Recognizing that pre-shift meetings (line-up) are mutually valuable to the parties in establishing and maintaining a more orderly, disciplined and secure work environment, the Employer may conduct pre-shift meetings. The purpose of such meetings shall be to make job assignments, to impart information about events and incidents occurring during the preceding two shifts, to make adjustments in schedules, to designate riot duty squads, to conduct uniform inspections and to insure the employee is physically fit for duty. The duration of such pre-shift meetings is not normally expected to be less than six nor more than 12 minutes per shift, although for any given shift, the length of such meeting may vary depending upon the subject matter and number of employees involved. Notwithstanding such variability, employees shall be required to report for such pre-shift meeting not more than six minutes prior to the official starting time of the respective shift.

Employees satisfactorily attending the required six minute pre-shift meeting shall be compensated for such satisfactory attendance at the rate of .1 of an hour at overtime (time-and-one-half) rates, but excluding shift differential and other pay premiums.

An employee who attends, but is late for, a pre-shift meeting shall be paid only for the time in attendance, but such payment shall not be considered as excusing such lateness.

Time spent in pre-shift meetings shall be treated as time worked for purposes of calculating daily and biweekly overtime. Payment for such pre-shift meeting attendance may not be taken in the form of compensatory time.

Certain Department of Corrections employees shall be required to attend pre-shift meetings if conducted. Certain categories of employees may be exempted from this requirement, such as work crew personnel, Corrections Officers in community corrections centers, day activity shift personnel, medical and health care personnel, corrections resident representatives, and personnel directed to report for work at a location other than their own facility (e.g., hospital detail). At the sole discretion of the Employer, employees in the exempt categories may or may not be required to attend pre-shift meetings. Such employees who are required to attend pre-shift meetings, shall be paid in accordance with this Article.

This Article shall not be construed to require any Department, Agency, institution or facility to initiate pre-shift meetings or, if on the effective date of this Agreement, such meetings are being held, to continue them. The employer expressly reserves the right to determine whether such meetings are to be held, and subject to the above, in what form, as a matter of managerial prerogative.

However, and except as provided below, the parties agree that at any Agency, institution or facility which requires Bargaining Unit employees (other than the exempt categories) to attend pre-shift meetings on or after the effective date of this Agreement, such employees shall receive the payment provided for above, even if such pre-shift meetings are discontinued.

The parties also agree that, in the event of an Executive Order removing any salary and wage, or "line-up", appropriations from the Department of Corrections, the Department may, in its sole discretion, suspend or terminate all pre-shift meetings for a period to be determined solely by the Department, without any obligation to compensate any Unit employee based upon this Article, commencing on the date of such suspension/termination and continuing for the entire period of such suspension/termination.

An employee who calls in up to an hour, but not less than 15 minutes prior to the start of the shift to announce his/her expectations to be absent will be considered to have fulfilled the obligation to call in. A call-in policy/procedure may be established locally to expand this call-in window period.