A brand new contract between the Florida Keys Electrical Cooperative and the Worldwide Brotherhood of Electrical Staff Native 349 offered a modest wage enhance along with a four-day workweek.
On June 2, the brand new 32-hour, Monday-through-Thursday work schedule went into impact for workers who work on the member-owned, nonprofit electrical utility serving the Higher and Center Keys. The work schedule shift went into impact not just for union members, but additionally FKEC workers — each salaried and hourly who should not a part of IBEW.
Scott Newberry, FKEC CEO, informed Keys Weekly in an interview that it made sense to use the brand new schedule — with Friday being an off day — to all workers.
“All of us work for a similar cooperative principally,” he stated.
A four-day workweek arose throughout contract negotiations between FKEC administration and IBEW. Talks started final yr because the union proposed wage will increase of 30% over three years, with 20% of the bump within the first yr and the remaining 10% over the ultimate two years. FKEC’s preliminary wage proposal, nonetheless, stood at 4% over the three years. A earlier five-year contract between the 2 sides included annual raises starting from 2.5% to three%.
With requests for extra pay got here a petition signed by all union members supporting the thought of changing the workweek into 4 10-hour days. FKEC administration didn’t imagine such a transfer was possible, citing issues of manpower if half the workforce was out Monday and the opposite half took off on Fridays. Administration countered with the thought for a four-day, 32-hour workweek.
“If we had been to go to a straight four-day workweek of 10 hours per day, we wouldn’t acquire any effectivity since we couldn’t begin working in neighborhoods till round 8 a.m., and with each day extreme warmth alerts throughout the summer season, we must restrict afternoon development actions,” Newberry stated. “Whereas they might be at work a pair further hours per day, they actually wouldn’t be productive throughout these two (further) hours.”
In April, FKEC’s nine-member board of administrators agreed to ratify a contract with IBEW which detailed a four-hour, 32-day workweek and a 4% bump in wages for the primary yr. No wage will increase are included in years two and three.
4-day workweeks have been instituted inside a couple of native governments throughout the U.S. Town of Golden, Colorado adopted a four-day week in August 2024 for its police to handle staffing. Three departments inside the city of Plainville in Connecticut transformed to four-day workweeks in April 2024 as a solution to recruit and retain workers whereas sustaining high quality of service.
And whereas some Florida firms have carried out four-day workweeks, FKEC is without doubt one of the first — if not the primary — public utility within the Sunshine State to maneuver to a four-day, 32-hour work schedule. Newberry anticipates the transfer will yield much less turnover, enhance effectivity and morale whereas making it simpler to recruit ought to FKEC must fill vacant positions.
As to what the brand new work schedule means for patrons, FKEC says emergency operators stay obtainable 24/7. Newberry stated these operators work for a lot of different electrical cooperatives throughout the nation. Line crews may even be on name and prepared across the clock in instances of an influence outage or different emergency.
Newberry stated FKEC ought to save round $1.8 million in labor prices with no wage will increase in years two and three of the labor contract. An uptick in additional time is feasible when linemen want to reply to emergencies on Fridays. Newberry acknowledged the greenback determine related to additional time shouldn’t be going to be wherever close to the wage financial savings.
FKEC maintains a 138,000-volt transmission line, which brings energy from the mainland to the Florida Keys. FKEC purchases almost 100% of its power wants from Florida Energy & Gentle. Turbines in Marathon and FKEC’s two photo voltaic arrays additionally contribute to our energy provide.