Hey WCO What Ya Been Doing ?

Many think that combining the PFBC with the PGC to one agency would be more cost effective and save the tax payers money.

They should allocate 6 million dollars to do a study to see if that is feasible in 10 years.

If you look at the whole spectrum of PA hunting and trapping there isn't much time that something isn't in season. Considering how large of an area each WCO has to cover, I imagine that even during the least busy months of the year theres enough illegal dumping, poaching, and other assorted crimes to keep WCO's busy.

The PGC has done a great job of opperating itself without a license increase for how long now? It doesn't make sense to combine agencies. Funding the PGC is something the governor doesn't have to worry about.

I see the argument, but it assumes the state government would want to augment the DCNR's budget with PGC funding. The DCNR has been experiencing yearly cuts for a while now, what makes you think the new administration would suddenly take such a keen interest in the DCNR and their financial woes?

... another useless thread

Good to see that the WCO's have a lot to do. They have much more time on their hands now that they don't have to worry about pickin up lots of road kills....WF

ORIGINAL: heyiknowyou

... another useless thread

 
And thanks to your insightful contribution this thread is no longer usless.  Thank you oh so much.

I'd rather see PFBC/PGC merge then PGC/DCNR
 
 
heck merge PFBC/PGC and DEP/DCNR if your really serious

ORIGINAL: Outdoor Adventures

With very few hunters and lots of snow since the end of late deer season what have the WCO's been doing to collect a pay check ? I hear this all the time so I thought I'd ask. Many think that combining the PFBC with the PGC to one agency would be more cost effective and save the tax payers money.

 
I have been spending a fair amount of time outlining for and attending hearings. I have another one tomorrow, one next week and one the week after that. I still have a number of road kills to pick up since PennDOT only picks them up if they are still on their right of way, the ones that made it off the road and into someone’s yard we still deal with.
 
This is also the time of year we get most of our in-service training completed. In the past few weeks I have received the annual training on the use of Carfentinal and Naltrexone the two drugs we use on elk. It is so dangerous to use (a drop on your skin might be enough to kill a person) there are only a few of us in the agency allowed to work with it, we have to work in pairs and have to pass a test on its use each year. That update training takes all day. Yesterday I spent all day at our annual re-certification in first-aid and CPR and Hazmat. Saturday will be spent at the annual foul weather firearms training and night fire. Next week we will have our annual Hunter/Trapper Education Instructors Training, that will take up about a day with all preparation required. Then in another week an entire day will be spent on our annual defensive tactics training. We will also all have to go to mandatory legal updates training in the near future though we still don’t have a date set for that. I almost forgot we also have a regional meeting next week, which eats up an entire day.
 
I am working on getting all of my hunter education classes for the year scheduled and that means working with my instructors and the facilities to try to get them scheduled around the openings at the facilities and the schedule of my volunteer instructors so I have enough instructors at each class, that is a challenge.
 
I have been shuffling bear traps around for some major over haul to convert them to the slow close swing doors instead of the old dangerous drop door traps, before the bear problems start for the year. That has eaten up several days in the past month and will eat up several move before that objective is accomplished.
 
I have spent part of every day tending various turkey trapping locations for our hen morality study. We caught 44 turkeys in my district with one net deployment a little over a week ago. We just moved the trap and set it up at a new location today and hope to sit in the blind and catch birds there on Friday.
 
Much of tomorrow will be spent in a hearing. But I have to get off of here now so I can pick up the local Waterways Officer and get to the County Federation of Sportsmen meeting scheduled to start in an hour.
 
Some people think this is a slow time of the year for the Game Warden and I guess it is. My weekly hours drop from a normal 60-70 hours a week down to only needing to work about 45 to 55 hours a week to keep my head above water.  
 
R.S. Bodenhorn          

RSB, Thanks for the reply. The question has also came up as to how WCOs are paid. Hourly or salary ?

Dr. Trout, More name calling ? first butthead,now troll...Maybe IronHead should post the conduct rules for you once again ???????? Go play on your own site if you want to call people names !

