Are the Power watches coming back?
We hear rumor that they are, rumor that they aren't. Would the return of the Power watches eliminate some of the mandatory overtime that OEMC never experienced until said watches were eliminated by "The M?" Or will they never return while the current administration is in power because it would be an indirect admission of a mistake?
And if they do return, will there be a contractual provision for medical days? It's not exactly fair to work 10-hour days and still only earn 8 hours of medical time per month and still "call it 'a day.'"
posted by CPDDispatch @ 12:00 PM
10 Comments:
As a previous power watch pco2, I would love to see it return. As for the med day issue, the 10 hr shift equals same amount of hours worked per year, ie 2080, as the straight 8 hr shift. The city gives each employee 1 med day per month , based on 8 hr day. That is why med time is used in hours for the power people. The same applies to holidays & vacation days, 8 hr increments. But....the 1 personal day is given as 10 hrs. They could turn around and say .....you only get 8 hrs and must use 2 hrs comp time to complete a 10 hr day! So the power shift employees did get 2 hrs of pay more than the straight 8 hr shift employees.
Another PM Power Watch PCOII (ret!) here.
1700-0300 was the best hours I ever worked. 1800-0400 was somewhat less comfortable, but not affirmatively bad. Mostly enough units out there on busy zones, so you just mostly had to clean up any mess from change time, run up to 2300 and run down to 0300.
Personally, I think what they ought to do is offer it as a promotion for 1500 or 2500 per year. Say MPCO or something. Something like "Master Police Communication Operators".
Not to say the power watches personnel were all masters, but the best dispatchers should be on power. The best dispatchers want that kind of action.
Of course, any such promotion should also come with the caveat that if anything happens (e.g., Canadians storm Oak Street beach, west side riots, Republicans overthrow the 11th/19th Ward cabals etc), it'll be up to the Power Watches to organize the response.
Just. Like. The. Old. Days.
Are you kidding me? There are some regular watch dispatchers that could run circles around some of the power watch dispatchers. Not all of them mind you, but seriously Master Police Communicator? You must be dellusional. There's a certain male dispatcher on 1st watch now that was on p.m power and he seriously believed or at least acted like he believes that once he came back from lunch at 2300hrs he was free and clear to do nothing the rest of the night.
Dellusional? Come on now, I was half joking.
Some of the very best were on Power in the days. Examples just from the PO side included Stan, Ernie, that guy who used to work zone 13 etc. And perhaps half the civilians on the old PM Power Watch too.
There are some great dispatchers who never worked power. Seriously, dispatchers who were among the best (e.g., BB, nee BL).
The second half of my post was the part that was sorta joking. I'd love to see a MPCO ranking if these could be the people who could be counted on (if working) to handle the biggest disasters. Get the best, pay them a bit extra, give them significantly more training and exposure to ALL agencies in the city, county, state and Federal government.
The thing is, I'd be afraid that we'd see the choir from Trotter's church as the ones given such a rank and title. And there is no reason to concentrate such people on power, so long as they are and were spread around watches and day off groups.
HEY! I like Masturbator Police Communications Operator.. it's got a nice ring to it.
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Who's better than who? Now THAT'S the question. Many people might consider themselves to be the best dispatcher at the OEMC, but it's not what you think of yourself that matters. It's what OTHERS think of you. So some of you, please get off your high horse because they're always someone better than you. If MOST of the power watch dispatchers were "the better ones" then why in the fuck did I always get stuck with about 5 that sucked and fucked my board up all the damn time? Let's just stick to seniority when picking the power watches shall we?
Always screwed your board up? Thats a funny concept. Why?
Because they put the best from the sweeper watch on the busiest zones consistently. On the busiest zones, the sweeper watch swept up after tired and demoralized regulars on 3rd and 1st. The sweeper watch did what it took, and was not afraid of pissing off primadonnas or the personal friends of the regulars.
Now where did the others from the sweeper watch go? Why, to the slower zones. You know, the slow zones where most of the incompetent dispatchers from the regular watches also went.
So if the bad apples on power were the ones screwing up your boards it also says something about you. Namely, it says that you were on a slow zone and couldn't be trusted with a fast zone. Nor could your relief on the slow zones.
The best workers work the fastest zones. Simple. As. That.
11 15
Put down the crack pipe already.
Many of our zones were assigned to us from the beginning, whether it was slow or fast, you just adjust.
>>Like they think they could do a better job or something.<<
Ahem! The best on the old PM Power watch could, with very, very few exceptions on 3rd or 1st.
As to the other guy who was apparently "assigned" to a slow zone from the beginning, all I can say is that those who can work zones 6, 8, 10 and/or 12 do work zones 6, 8, 10 and/or 12. Many are called, few are chosen. Which is lucky for everyone else involved. Smartest advice to new dispatchers who want to live past 50 is to exhibit extreme incompetence the first time they put you on 6, 8, 10 and/or 12. Its the last place you want to be for the next year or two, when there are nice easy spots all over the place for everyone else.
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