Wilmington salaries: Why these 911 dispatchers earned more in OT than regular pay in 2023
Vacancies and high turnover over the last few years has resulted in some Wilmington 911 dispatchers earning more in overtime pay than they make in the course of a year, a Delaware Online/The News Journal analysis of city employee salaries shows.
Communications supervisor Iris Grimes and emergency communications specialist Eileen White earned more in overtime pay last year than they received in regular earnings.
In fact, White — who has worked for the Wilmington Police Department’s Communications Division since 1988 — earned $10,656 more in overtime pay than she made in regular earnings in 2023, according to The News Journal's review of Wilmington’s salaries for 2023.
SEARCH SALARIES: 2023 City of Wilmington salary database
The city’s 911 Center is budgeted for 31 full-time positions, but “high turnover and consistent vacancies” have required overtime of employees to “ensure that the center continues to operate efficiently,” said David Karas, the Police Department’s spokesman.
The center has eight vacancies, he said.
“Overtime positions are available to staff based on seniority and according to the provisions of their collective bargaining agreement, and supervisors are eligible to fill shift vacancies for both supervisory and non-supervisory positions,” Karas said.
Overtime pay among dispatchers
Wilmington’s 911 Center employees were among the top earners for overtime pay in 2023.
While the top four overtime earners are within the city’s police and fire departments and receive nearly or more than $100,000 in regular earnings, Grimes — who was hired with the 911 Center in 2002 — took fifth place in collecting $65,400 in overtime pay, the 2023 salary database revealed.
Grimes, who is a communications supervisor, made $64,298 in regular earnings last year.
According to the data, the 911 Center spent nearly $400,000 on overtime pay among all its employees. There was no 911 Center employee who didn’t work at least some overtime in 2023.
White, who was hired in 1988, earned $62,587 in overtime pay on top of $51,931 in regular earnings last year.
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Another communications supervisor, Endea White, almost outpaced her regular earnings of $57,865 last year, collecting $57,429 in overtime pay, the data shows.
Attracting applicants
Karas said the department works closely with the city’s Department of Human Resources to post vacant positions and seek applicants, but potential hires find more lucrative jobs or withdraw from the process because of the city’s residency requirement.
“Unfortunately, a number of qualified applicants have declined employment offers or withdrawn from the application process in the past due to the city’s residency requirement,” he said. “We have also seen a number of employees of this center accept positions at other agencies offering higher pay or better benefits.”
Delaware’s Public Employee Relations Board ruled in April that Wilmington must suspend the five-year residency requirement that was reaffirmed by the City Council in November for all current and future union positions.
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The police union in December filed a charge with the employee relations board alleging that the city failed to respond to its request to reopen contract negotiations in order to discuss the residency requirement for new hires. The board ordered contract negotiations between the city and the union be reopened, and for the residency requirement be suspended until the issue is resolved.
Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com. Follow her on X at @mandy_fries.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Vacancies, turnover result in Wilmington 911 dispatchers raking in OT