I had the deputy out the other day for dogs chasing deer.
He spent his Sunday morning chasing dogs.

I got the "near $36,000/year" figure from a news release talking about the latest graduating class and becoming a WCO. Your figure could be correct too.

I don't know about paid overtime for their position.

OK so by what your saying this PA state law (2nd paragraph) does not apply to you ?

New overtime rules in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act take effect nationwide on Monday, Aug. 23, 2004. Pennsylvania employers will need to follow both the new federal overtime rules and the overtime requirements of Pennsylvania's Minimum Wage Act. Pennsylvania employers should follow the rule that provides the greater benefit to the employee where there are differences between the two laws.

An employee is entitled to at least minimum wage and overtime pay at time and a half for all hours worked over 40 hours per week. However, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Act do not require overtime pay for “any employee engaged in a bona-fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity” who is paid on a salaried basis instead of an hourly wage. (29 U.S.C. § 213a(1), 43 P.S. § 333.105a(5)).

The United States Department of Labor (USDOL) published its revised final regulations concerning its overtime requirements under the FLSA on April 23, 2004. (29 CFR 541). The new federal regulations take effect on August 23, 2004. The new federal overtime regulations revise the types of workers eligible for overtime and set a higher salary cap for eligible workers (See: www.dol.gov).

ORIGINAL: RSB

ORIGINAL: Outdoor Adventures

It is to the best knowledge that a WCO back in 2008 started with an annually salary of $37,201 and was compensated with overtime any hours over 40 per week.They also receive a Commonwealth benefit package and a retirement plan that falls under the civil service act. Can anyone tell me if this is accurate ?

ORIGINAL: SonofZ3

Maybe RSB will respond, but I believe that WCO's start at just under 36,000/year as a salaried position.

WCOs get paid an hourly wage. We work 40 hours a week that we are paid for then typically end up donating the time we worked over 40 hours.
 
We get 90 hours of overtime a year that we can use sort of at our discretion though they have it limited to 15 of those hours between the first of February and the end of June. Then from July 1 to the middle of September we can use another 15 of those 90 hours. The remaining 60 hours are then available at 10 hours per two-week pay period from the middle of September through the end of the end of the firearms deer season. Then we don’t have any pre-approved overtime again until early February when the cycle starts over again.
 
Hours used over 40 hours and that 90 hours of over time is typically time we just donate because we are dedicated to providing the best possible service to the public and our resources.
 
Yes, we do get state benefits, of which we pay a sizable portion, and state retirement of which they have been taking a portion of our pay since we were first employed. It is those benefits and retirement that allowed some of use to give up much higher paying jobs to enter into this lower paying career. If it hadn’t been for the state benefit and retirement plan most of us simply couldn’t have afforded to be Conservation Officers.
 
R.S. Bodenhorn   

The reg. states that overtime is not required. That isn't the same as saying that overtime is forbidden. It means that working over 40 hours a week does not automatically result in time and a half. RSB says they are allowed 90 hours a year. I imagine that was a decision/agreement decided upon by individuals with a different job title than WCO.

Hey RSB,
   We worked out an agreement were we got comp time for those voluntary hours. Thats how I got so much time for hunting while working 60 to 70 hours a week all those years. Always saved it up. Management knows darn well that those hours may be VOLENTARY, but they also know the system doesn't work without  guys who are willing to do it.
   We all knew going in that those hours are EXPECTED and the guys who refuse just somehow happen to get all the rotten assignments far from home.
  Working for the folks isnt always the piece of cake those talking heads on TV and constant grousers make it out to be.

RSB...THANK YOU for all that you do, and all the other WCO and DWCOs' do, Most do not understand and some care not to know what your job requires, just find it easier to bad mouth folks who care so much about our resources, regardless if thier OT is going to be paid or not, or if any of the so called sportsmen realize how much they as a group, benift from from the dedication of the our Game Commission Officers> I know first hand and I salute you all. THANK YOU!!!