If these rumors are true, and I hope they aren’t, we will need RRU to take stance on this and supoort a yes vote to reject the contract.
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I certainly have lol
But I would say the vast majority of my counterparts would say they would happily stay on a 72 if they knew they’d get their days off.
I think the big push for the 48/96 was more so hoping it would increase retention in the medic ranks. Personally, I think money and culture change are the main things we need to work on for retention.
But that’s pure opinion.
Edited cause it was barely English in a few spots
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Maybe the epay fiasco will get the state payroll with the times and pay people every two weeks like the rest of the world. Crazy still once a month and every 28 days for EWDC. I see all these posts on socials on the most advanced air fleet, we are using AI to combat fire with cameras yada yada…you dont give your employees mandatory time off after 14 days you just keep forcing them on duty. You pay your employees once a month. Now I know the payroll thing is statewide, my spouse is a teacher but its just nuts that im getting ready to retire and this stuff is still there and the feds they still got issues that were there when I started. It just seems so easy to me when you think about all these other things this state leads the charge on.
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They did a study looking at replacing the pay system and it was gonna be a billion dollars statewide for all agencies soooo they just said &$/! it lol
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the best time to plant a tree is now or twenty years ago…
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Or 40 sir lol
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Only California could come up with a billion dollar convoluted payroll system plus billions in over run. Imagine if silicone valley was in California…
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Basically everyone who actually got a seat at the table to discuss this, can put it back on the employees if it doesn’t work out or take credit if it does.
I am glad my time is drawing close. I find it harder and harder to find the reasons why I fell in love working for this agency. It’s not the leadership. It’s still the employees that make this machine work. Nobody remembers what executives did, but you will remember the person that stood beside you when the fight got hard and it took a toll on those involved. We have to stand together on this. We do this job because it’s a great one, but you also deserve to be compensated appropriately for all the sacrifice you and your families do.
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Or…take a nice budget surplus and completely waste it on Newsoms pet projects that continue to fail when we have been complaining about the payroll system for 40 years. An electronic system that( at least as of 4 years ago) had no automatic checks and balances. Still required MORE staff hours than the paper time reporting.
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And this is what I mean when I say we need a culture change. I don’t see that attitude and mentality being passed on to the younger folks coming up.
And I refuse to blame them, it is our responsibility to teach them our culture and values, we should not expect them to show up already having them.
That also has nothing to to with the 66hr work week so mods please don’t yell at me for off topic 
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Our current model is to teach all these leadership classes and that solves our issues. If you look at other industries this is not out of the norm. We essentially applied the same principals that other industries use, but called it leadership to make it palatable to our population of employees. Those are check boxes to help those that manage us. The real work is to spend time with those you support and those that you manage. Unfortunately that is not a part of what we do. We are Target Solution focused and that makes us “well trained”. The focus of true mentoring is lacking. We say mentoring is important but can you actually tell me how many true mentors you have had in your career. In my years I can count them on one hand. And those were all when we were CDF. Mentoring was actually a thing then, not something we talked about. We also valued strong leaders, and not those that just go with the flow and don’t cause waves. We need a mix of leaders, not a single type that makes us blind to where we are lacking. I’m sure we still have some, but I feel they are becoming few-and-far-between.
Keep the 72 if the 66 is a pay cut.
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I agree with you 100%. And that’s where this relates to the schedule change in my opinion.
We have created an environment where people don’t want to be at work. Now, don’t get me wrong, home is always better, but we used to have a force that had a similar level of loyalty to their coworkers that they do to home.
I’m certainly not advocating for dept over family, and I think anyone who works for me would attest to that. But we used to have a sort of we are all in this together culture where people enjoyed the job. I see that falling away and I blame those of us that have been around long enough to have failed to foster that culture.
Something was said to me when I promoted to captain that has stuck with me and I believe it to be true. “Captains set the culture of the dept. not chief officers.” I think that’s very true and I see it as one of our biggest issues right now.
I see too many captains sitting in the recliner all day next to the new guys telling them how horrible things are….I wonder why the new guys leave….
And I agree. If the 66 is a pay cut, vote no!!
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Everyone should be on a 3 day work week that’s the only work week available to work give us the raises that it will cost to hire all these extra people and fill all the relief spots and I feel people would be way happier with that just food for thought.
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I’m in. Way better plan.
Part of that “work family” is now an entire different culture that doesn’t value work and loyalty like we did many years ago. Working the 72 gave you a home family, and a work family. I think that drove the connectability, loyalty, and value of your workmates. I fear going to a 66, then 56 someday, begins to whittle away at the crew connection and loyalty. I fear it begins to create a different dynamic of just showing up, do your time quick, and forget about crew, loyalty, connection, and comradery. If the O.T. issues could be solved in the 72 hr. shift where you knew you were going home at the end and not forced every shift, or every other shift, it would change the entire picture. Hire the relief positions and have the coverage needed. Even if we had to add extra relief people and when not needed just add to a 3.0 or 4.0 engine crew and bulk up staffing it solves a huge problem. It’s probably less budget dollars than a full 56hr. Anyway, just my 2 cents! I agree though the culture has changed and it needs to be taught to the young’ins that we are a family that requires loyalty, comradery, trust, and supporting one another. We are in this all together!
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I have to strongly disagree on this ruining care camaraderie. Working a 48/96 takes us to a 3 platoon system where you constantly work with the SAME CREW. Working a 72, at least in the B world leaves a constant daily rotation of someone coming on and someone going off, every day. That alone is a huge game changer for building morale and crew cohesion.
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I agree there. I forgot about the B side concept where people are always coming and going. Here we have two shifts and relief on the 72 so I forgot that’s a thing.
But we could still do the same on the B side and have a 72 with more money.
To play devils advocate. It just doesn’t work like that. The budget supports the increased cost because of increase in positions and more people to help build fire resiliency statewide and reduce forces/have relief staffing. More positions in theory = better efficiency which is what the number crunchers are looking for. Acres treated, fires kept to less than 15 acres, less forces, more engines/crews staffed. No one from a fiscal standpoint cares that some would rather just see a fat chunk of money on their paycheck. You gotta see it from the bigger picture and not be so one dimensional on this to understand where it comes from.
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You’re 100% right. That is a very good argument from the management pov and is totally accurate.
Thus far I have mostly been speaking to the labor organizations efforts and what they have been pushing for.
I wonder if management would have even thought of everything you just said had labor not pushed it so hard.
That is a perspective yes. But like everything. It can’t just be wrapped up into a 30000 foot perspective. Broad yes, but being a manager is more than just that at least for those that see it 360 not just broad perspective.
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