Madera County hearing focuses on whether mechanics were on standby, take‑home vehicles and on‑call calendar

A special meeting of the Madera County Civil Service Commission on April 25, 2025, focused on a union grievance over whether master mechanics and a parts assistant were required to be on standby, the department’s practice of permitting technicians to take county service vehicles home, and an employee-created on-call calendar.

The grievance, filed with the commission and discussed in testimony, seeks clarity on whether mechanics received mandatory callback duties and standby pay or whether taking a county vehicle home remained an optional benefit. The commission heard two county witnesses: Matt Watson, who served as assistant chief for Madera County Fire operations until February 2023, and Ryan Knoll, the department’s fleet manager.

Watson testified that during his tenure the master mechanics and the parts assistant were not assigned to formal standby. “There was never a reason. I never saw a reason,” Watson said, describing standby as a formal status that would require availability and additional obligations. He said battalion chiefs and on‑duty engine crews were the only personnel assigned continuous duty or mandatory…