Commissioners approve 3-year contract for Shawnee County dispatchers

Shawnee County emergency dispatchers will be working under a new three-year contract, thanks to a 3-0 vote Monday morning by Shawnee County commissioners. Changes reflected in the new contract for dispatchers, who work in the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center, include:

• A personal leave day off may be taken after the employee completes 120 days of employment from his or her initial hire date.

• A change in the number of hours management allows to be scheduled each day from 24 to 20.

• A one-time retention bonus of $1,500 to any Communications Workers of America employee hired before Jan. 1, 2019, who hasn’t submitted a resignation, with the bonus to be paid on the employee’s anniversary date in 2020.

• A provision to ensure adequate rest and a reduction in the number of hours worked during forced overtime periods.

• A $100 bonus each pay period for employees who have worked in the dispatch center for more than 20 years.

“They work a lot of hours over there,” said Angela Lewis, director of the Shawnee County Department of Human Resources, who negotiated the contract for the county. “They do a great job.”