Hollywood Park updates firefighter pay cycle, reducing overtime

To reduce the amount of overtime hours firefighters work while remaining compliant with Fair Labor Standards Act, of FLA, standards, the Hollywood Park City Council voted to transition firefighter’s overtime accrual pay cycle from a 14-day pay cycle to a 24-day pay cycle Dec. 16.

The gist

Fire Chief Eric Burnside said the new system uses a flat 112 hours per pay period, giving firefighters consistent, predictable paychecks. According to Burnside’s estimates, the move will net the city $4,000 in savings annually. Burnside explained that the savings will come through a higher threshold for overtime pay, which will change from its current threshold of 106 hours to 182 hours.

“[The pay cycle change] does reduce the number of mandatory overtime hours accrued by full-time staff members, and it will reduce the overall budget, approximately $4,000 [in] an idealistic budget,” Burnside said.

He said that due to FLSA rules, 2 out of 3 of firefighter’s repeating shift patterns exceed the 106-hour threshold for overtime in the current 14-day window. With the 24-day cycle, firefighters won’t automatically earn overtime just from their normal schedule.

“You will not have the crazy amounts of overtime that have been paid in the past,” Burnside said.

Burnside also noted that the new pay cycle will offer greater overtime control and will be a more manageable approach in the event of vacancies or if high attrition occurs. To offset and minimize pay loss, Burnside said the department would also like to implement an incentive pay in conjunction with pay cycle shift in order to offset lost income.

Stay tuned

Hollywood Park will update its employee handbook to reflect the change, and the City Council will vote on an ordinance to implement the change at a future meeting.