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Eight feel heat for swapping fire shifts

An inquiry into what officials say was an abuse of policy comes in the midst of contract talks between the firefighters union and the county.

By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published May 18, 2005

TAMPA - Eight Hillsborough firefighters abused a longstanding policy that allows them to fill in for each other by swapping shifts, netting themselves pay and benefits for thousands of hours they never worked, county officials have concluded.

One of those firefighters - a powerful union leader in the midst of contract negotiations with the county - was paid for putting in almost 7,600 hours since 2002, though he worked only about 700, or an average of no more than 10 hours a week.

None of the firefighters has been disciplined, though department officials say they want to change the rules on how the policy is used.

The eight firefighters used a practice common to fire departments nationwide known as "exchange of time."

Aimed at keeping firefighters' schedules flexible because they're required to work 24-hour shifts, the time exchange policy is supposed to work like this: One firefighter works another's shift with the agreement that the favor will be returned.

Hillsborough firefighters' contract allows them to use the time exchange for as many as 120 hours a month - more only if approved by the fire chief or his designee.

But personnel chief Newell Branam said it "appears that was not done" with the eight firefighters, some of whom went over the 120-hour monthly limit more than six times in a year.

"We're trying to clean that up so this doesn't happen again," Branam said.

Yet fire union leaders so far have rejected proposals to prevent future abuses, Fire Chief William Nesmith said.

Among the fixes suggested by the fire department: Reducing the maximum hours exchanged each month from 120 to 48 hours, and requiring firefighters swap their respective shifts within 60 days. Nesmith also wants to forbid firefighters from paying co-workers to cover their shifts, which he said has happened in some cases.

"This would resolve a lot of the issues we have come upon," Nesmith said. "However, the union has rejected that at this time."

One of the union leaders considering Nesmith's proposals is George Sucarichi, identified by county officials as the worst abuser of the time exchange.

Sucarichi, who makes $28.35 an hour as a fire captain, was paid for putting in nearly 7,600 hours between Nov. 1, 2002, and April 27, 2005 - yet he actually worked about 700 hours.

He exceeded the 120-hour monthly limit for having other firefighters cover his shifts eight times in 2003, five times in 2004 and once this year.

Records show Sucarichi got other firefighters to work 3,588 of his scheduled hours, yet never worked any of those hours in return.

He also used more than 1,200 hours of "professional leave" time - vacation hours banked by union members each year so firefighters can tend to union matters.

Sucarichi said as political affairs director for the union, he spends lots of time in Tallahassee and in union-related meetings. Sucarichi also has a telephone solicitation business and deals in real estate, but said he doesn't use the time off from scheduled work hours for his side businesses.

Other top offenders include a firefighter who has used 2,747 exchange of time hours since January 2003, and a fire captain who has used nearly 2,500 hours. Neither has worked the time exchange hours in return, personnel records show.

Earlier this month, Sucarichi said he and others just made the most of what the time exchange provision allowed. This week, when it was pointed out that he consistently went over the 120-hour monthly limit, he faulted Fire Department leaders for not doing a better job of monitoring how many exchange hours were used.

"They can characterize it as abuse, but the fact of the matter is, they got lax in enforcing the 120" hours, he said.

Firefighters work for 24 hours straight, then are off for 48 hours. The schedule allows them to have second and third jobs, often in areas including real estate and construction. But it also means they sometimes miss out on wedding anniversaries or children's soccer games when those fall on their 24-hour shifts.

The time exchange is meant to provide them with scheduling leeway while saving Hillsborough taxpayers money. By letting firefighters fill in for each other when emergencies or personal matters arise, governments don't have to shell out overtime pay.

"Most of our employees use the system the way it is meant to be used," Nesmith said.

He said the time exchange is not supposed to be a system in which a select few get out of working dozens of shifts while getting full benefits and while co-workers take up the slack. And it is not intended to be a system in which firefighters pay co-workers to cover their shifts, he said.

The County Attorney's Office and human resources department are working with the Internal Revenue Service and the Florida Retirement System to determine whether the abuses raise issues with the firefighters' pensions and benefits, which are based on hours worked.

Sucarichi called Nesmith's proposed changes to the time exchange "somewhat ludicrous."

He said the proposal doesn't take into account tragic circumstances like a family death or serious illness.

"What they have proposed is a harsh reduction of the rights of our members," he said.

But Nesmith said genuine cases of need will always be handled with compassion.

The ongoing inquiry into time exchange abuses found four employees in the past 21/2 years faced such emergencies.

Nesmith's assistant chief approved their requests to go over the 120-hour monthly limit.

"Those are not being questioned as part of this investigation," Nesmith said. "They were tragic situations. In one case, a husband died."

The disagreement over the time exchange promises to be a major hurdle in ongoing contract negotiations. The union and county began meeting in March, and have so far agreed to 22 of 45 articles in the contract, Sucarichi said. Among the items unresolved are those dealing with wages, incentives and benefits. The two-year contract expires Sept 30.

So what will it take to reach a contract agreement?

"Level heads," Sucarichi said. "If we can stay away from knee-jerk reactions, we'll be fine."

Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler can be reached at 813 226-3373 or svansickler@sptimes.com

[Last modified May 18, 2005, 00:49:11]