Public Sector FEMA Question

Hunter1

OK, public sector participants: Anyone have any insight on how you're going to pay your firefighters who are working on Katrina relief? We're processing payroll this week, and have two firefighters working for FEMA. They went down in the middle of a payroll cycle, of course, so we've got them working part of a pay cycle on 24 hour days, part of a cycle on 12 hour days for FEMA. Are you paying them base pay and calculating overtime once we've got a better handle on what they're really working?
Our pay period is 14 days, but our work cycle is 27 days for FLSA purposes. I think that during their assignment they're supposed to be paid on an 8 hour day with OT over 8 (possibly over 40), but their workweek overlaps their normal pay period and work cycle. x:-/ We have a guy who it would appear would have worked one 24 hour day and six 12 hour days in a week!!!

Any insight? I think for the moment we're going to pay them base pay and try to straighten it out if/when we get more information. I think that's allowed in the guidance we've received so far.

System

Hunter1, a little irrellevant but are you submitting the pay to FEMA for reimbursement? Anyway, we are keeping our people on the same pay system that we're currently using. We pay bi-weekly at 84 hours per pay before entitlement to overtime, not the 8-hour day or 40-hour week. I suppose we'll have some adjustments to make in the end of it all, but for now we're using our own pay period. Interesting, why do you think that during the assignment they're supposed to be paid on an 8 hour day?

Hunter1

Sam - The answer to your question is "yes". The paperwork we received states that FEMA will issue us a not-to-exceed purchase order based on the combined total for 8 hours of straight time and 4 hours of overtime per day for 30 days for each of our firefighters.

I assume from your post that you, also, have firefighters assigned to FEMA work? We'll have to see how it all works out, but our union will want to make sure that the ees are paid for every minute they put in. And proper OT beyond the straight time. Some 'volunteer' assignment. hmmm? These two guys will earn in the neighborhood of $21,000(total) for their month of assignment.

LivindonSouth

And they'll earn every nickel of it. If you've watched the news you know that the waters these people are working in are full of every chemical known to man and some probably not yet known to man. In addition to the rotting corpses and bodily waste, there are something like 35 chemicals being run directly into the waters from plants in and around the New Orleans area.

And if they're in Mississippi, snakes, gators, electric shock and water borne disease are just a few of the dangers they encounter.

I doubt many of them are enjoying the assignment.

Hunter1

Don: I doubt that they'll enjoy their assignment either, but it's not for the reasons you mentioned. As I understand it, they are going to be used not for any of their usual job skills, but, rather as clerks to help Katrina victims fill out the proper paperwork to begin their claims, etc. That's what our Chief was told anyway. I think there are enough military types and police, etc to do the type of work you are referring to. Our guys are supposed to get a motel room, rental car, etc. It'll be interesting to talk to them when they get home.