|
Public
Employee Press Local
375 dumps merit pay in SCA Civil Service Technical Guild
Local 375 has replaced a merit pay plan at the School Construction Authority with
a plan that provides something for everyone. An agreement signed in October
will fundamentally alter a side letter to the 1995-2000 contract for Unit A (Engineers,
Arhitects and other technical titles) and Unit C (Project Officers) that called
for a performance recognition program.
I was not at
all pleased with the merit plan. Members anticipated management using it in a
way that could confuse or divide our membership, said Local 375 President
Claude Fort. The original plan was never implemented; both parties agreed to the
modification on Sept. 25. The renegotiated deal is a sign of the
new SCA leaderships willingness to cooperate with the local, and we appreciate
it, said Mr. Fort. Unit A will use the funds to improve a salary
step program. The new agreement adds an eighth step for employees who now have
a seven-step salary plan. For another group of employees, who have seven steps
and a salary maximum, the agreement will raise each of the payments.
The hikes for Unit A members will range from $200 to about $2,000, according to
Assistant Director Frank Burns of the DC 37 Research and Negotiations Dept., who
provided the local with technical advice in the talks. Unit C will use
the additional compensation for recurring increment payments. The payments will
be $1,239 after five years, $2,548 after 10 years, and $3,587 after 15 years.
The union expects the SCA to implement the new agreement soon, retroactive
to June 1, 2000, when the additional compensation was due under the 1995-2000
contract. The members are generally very happy with this agreement,
said Sabiha Khan, president of Local 375s SCA Chapter 5. Only a few
people benefit from merit pay, she said. Its a good feeling
that instead we will be helping everyone in our units at SCA. | |