Due to the potential inconvenience and limitations on personal time when assigned to respond to University emergencies, employees who are eligible as defined below will receive an additional differential for each 24 hour period assigned as being on-call. This policy applies only to regular support staff members who are non- exempt from overtime and are paid on an hourly basis. This policy is effective July 1, 1999.
- Only non-exempt regular employees who are required to be on-call for assignments outside of the normal assigned shift, carry a pager when not on duty and respond to calls/emergencies for the University within a defined period of time are eligible for the additional pager pay differential.
- The policy applies to departments required to respond to University/campus emergencies which do not have staff regularly assigned on duty.
- The compensation will be equal to 1/2 hours of base rate pay for each 24-hour period in which the employee is scheduled and required to carry a pager and be on-call. The rate of pay is the employee’s base rate of pay at the time of the assigned on-call shift. “Base rate of pay” is defined as the rate of pay prior to any inclusion of differentials, overtime, etc. that may be paid to an employee.
- This 24-hour period begins and ends at the point in which the employee begins and ends pager duty during each 24-hour period. The differential pay will be paid whether or not the employee is called or responds to an emergency on University property.
- Employees who accept pager duty agree to remain “fit for duty” and able to perform their job duties during the period of being on-call and agree to respond to calls and/or emergencies within the defined time period as required by the particular department.
- The provisions of Item E.7 Call Back Time in the University Handbook apply if the employee must respond in person to University property while on-call. Thus, the employee is guaranteed to be paid a minimum of two hours.
- Pager pay is not considered as “hours worked” for purposes of placing an employee into an overtime situation. Therefore, in a week when no overtime is actually worked, the rate for the pager pay will be calculated based upon the base rate of pay.
However, if an employee is in an overtime status and is scheduled for an on-call assignment during the pay period week, the amount of the pager pay will be factored into the calculation of overtime to arrive at a revised base rate of pay for the overtime hours. The rate of the pager pay will be calculated and paid at the base rate of pay. Total earnings (including the pager pay) will be divided by the total hours in pay status to determine the hourly rate of pay for overtime purposes only.
- The payment of pager pay, based on the hours of being assigned pager duty, shall not be included in any calculation of accumulated benefits (vacation, sick time, leave of absence, compensatory time, holidays, etc).
- In the event an employee is assigned pager duty but is unable to fulfill this responsibility due to vacation, sick or other reason, pager pay will not be paid for the entire 24 hour period in which pager duty was assigned; an employee has to be available for the entire 24 hour period of assignment in order to be eligible to receive pager pay. As with any other situation in which the employee cannot work the assigned work shift, the employee is responsible for notifying his supervisor on a timely basis for any period in which pager duty has been assigned but cannot be worked. Accumulated benefit time will not be paid in lieu of pager pay.
- This policy shall apply to departments and its employees who have been approved for participation by the area vice president, department director/dean and the director of human resources under the conditions outlined previously.
- Those employees who are included for participation in this program agree to complete the necessary time sheet entries in order to initiate the payment of pager pay. Procedures are available in the payroll section of the human resources department.
- This policy is subject to change at any time.