off | Off |
| Off (start) | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | 12 | 4 (end) | Off | Off | Off |
| 4 (start) | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | 12 | Off (end) | Off | Off | Off |
| Off (start) |
For an employee who works Sunday through Tuesday, with an alternating day off of Saturday, the employee’s 7-day work period will be as follows:
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| 12 | 12 | 12 | Off | Off | Off | 4 (end) |
| 4 (start) | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | 12 | Off | Off | Off | Off (end) |
| Off (start) | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | 12 | Off | Off | Off | 4 (end) |
| 4 (start) | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | 12 | Off | Off | Off | Off (end) |
| Off (start) |
For an employee who works Wednesday through Friday with an alternating day off of Saturday, the employee’s 7-day work period will be as follows:
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Off | Off | Off | 12 | 12 | 12 | 4 (end) |
| 4 (start) | ||||||
| Off | Off | Off | 12 | 12 | 12 | Off (end) |
| Off (start) | ||||||
| Off | Off | Off | 12 | 12 | 12 | 4 (end) |
| 4 (start) | ||||||
| Off | Off | Off | 12 | 12 | 12 | Off (end) |
| Off (start) |
For an employee who works Thursday through Saturday, with an alternating day off of Wednesday, the employee’s 7-day work period will be as follows:
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Off | Off | Off | 4 (end) | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| 4 (start) | ||||||
| Off | Off | Off | Off (end) | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Off (start) | ||||||
| Off | Off | Off | 4 (end) | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| 4 (start) | ||||||
| Off | Off | Off | Off (end) | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Off (start) |
8. Mandatory Overtime with Less Than 12-hours’ Notice: Communications Dispatcher I’s and Communication Dispatcher IIs who are assigned mandatory overtime with less than twelve (12) hours’ notice will receive seven and one half (7.5) minutes of compensatory time off for every one (1) hour of mandatory overtime worked in accordance with Section 7 of the MOU between the parties.
9. Minimum Overtime Hours for PSC: Employees required to physically report back to work during off- duty hours shall be compensated for a minimum of three (3) hours of overtime. Off-duty hours are defined as any work assignment other than the employee’s regularly assigned shift that occurs any time during their days and hours off, regardless of whether it is pre-arranged or not, including, but not limited to, pre- scheduled or “voluntary” overtime; last minute or “mandatory” overtime; mandatory training; and court appearances.
Employees will only be compensated under the provisions of this section for subpoenas to appear in court cases if the matter involves their employment with the County. Employees will receive the minimum three (3) hours of overtime if the shift or court appearance is cancelled less than two (2) hours prior to the start of the shift or court appearance. Minimum overtime hours shall not apply to time worked contiguous with an employee’s work shift.
10. Future Consolidation with Other Agencies: In the event of a County consolidation with another Police, Fire, EMS agency, or agency for which PSC will provide additional dispatch services beyond the current level, the County will provide notice to the Union. The County will meet and confer over identified impacts and effects of such consolidation in accordance with legal requirements.
11. Shift Differential: Communications Dispatcher I, Communications Dispatcher IIs, and Supervising Communications Dispatchers receive an eight percent (8%) shift differential for all hours worked between 6:00 pm and 6:00 am regardless of when the shift begins. Employees who work at least eight (8) hours between 6:00 pm and 6:00 am and continue to work contiguously past 6:00 am will receive shift differential for the remainder of their shift. This differential is in lieu of shift differential provided under Section 8 (entitled “Shift Differential”) of the MOU between the parties.
12. Shift Length Limit: Communication Dispatcher I’s, Communications Dispatcher II’s, and Supervising Communications Dispatchers shall normally not work longer than fourteen (14) consecutive hours. If an employee is required to work a maximum of sixteen (16) hours, the affected employee will be required to have a minimum break of ten (10) hours between shifts, with the understanding that the employee shall be required to work a full twelve (12) hour shift upon return to work, unless otherwise approved by a supervisor (manager in the case of Dispatch Supervisors). Employees shall not work consecutive 16-hour shifts.
13. Overtime Limit: Communication Dispatcher Is, Communication Dispatcher IIs, and Supervising Communication Dispatchers shall not work more than forty-eight (48) hours of overtime per pay period.
When staffing reaches fifty (50) qualified Communications Dispatchers, Communications Dispatcher Is and Communications Dispatcher IIs shall not work more than thirty-six (36) hours of overtime per pay period and shall not work more than six (6) consecutive days in any seven (7) day period.
14. Turnaround Time, Wellness Breaks and Shift Length Limit: Once the Department has a minimum of forty-four (44) qualified Dispatchers, the following shall occur:
a. Turnaround Time: Regardless of shift length, Communications Dispatcher Is and Communications Dispatcher IIs shall be required to have a minimum of ten (10) hours off between shifts.
b. Wellness Breaks: The Department will schedule thirty (30) minute paid wellness breaks for all employees working shifts of eight (8) hours or longer. Wellness breaks are in addition to meal breaks and will be voluntary when provided.
c. Shift Length Limit: Communications Dispatcher Is and Communications Dispatcher IIs shall normally not work longer than fourteen (14) consecutive hours. However, in the event of a disaster declaration by the Governor of California or significant event that requires the Department of Emergency Services to activate the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) an employee may be required to work a maximum of sixteen (16) consecutive hours.
d. Temporary Suspension Due to Staffing: Should the number of qualified Dispatchers fall below forty (40) qualified Dispatchers, the 10-hour turnaround time, wellness breaks, and shift length limit described in this section will be temporarily suspended until such time the number of qualified Dispatchers reaches forty (40) or more.
15. Specialty Assignment Differential: Public Safety Communications Dispatcher Is and Communications Dispatcher IIs designated in writing by the PSC Director or their designee for rotation to a specialty assignment identified below shall receive an eight percent (8%) differential pay only for hours in one of the listed specialty assignments.
a. Gang Task Force (GTF)
b. Tactical Dispatch
c. Incident Dispatch Team (IDT)
16. Two-Week Period for Telestaff Rules: For the purpose of Telestaff rules, the Department will use a two-week pay period rather than a rolling two-week period.
17. Communications Dispatch Supervisors Retiree Medical: Effective January 19, 2025, Dispatch Supervisors will be enrolled in the applicable Retiree Medical Program in Section 21 of the MOU.