Holiday Pay

Effective:          01-01-22

Supersedes:     06-22-20

Purpose: To define observed holidays and how holidays will be paid.

Policy: Brewster and EasCare Ambulance Service will observe up to nine (9) paid holidays per year.

Procedure

Brewster and EasCare Ambulance Service generally observes the following holidays each year – days are subject to change:

Floating Holiday:   In addition to the above allotted holidays, full-time Brewster and EasCare employees that have completed one (1) continuous full-time year of service are eligible for one additional day off (up to 12 hours) per year based on their anniversary date.   These hours are not eligible for payout upon separation from service, do not roll-over to the next year if not used, and are not part of the vacation or sick time buyback program. 

Eligible Employees

Unless local statutory provisions are in conflict, the benefits of this policy apply to regular full-time staff and field employees who regularly work a scheduled shift of 36 hours or more per week, have successfully completed their first ninety (90) days of employment, and are normally scheduled to work on the day of the actual holiday.

Administrative Employees:  Full-time administrative employees will receive (8) hours paid for up to the nine (9) holidays designated above if it falls on a regular scheduled work day*. Employees must work their regular shift the day before and after the holiday in order to be paid for the day. The only exception to this would be that the employee has requested and been approved to use accrued vacation time for the day off before or after the designed holiday. Part-time and Per Diem administrative employees do not receive paid holidays.

*If a holiday falls on a Saturday, it will not be observed the day before (Friday). If the holiday falls on a Sunday, it will not be observed the next day (Monday).

Operations Division Field Employees:  Field employees must work the holiday if it is their regularly scheduled work shift. Employees whose regularly scheduled shift falls on a holiday should assume they are working the holiday unless notified otherwise.

Employees working a holiday are paid at one and one-half times their hourly rate, to a maximum of 13 hours.  Your holiday hours will be taken off the regular hours worked that week.  For example, a 48-hour paramedic, normally paid 40 hours of Regular time and 8 hours of OT who works 8 hours on a holiday will be paid 32 hours of Regular hours, 8 hours of OT, and 8 hours of Holiday worked at time and one-half.

If a field employee has available vacation time and requests the holiday off, every attempt will be made to honor said request, but if the shift can’t be filled the vacation request will be denied and the employee will be required to work the shift. 

On most holidays the volume is significantly less than a non-holiday and staffing will be reduced.  Once all eligible vacation requests have been satisfied, shifts will be eliminated based on operational need and seniority.

Full time employees with at least 90 days seniority whose shifts are eliminated (ie truck downed) will receive straight pay to a maximum of 13 hours.  Full time employees who have not met their 90 day anniversary will not be paid holiday pay if their assigned unit is downed.  These employees may request another shift if available to make up those hours.

Training During a Holiday:  There will be no training scheduled during a company recognized holiday.  This will include new hire training, FTO ride time, continuing education training or other company training.