SEIU Contract Implementation–2011-2013 Pay Related Changes
The recently ratified OUS-SEIU 2011-2013 bargaining agreement contains provisions that become effective immediately. There are a number of significant pay related changes included in the new agreement. We want to let you know how these changes impact you and explain the timing of these changes in your payroll checks, as indicated below in effective date order.

EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 2011:
Performance/Step Increases – 6 Month Lag and Increase “Roll Back”

The OUS-SEIU 2011-2013 contract contains a Letter of Agreement on Articles 22 and 66 regarding Performance/Step increases that became effective October 1, 2011. The Letter of Agreement places a 6 month lag on the awarding of performance/step increases effective from October 1, 2011 until June 30, 2013. It also institutes a temporary 6 month performance/step increase “roll back” on October 1, 2011 for employees who received a performance/step increase in July, August and September of 2011, and calls for this temporary roll back to end effective April 1, 2012.

Any SEIU employee who received a step increase in July, August and September will have had their pay rate adjusted back to their previous step effective October 1, 2011, and will have their step increase restoredon April 1, 2012.

EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 2011:

Mandatory Unpaid Leave Days (Commonly Referred to as “Furlough” Leave)

The new contract contains a Letter of Agreement on Mandatory Unpaid Leave Days. As in past years, the reduction in pay related to Mandatory Unpaid Leave Days will be prorated and deducted evenly a few hours per month from your pay beginning in November 2011, through and including June 2013. We refer to this even pay deduction as “smoothing”.

At PSU the decision has again been made to combine the use of “Furlough” leave with a winter break closure, as has been done in past years. The 2011-12 and 2012-13 winter break closures were announced by Vice President Monica Rimai on September 23, 2011.

To offset the timing between the pay reduction and the winter break closures you will be provided with a “Furlough Leave” balance (anumber of leave hours equivalent to your furlough hours for the biennium) to use during the winter break closures. Any Furlough Leave hours in excess of those needed to cover the winter break closures can be taken at times as scheduled with your supervisor.

There are a number of additional details included in this Letter of Agreement; following are a few highlights:

  • The number of mandatory unpaid leave days is based on each employee’s monthly base salary (base salary is the full time equivalent salary rate).
  • The following chart details the number of mandatory unpaid leave days by corresponding monthly base salaries. Please note that we have added hourly pay rates and the full time equivalent number of leave hours over the biennium.

Mandatory Unpaid Leave Days Chart:

$2,484 or less ($14.33 per hour or less) = 7 days (56 hours) per biennium

$2,485 - $3,103 ($14.34 – $17.90 per hour) = 9 days (72 hours) per biennium

$3,104 ($17.91) and above = 11 days (88 hours) per biennium

  • Mandatory unpaid leave days willbe prorated based on your FTE. For example, an employee working .5 FTE at a base salary rate that falls in the second tier will be required to take 36 hours of unpaid leave (72 hours x .5 FTE).
  • Mandatory unpaid leave days are also prorated based on appointment term of service, meaning that an employees on a 9 month “academic year” appointment will be required to take 3/4ths of the unpaid leave days for their salary tier.
  • Mandatory unpaid leave days must be taken by June 30, 2013, and are not compensable in any other manner.
  • Should your employment at PSU end prior to 6/30/13 your Mandatory Unpaid Leave Day pay reductions will be reconciled to your Furlough Leave time taken. If you have taken more Furlough Leave time than the number of Mandatory Unpaid Leave Days that have been deducted from your pay, we will reduce your final pay to bring your pay reduction and Furlough Leave time taken into balance.

If you so choose, you can “opt out” of Mandatory Unpaid Leave Day “smoothing” by completing and submitting the “opt out” form by November 15, 2011. The “opt out”form is located on the HR web site at pdx.edu/hr. If you do choose to opt out of furlough pay reduction smoothing you are still required to take your mandatory unpaid leave days, and your pay check will be reduced at the time you take those unpaid days.

Bereavement Leave Increase

Employees shall be eligible for a maximum of four (4) days paid bereavement leave arising from a death in the immediate family of the employee or the employee’s spouse or domestic partner.

Differentials – New and Updated

Shift Differential Updated:

  • In order to qualify for the shift differential, an employee must be in a job classification which is allocated to Salary Range 24 or below. Prior to this agreement the eligibility threshold was Salary Range 23 or below.

Hazardous Materials Differential Updated:

  • Rate increases to $1.50 per hour for all time spent performing work with hazardous materials which requires a certificate or a license.
  • Rate increases to $2.00 per hour for all time spent performing work with hazardous materials which requires a supervisory certificate or license.
  • Please Note: This differential will apply only when Haz Mat duties are not included in the employee's classification specifications.

Permit-required Confined Spaces (Permit Space) Differential Updated:

  • Rate increases to $1.50 per hour for all time spent working in OSHA permit-required confined space (permit space), currently defined at 29 CFR 1910.146.

