Negotiators reach tentative agreement on Article 17 (hours, overtime); staff to draft final language

Nikki Powell, Escambia County human resources director, told negotiators on Feb. 26 that parties had completed changes to the labor contract article covering hours and overtime and were prepared to move the article into final drafting.

"Yep. We only have 1 article left, so I'm gonna hand it to y'all. It's article 17, hours of work overtime. We did some cleanup on the article, but we maintained the intent," Powell said during the session, which county staff described as continued PBA negotiations.

The tentative agreement centers on cleanup language in Article 17; negotiators did not change the articles intent, county staff said. Participants discussed a new operational requirement that employees complete a brief, credited activity to earn a DOR (discretionary day off). One attendee summarized the change bluntly: "You gotta put the 15 minutes in to earn the DOR." That commenter and other participants said some employees worry the change will reduce take-home pay for staff who previously received the DOR without performing the briefing.

Participants debated implementation details rather than reopening core pay provisions. Negotiators discussed prorating DOR entitlement when an employee takes extended leave in a month (for example, two weeks off), and several attendees urged a written administrative directive to spell out how supervisors should apply the new rule. "That way, it's crystal clear to everybody," one participant said, recommending a directive or attendance-policy update to prevent inconsistent application across shifts.

Speakers repeatedly emphasized two practical points: supervisors must manage vacation and DOR scheduling to maintain mandated shift staffing levels, and some employees prefer the day off to a small extra pay supplement. A supervisor who identified themself as assigned to an outlying precinct said staffing coverage must remain intact: "I still have to cover the gaps. There's a base job, and then we work from there." Negotiators noted that the parties have TAd other contract articles and that the countys negotiators expect to roll into 2025 contract negotiations after finalizing the current agreement's language.

Powell said Kristen Houle would draft the final agreement language for Article 17 and that a signed copy would be circulated electronically after drafting. The session recorded no formal vote; participants described the outcome as a tentative agreement pending the drafting and review of final contract text.

The discussion mixed technical implementation questions (how supervisors will schedule and prorate DOR) with broader member concerns about pay and predictable time off. County HR staff indicated they will create explicit administrative guidance or update attendance policy language to reduce inconsistent application across shifts and supervisors.