Every day, 9-1-1 Specialists stand on the front lines of emergency response. They are the calm voices in the storm, guiding residents through crises and dispatching crucial aid to police, fire, and EMS personnel. Yet, despite the relentless demands and mandatory overtime of their jobs, federal law treats them differently than the first responders they support.
The Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees (BCFPE), Local 4883, alongside AFT Maryland, is pushing for a federal reform to fix an outdated law and give our 9-1-1 workforce the compensatory (comp) time they deserve.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), hourly public employees earn comp time at 1.5 hours for every hour of overtime worked. However, federal law splits workers into two categories:
- Public Safety & Emergency Response - capped at 480 hours.
- General & Administrative Employees - capped at 240 hours.
Because the federal government still classifies 9-1-1 Specialists as "Office and Administrative Support," our members are stuck with the lower 240-hour cap. This ignores the reality of their critical role in public safety, grueling shifts and mandatory overtime.
In 2022, Maryland was one of the first states that passed legislation reclassifying 9-1-1 Specialists as first responders. While this was a major local victory, state law cannot overrule federal law. FLSA sets a strict federal ceiling. If Maryland, its cities or counties tried to offer a 480-hour cap today it would violate federal law and they could face severe penalties.
Currently, half the states now recognize their 9-1-1 Specialists as first responders, and there is growing bipartisan momentum in Congress to give 9-1-1 Specialists the recognition and benefits they have earned:
- Enhancing First Response Act (S. 725) – this bill directs the federal government to reclassify a 9-1-1 Specialist as "Protective Service Occupation." It passed in the U.S. Senate unanimously and awaits action in the House.
- 9-1-1 SAVES Act (H.R. 637) is a bipartisan U.S. House bill requiring the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to update job classifications for 9-1-1 Specialists.
- Congress can amend the FLSA. Because the 240-hour and 480-hour caps are written into federal statute, Congress must amend the FLSA to include public safety dispatchers in the higher cap.
Until federal classifications catch up with reality, AFT Maryland will continue leading the charge. Our 9-1-1 workforce carries our communities through their hardest moments, and we won't stop fighting until the law reflects their service.