Ariz. parks agency suspends unpaid extra work proposal

PHOENIX — The agency that oversees Arizona’s state parks has suspended a request for its central office staff to work additional shifts at the agency’s 35 parks for no additional pay.

The Arizona Republic reports that Arizona State Parks & Trails suspended the request Friday after the newspaper asked the state Department of Administration and Gov. Doug Ducey’s office whether state employees could legally work additional shifts for free.

“Because this is under evaluation, Parks is temporarily suspending these opportunities until the evaluation is complete,” said Megan Rose, a spokeswoman for the Department of Administration.

The employees were offered compensatory time, not overtime pay, according to Michelle Thompson, spokeswoman for Arizona State Parks & Trails.

Arizona State Parks & Trails has struggled with high turnover.

The roughly 70 employees at the agency’s headquarters — who manage administration, accounting, engineering, computer support and procurement — were being asked to help clean toilets, patrol creeks, collect fees and work in park stores.

Public records obtained by The Republic show 103 full-time employees have left the agency under Parks Director Sue Black. The agency has 163 full-time positions, according to the state budget office. It also has dozens of seasonal employees.

Black, twice investigated by the state for mistreating state employees, has one of the worst turnover rates as an agency director in Arizona state government.