MONROE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS APPROVE NEW EMERGENCY RESPONSE PAY PLAN FOR EMPLOYEES

MONROE COUNTY, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners approved the staff-recommended new Emergency Response Pay Plan, affectionately known as the “Murphy Plan.” This new plan pays regular pay, or administrative leave, for those who do not have work available due to the emergency. For those working during a declared emergency, employees will be paid 1.5 times for a regular workday, and two times for all hours worked greater than a regular workday or shift for emergency-related activities. This plan is in place for all Monroe County employees, which includes Monroe County Fire Rescue.

Out of 86 responding counties and cities, 100 percent of those who replied provide some form of emergency response pay to both non-exempt and exempt (salaried) employees. Counties in the State of Florida, including Monroe County, serve a lead role to the municipalities, public agencies, and utilities in the jurisdiction during an emergency response. Monroe County moved from to the third highest-paid emergency response pay to the eighth spot out of 10 public sector agencies within the County regarding emergency response compensation

The new emergency response pay plan includes other criteria:

  • initial activation for a maximum of 3 weeks, with weekly extensions by the County Administrator who notifies the commissioners when it is activated and if it is extended.
  • requires the County Commission to review this policy between January and March in odd years following BOCC member elections.
  • Waiver allowance of the emergency response pay by eligible employees
  • Allows management to discontinue administrative pay (which is approved for evacuating employees that have no work available) if an employee does not return to work when called back by a supervisor, along with potential disciplinary action
  • removes the option to earn compensatory time as a method of payment for emergency response work (FEMA does not allow compensatory time to be used for reimbursement.)
[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]