What is the name of your state? New Jersey.
I currently work as a paid Firefighter who contractually has hours of 24 on and 72 off. Also, our contract states we are allowed 10 sick days per year.
Here is the problem... The dept. imposed what is called "modified duty". Modified duty is working from 8am to 4pm and being brought back to work for clerical or "gopher" work if we are out more than 4 days in a row. Again our contract states 24 hour tours not straight 8am to 4pm days. All dept. members feel this is punishment for getting hurt on or off duty.
Also, if you are out sick more than 5 days in a year the dept puts you on monitoring. Monitoring means you must have a doctors note every day you are out sick- (Contract states after the second day you need a note and contract gives us 10 days sick per year). And monitoring means you will be sent to the hospital to prove to the dept that you are indeed sick. Also the dept. can call you to verify you are home. Not answering the phone, getting an answering machine means you are not home to the dept. - even if you are showering or shut the phone off due to lack of sleep or your migraine, etc. They can call you several times per day too. If they cant talk to you directly after the 1st phone call we are brought up on departmental charges.
If we are being monitored we are also sent to an employee health clinic thats inside the hospital on weekdays but on weekends we are sent to the emergency room! So if I have a migraine headache on a weekend they order me to the emergency room (which usually has a wait of 4 hours minimum) that cant do anything for me but prescribe stronger aspirin. Or if I have the runs, stomache flu, pulled muscle, or any other minor ailment I have to go to the same emergency room. So the dept feels it necessary to tie up the emergency room for non emergency problems in many cases. They also tell you that they dont care how we get to the hospital no matter how bad you are feeling or if you cant drive -(Take a bus, a cab, a limo, just get there!) If that isnt harrassment I dont know what is. There are many other incidents like this going on right now and I would like to know if we have any recourse. Our union seems to be in bed with the dept. Any imput would help. And I need to add that as paid Firefighters we are bound by NJ Civil Sevice rules. Thanks.
I currently work as a paid Firefighter who contractually has hours of 24 on and 72 off. Also, our contract states we are allowed 10 sick days per year.
Here is the problem... The dept. imposed what is called "modified duty". Modified duty is working from 8am to 4pm and being brought back to work for clerical or "gopher" work if we are out more than 4 days in a row. Again our contract states 24 hour tours not straight 8am to 4pm days. All dept. members feel this is punishment for getting hurt on or off duty.
Also, if you are out sick more than 5 days in a year the dept puts you on monitoring. Monitoring means you must have a doctors note every day you are out sick- (Contract states after the second day you need a note and contract gives us 10 days sick per year). And monitoring means you will be sent to the hospital to prove to the dept that you are indeed sick. Also the dept. can call you to verify you are home. Not answering the phone, getting an answering machine means you are not home to the dept. - even if you are showering or shut the phone off due to lack of sleep or your migraine, etc. They can call you several times per day too. If they cant talk to you directly after the 1st phone call we are brought up on departmental charges.
If we are being monitored we are also sent to an employee health clinic thats inside the hospital on weekdays but on weekends we are sent to the emergency room! So if I have a migraine headache on a weekend they order me to the emergency room (which usually has a wait of 4 hours minimum) that cant do anything for me but prescribe stronger aspirin. Or if I have the runs, stomache flu, pulled muscle, or any other minor ailment I have to go to the same emergency room. So the dept feels it necessary to tie up the emergency room for non emergency problems in many cases. They also tell you that they dont care how we get to the hospital no matter how bad you are feeling or if you cant drive -(Take a bus, a cab, a limo, just get there!) If that isnt harrassment I dont know what is. There are many other incidents like this going on right now and I would like to know if we have any recourse. Our union seems to be in bed with the dept. Any imput would help. And I need to add that as paid Firefighters we are bound by NJ Civil Sevice rules. Thanks.
Last edited: