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this equates to 4 months of shift exchanges each year. Moreover, these shift exchanges are not being paid back in the same year — it is rare that the exchanges zero out in the same year, and it is not uncommon for employees to end the year with over 20 shifts (2 months) to the plus or minus. And, disturbingly, it is clear that an underground economy has developed whereby employees are exchanging cash in lieu of repaying shift exchanges — there is no way that bargaining unit employees are working 2 extra months a year without any additional compensation. This system has resulted, for example, in employees actually working only 7 months and being on shift exchange and paid leave for 5 months last fiscal year, while costing the taxpayers $90,568 in pay and benefits. Local 2201's counter is, "why should the County care as long as the shift exchanges are not costing the County overtime." The reason why the County cares is multi -fold. First, the shift exchanges do actually cost the County overtime and/or working out of class pay. The reason for this is that shift exchanges are often requested months prior to the date of the exchange. For example, there are times when a Solo Fire -Medic requests an exchange with a non -Solo Fire -Medic for a shift that is 2 months away. The shift exchange is approved where, at the time it is requested, there are no anticipated operational impacts of the exchange based on then -scheduled staffing. However, by the time the actual exchange takes place 2 months later, due to factors such as illness and injury, having a non -Solo Fire -Medic work for a Solo Fire -Medic results in a shortage of Solo Fire -Medics on shift, and the Division has to pay overtime to a Solo Fire -Medic to cover the shortage. In an attempt to address this issue, the Emergency Services Director exercised the discretion provided to him under the current Article 19 of the CBA and directed that the advance approval of shift exchanges be discontinued. This resulted in Local 2201 filing a grievance, and the Emergency Services Director withdrawing his directive. As Local 2201 was unwilling to work with the Emergency Services Director to resolve this issue, the County had no choice but to address it through a change in the CBA language. Second, the County has an obligation to ensure that the Division's employees are appropriately trained and that their skills and abilities are properly assessed. As such, employees are scheduled for training and assessment at the training grounds once each month. When individuals are off from work for 2 to 4 months a year on shift exchanges, it is impossible to ensure that they are appropriately trained or that their skills and abilities are being properly assessed. This has the very real potential of impacting the health and safety of the public. Lastly, the County has an obligation to ensure that an underground, off -the -books economy does not exist as a result of its shift exchange policy. Tellingly, Local 2201 never denied at the Special Magistrate hearing that cash was being exchanged under the table. Employees accepting cash for working shifts and not reporting such payments to the IRS raises a number of legal issues. The County cannot turn a blind eye towards these issues. 14 14