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, New Differential:

  • Application: C6222, C6223, C6224, C6225-Staff Nurse, Charge Nurse, Registered Nurse 1, Registered Nurse 2.
  • Eligibility: Employees in the above classifications who are assigned to conduct SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) examinations.
  • Rate: $1.50 per hour above the employee’s base rate for all hours worked performing such duties.

Campus Dispatcher PSAP, New Differential:

  • Eligibility: Campus Dispatchers (C0312) assigned to work as secondary Public Safety Answering Point.
  • Rate: A differential of five percent (5%) over base rate of pay.

High Voltage Electrician, New Differential:

  • Application: C4213 and C4248-Electrician and Electrical/Control System Technician.
  • Eligibility: Employees whose positions require the employee to be trained and qualified as a High Voltage Electrician.
  • Rate: A differential of ten percent (10%) over the employee’s base rate shall be paid for time performing this work.

Scheduling During Holiday Week for Employees Working a 4-10’s Schedule

If an employee requests and is approved to work a regular 4-10 work schedule and a holiday falls on their scheduled workday, the employee, in consultation with their supervisor, shall have the options of:

(1)Flexing their schedule to work five (5) eight (8) hour days in the week in which the holiday occurs

(2) Maintaining their 4-10 schedule and using two (2) hours of accrued time on the day which the holiday falls

(3)Maintaining their 4-10 schedule and taking two (2) hours of Leave without Pay

If a university’s operations require an employee to work a 4-10 schedule, and a holiday falls on a scheduled work day, the employee shall be paid ten (10) hours for the holiday.

EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 2011:

1.5% COLA Effective December 1, 2011

Across the board 1.5% increase to all SEIU Represented Employees.

PEBB Benefits 5% Premium Cost Share

  • For plan year January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013, the employer (PSU) will pay ninety-five percent (95%) and the employee will pay five percent (5%) of the monthly premium rate as determined by PEBB.
  • Please note: January 2012 benefits process in our December 2011 pay check so the premium cost share begins with the December 2011 payroll.
  • The five percent (5%) employee premium will be deducted from employee pay as a “pre-tax” payroll deduction.

PEBB Benefits Subsidy

  • The employer will pay an additional $40 monthly subsidy for employee’s monthly premium rate for employees with salary rates less than or equal to $2816 a month (equivalent to $16.25 per hour) from December 31, 2011 through June 30, 2013.
  • The employer will continue to pay the current part-time subsidy for eligible part-time employees who participate in the part-time PEBB plan through December 31, 2011 (November 2011 payroll).
  • The employer will pay ninety-five (95%) of the part-time subsidy for part-time eligible employees who participate in the part-time PEBB plan for Plan Years 2012 and 2013 (beginning December 2011 payroll).

EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2012:

New/Revised Classifications

Employees in the classifications of Graphic Artist 1-3 shall be allocated into the new classifications listed below and shall be placed in the new salary range.

ClassificationClass #Range

Graphic Designer 251121

Senior Graphic Designer 251224

If you work in one of the effected classifications (Graphic Artist 1-3)you will receive specific information on how this Classification Change impacts you by the end of May 2012.

Selective Salary Adjustments

Effective July 1, 2012 the salary range on the following positions will be adjusted. Please note that we have only listed those classifications likely to include PSU employees. If you work in one of these classifications you will receive specific information in how the “selective” implementation impacts you by the end of June 2012.
ClassificationClass #Current Range_____New Range

Grants/Contracts Technician 02021719

Custodian 41011011

Stationary Boiler Operator 425018T19T

Stationary Engineer 42492021

Co-Generation Engineer 42512324

Staff Nurse 62222728

Registered Nurse 1 62242728

Registered Nurse 2 62252930

Mid-Level Medical Practitioner 62583233

If you work in one of these classifications you will receive specific information on how theseSelective Salary Adjustments impact you by the end of May 2012.

EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2013:

1.45% COLA

Across the board 1.45% increase to all SEIU Represented Employees.

Addition of 10th Step

  • An additional step shall be added to the top of all salary ranges.
  • Employees who have been at the top of their salary ranges since on or before January 1, 2012 shall be moved to the new top step of their salary range on January 1, 2013.

EFFECTIVE JUNE 30, 2013:

Performance/Step Increases – 6 Month Lag Ends

The Letter of Agreement that places the 6 month lag on the awarding of performance/step increases ends on June 30, 2013. All performance/step increases that had been held and not yet awarded will be awarded at the end of the day on June 30, 2013. Employees with performance/step increase dates of January 1, 2013 through June 1, 2013 will fall into this group and will have their performance/step increase added to their HRIS record at the end of the day on June 30, 2013.

We hope that this information will be a useful resource for you. There are many more contract changes that are not listed here because they do not directly impact your pay and leave accruals. The OUS-SEIU contract will be available on the HR web site very soon and we will send an email notice to you when it becomes available.

If you have any additional questions or concerns please feel welcome to forward them to me at .
Regards,
Pam Hutchins
Associate Director for Human Resources

Payroll, Compensation and HRIS