Tribes changing to four-day work week

The Colville Business Council, the governing body of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, has approved implementation of a four-day work week, with 10-hour days.

The switch was set for Sept. 30, after the CBC approved Resolution #2019-569 on Thursday at its full Council meeting. But due to the 2019 General Membership meeting set for Friday, Oct. 4, the CBC agreed to postpone the implementation of the new work schedule until Oct. 7.

That schedule will apply to all government programs except those deemed “essential,” such as police and other emergency services.

The change was implemented to achieve cost savings, a tribal press release stated.

The workday for most government employees will be from 7 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The Tribes’ Employee Police Manual and other applicable policies will be revised to address the workweek change, the release said.

The coming change was noted with some concern at the last meeting of the Nespelem School Board of Directors Sept. 23.

With parents having to be at work at 7 a.m., noted Superintendent Mary Hall, their children will have to be ready to go to school much earlier.

“I’m going to have a lot of kids out there by themselves,” she said, “and the same with after school.”