Pager Policy
Date: July 2024
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance on the distribution and compensation for use of emergency pagers within Facilities Management.
Scope
The College recognizes specific departments within Facilities Management (Cleaning, Electrical Shop, Mechanical Services Shop, Carpentry Shop and Lock Shop) perform critical services and respond immediately to critical needs on campus which typically occur after hours, during life safety situations (power outages) or mitigation of substantial damage risk. Ability to respond to these situations requires the designation of employee(s) in these shops to carry an emergency pager as an essential function of their job.
In recognition of the requirement that designated employees will have to restrict their life activities to be able to respond and perform their duties in a professional manner at any time they may be called into work, the College will compensate these employees for carrying the emergency pager.
Responsibility
Employees “involved in this policy” should familiarize themselves with the contents of this policy. Support staff (non-exempt) employees of Cleaning, the Electrical Shop, Mechanical Services Shop, Carpentry Shop, and Lock Shop will be eligible for compensation for carrying the pager as outlined above. Eligibility is subject to revision by the Director of Facilities Operations and Maintenance who is responsible for
- ensuring that employees adhere to this policy, and
- having procedures that incorporate this policy into practice.
Definitions
The emergency pager is defined as a pager, cell phone, or personal digital assistant with digital phone capabilities issued as a tool to designated employees who respond to emergency business need.
General Guidelines
Employees who carry the emergency pager will be paid a flat daily rate provided that:
- They must be able to respond to the College in less than one hour, and preferably within 30 minutes from the initial page. The Communication Center should be called back immediately, or as promptly as possible, to determine the urgency of the initial page. Certain departments may have shorter campus response requirements because of the nature of their calls.
- If the person assigned the pager will not be able to respond to calls due to serious extenuating circumstances, it will be their responsibility to make arrangements for another shop member to cover the pager duty. In the event that another member of their shop cannot be reached or cannot cover the pager, the shop supervisor must be notified immediately.
- They must have a valid driver’s license and meet the eligibility requirements of the College’s current Motor Vehicle Policy.
- They must be able to fulfill work duties in a professional manner and cannot be under the influence of any substance (alcohol, medications, etc.) that might restrict their ability to perform or operate a College Vehicle.
Compensation
The employee designated to carry the pager will receive a daily rate for each day they carry the pager subject to regular withholdings and periodic revision at the discretion of the College. The rate structure is as follows:
- Regular daily rate $25.00 per day
- Daily rate for employees who carry the pager on an actual holiday* is $50.00 per day.
The supervisor will be responsible for adding the appropriate Workday record(s). The compensation will not count toward any overtime calculation. However, the employee is still eligible for Emergency Call Differential compensation as outlined in the Employee Handbook.
If the employee fails to respond to a page, the employee may not receive compensation. Subsequent failures to respond will result in appropriate disciplinary action.
Exceptions
The Director of Facilities Management must approve any exceptions to this policy by written notice.
*Holidays
|
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day |
December 31st & January 1st |
|
Martin Luther King Day |
3rd Monday in January |
|
President’s Day |
3rd Monday in February |
|
Memorial Day |
the last Monday in May |
|
Juneteenth |
June 19th |
|
Independence Day |
July 4th |
|
Labor Day |
1st Monday in September |
|
Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving Day and the Friday following Thanksgiving |
Thanksgiving day falls on the 4th Thursday in November |
|
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day |
December 24th & 25th |
Note: The actual holiday may fall on a date different from when the College observes it. For example, if July 4th falls on a Saturday the College will observe the holiday on Friday, July 3rd, and in this instance pager pay will be earned on Friday, the 3rd and Saturday the 4th. Special Days Off (SDO’s) count as holidays for the purposes of pager pay.