A new contract between the Florida Keys Electric Cooperative and the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers Local 349 provided a modest wage increase in addition to a four-day workweek.
On June 2, the new 32-hour, Monday-through-Thursday work schedule went into effect for employees who work at the member-owned, nonprofit electric utility serving the Upper and Middle Keys. The work schedule shift went into effect not only for union members, but also FKEC employees — both salaried and hourly who are not part of IBEW.
Scott Newberry, FKEC CEO, told Keys Weekly in an interview that it made sense to apply the new schedule — with Friday being an off day — to all employees.
“We all work for the same cooperative basically,” he said.
A four-day workweek arose during contract negotiations between FKEC management and IBEW. Talks began last year as the union proposed wage increases of 30% over three years, with 20% of the bump in the first year and the remaining 10% over the final two years. FKEC’s initial wage proposal, however, stood at 4% over the three years. A previous five-year contract between the two sides included annual raises ranging from 2.5% to 3%.
With requests for additional pay came a petition signed by all union members supporting the idea of converting the workweek into four 10-hour days. FKEC management didn’t believe such a move was feasible, citing concerns of manpower if half the workforce was out Monday and the other half took off on Fridays. Management countered with the idea for a four-day, 32-hour workweek.
“If we were to go to a straight four-day workweek of 10 hours per day, we wouldn’t gain any efficiency since we couldn’t start working in neighborhoods until around 8 a.m., and with daily excessive heat alerts during the summer, we would have to limit afternoon construction activities,” Newberry said. “While they would be at work a couple extra hours per day, they really wouldn’t be productive during those two (extra) hours.”
In April, FKEC’s nine-member board of directors agreed to ratify a contract with IBEW which detailed a four-hour, 32-day workweek and a 4% bump in wages for the first year. No wage increases are included in years two and three.
Four-day workweeks have been instituted within a few local governments across the U.S. The city of Golden, Colorado adopted a four-day week in August 2024 for its police to address staffing. Three departments within the town of Plainville in Connecticut converted to four-day workweeks in April 2024 as a way to recruit and retain employees while maintaining quality of service.
And while some Florida companies have implemented four-day workweeks, FKEC is one of the first — if not the first — public utility in the Sunshine State to move to a four-day, 32-hour work schedule. Newberry anticipates the move will yield less turnover, increase efficiency and morale while making it easier to recruit should FKEC need to fill vacant positions.
As to what the new work schedule means for customers, FKEC says emergency operators remain available 24/7. Newberry said those operators work for many other electric cooperatives across the country. Line crews will also be on call and ready around the clock in times of a power outage or other emergency.
Newberry said FKEC should save around $1.8 million in labor costs with no wage increases in years two and three of the labor contract. An uptick in overtime is possible when linemen need to respond to emergencies on Fridays. Newberry acknowledged the dollar figure associated with overtime is not going to be anywhere near the wage savings.
FKEC maintains a 138,000-volt transmission line, which brings power from the mainland to the Florida Keys. FKEC purchases nearly 100% of its energy needs from Florida Power & Light. Generators in Marathon and FKEC’s two solar arrays also contribute to our power supply.
