South Coast Air Quality Management District

Approve Salary and Benefits Adjustment for Noncontract Management, Confidential, and Attorney Employees

SYNOPSIS: 

Current labor contracts provide for salary and benefits adjustments for union-represented employees effective June 25, 2001. This recommendation is to approve comparable salary and benefits adjustments for noncontract management, confidential, and attorney employees, also effective June 25, 2001.

COMMITTEE: 

Administrative, April 13, 2001, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

1. Approve a salary adjustment of 2.5 % for noncontract management, confidential, and attorney employees effective June 25, 2001;
   
   
2. Approve an increase in the vacation sell-back option for noncontract management, confidential, and attorney employees from 60 to 80 hours; and
   
   
3. Adopt the attached Resolution amending AQMD’s Salary Resolution to effect these changes.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

In 1999, the Board approved three-year labor contracts that included annual salary and benefits adjustments for union-represented employees. For the Professional Unit, the labor contract granted salary adjustments of 3% on July 12, 1999, 2.5% on June 26, 2000, and 2.5% on June 25, 2001. For the Technical & Enforcement and Office Clerical & Maintenance Units, the adjustments, effective on the same dates, were 3%, 2%, and 2%. Both agreements also included annual increases in employer-paid health benefits. The Technical & Enforcement and Office Clerical & Maintenance bargaining units negotiated a lower salary increase than the Professional Unit in the second and third years of their contract in return for higher annual adjustments in employer contributions toward health benefits.

With respect to noncontract management, confidential, and attorney employees, the Board approved a 3% salary adjustment in 1999 and a 2.5% adjustment in 2000.

Proposal

A salary adjustment of 2.5% is recommended for noncontract management, confidential, and attorney employees, effective June 25, 2001. In addition, an increase from 60 to 80 hours in the annual vacation sell-back provision is recommended for these employees. Under the terms of the management and confidential employee vacation sell-back provision of AQMD’s Salary Resolution, to sell back the maximum allowed amount of unused vacation leave, employees must have a vacation leave balance of at least 360 hours and must have taken at least 80 hours of vacation during the prior twelve-month period to be eligible to sell back, on an annual basis, accrued but unused vacation leave. This adjustment is in recognition of the fact that work demands for these employees often make it difficult for them to take full advantage of available vacation leave accruals, and may even result in their forfeiting altogether earned vacation leave.

Resource Impacts

The cost, for all management, confidential, and attorney employees, including designated deputies, of the salary adjustment is approximately $272,950, and the estimated cost, based on the previous year’s sell-back, of the change in vacation sell-back, is approximately $43,300, for a total salary and benefits cost of $316,250. Sufficient funds have been included in the Draft Budget for FY 2001-02.

Attachments

Resolution
Salary Resolution Revisions

                    A Resolution of the South Coast Air Quality Management District Board amending AQMD’s Salary Resolution to adopt new salaries, effective June 25, 2001, for noncontract management, confidential, and attorney classes as contained in Salary Resolution, Section 54 and to revise Section 41 to increase the vacation sell-back option for noncontract management, confidential, and attorney employees from 60 to 80 hours.

                    WHEREAS, the Governing Board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District exercises its duty to review and determine appropriate wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment provided to employees.

                    THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, State of California, in regular session assembled on May 11, 2001, does hereby amend AQMD’s Salary Resolution to adopt, effective June 25, 2001, new salaries for noncontract management, confidential, and attorney classes as contained in Salary Resolution, Section 54, and to revise Section 41 to increase the vacation sell-back option for noncontract management, confidential, and attorney employees from 60 to 80 hours.

SALARY RESOLUTION REVISIONS

Section 41. Time of Taking Vacations

1. ...A management or confidential employee who has 360 hours of accrued vacation may sell back up to 6080 hours of vacation, provided the employee has taken off at least 80 hours of vacation in the prior 12 months. Once an employee has sold back vacation time, he or she may not do so again for another 26 biweekly pay periods.

   ...

3. In addition to the vacation sellback provisions under subsection a. Above, confidential employees may sell back up to 16 hours of vacation time. To qualify for this sellback, a confidential employee needs only to have accrued as many unused vacation hours as he or she wishes to sell back and to have taken off at least 80 hours of vacation time in the prior 12 months. However, the combined total annual vacation sellback under both the options presented in subsection a. above and this 16-hour sellback option may not exceed 6080 hours. Once an employee has sold back vacation time, either under the provisions of subsection a. above or under this subsection, he or she may not do so again for another 26 biweekly pay periods.

   ...

Section 54. MANAGEMENT AND CONFIDENTIAL CLASSIFICATION SALARIES.

Effective June 26, 2000June 25, 2001

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