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About 1,000 911 operators and their supervisors will be able to work three- or four-day weeks, fitting their scheduled hours into compressed workweeks as part of a one-year pilot program, according to agreements between the city and District Council 37 and the Communication Workers of America’s Local 1180.
The agreement with DC 37, which represents the civil service titles of police communications technicians and supervising police communications technicians, also provides for eligible 911 operators and their supervisors to receive semi-annual recruitment, retention and attendance bonuses of $5,000 starting this year. That incentive will be funded by the union’s equity fund that formed part of a memorandum of agreement included in a five-year contract agreement covering 90,000 municipal workers announced in February 2023.
The agreement with Local 1180, which represents principal police communications technicians, provides for salary increases of 14 percent for 911 supervisors in exchange for 40-hour workweeks. Those operators typically worked 35 hours.
As with a similar agreement announced last week providing for compressed workweeks for DC 37 members who are not eligible for hybrid work arrangements, the pilot is designed to stem employee departures.
“By allowing our 911 operators to work a more flexible schedule, this contract will build morale, enable us to retain the best talent, and help these essential workers better assist New Yorkers during emergencies,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said the agreements recognize the “vital link” the operators represent within the city’s first responders.
“The significance of their work cannot be overstated because 911 is more than just a telephone number — it is a lifeline. Every day and night — approximately nine million times a year — our 911 operators are on the other end of that line when people call for assistance,” he said.
The flexible-work committee established following the contract agreement earlier this year will determine which titles are eligible to participate in that pilot.
“Our 911 operators are the first point of contact when New Yorkers face the worst moments of their lives, and they sacrifice so much for our city day in and day out,” DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido said in a statement. “We fought to provide fair compensation, overtime limits, and additional relief for our members in these negotiations, and we thank Mayor Adams for working with us to fix these inequities.”
Local 1180’s president, Gloria Middleton, said her members were deserving of the opportunity.
“Most of our members in the title of principal police communications technician told us they were already working a 40-hour week despite only being paid for 35 in their base salary,” said Middleton said. “Instead of comp time for those five hours of overtime, this new deal with the city provides the higher compensation they deserve and allows them the opportunity to work a compressed week that could better suit their families. We are glad the city worked with us expeditiously to resolve the matter.”
Renee Campion, the city’s labor commissioner, said the agreements would both provide for workers and also for the reliability of the city’s 911 operations. “This agreement demonstrates the progress we can make when labor and management work together,” Campion said.
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