A salary differential up to seventy dollars ($70.00) biweekly shall be paid incumbents of positions requiring bilingual proficiency as designated by the appointing authority and HRD Director. Said differential shall be prorated for nurses working less than full-time or who are in an unpaid leave of absence status for a portion of any given pay period. Designation of bilingual positions is the sole prerogative of the County and the Director’s decision is final. CNA shall be provided listings of nurses receiving bilingual pay twice a year.
18.1 Hiring and Selection
The County will continue to recruit and hire nurses based on a specific need for bilingual skills.
18.2 Testing
All nurses hired to fill positions requiring bilingual skills will be tested for bilingual proficiency. Employee requests for bilingual testing will be referred to the Human Resources Department Director’s designee whose decision shall be final.
18.3 Continued Use of Bilingual Language Skill
Nurses hired to fill positions requiring bilingual skills may be required to remain in bilingual pay positions. Nurses who were selected to fill positions requiring bilingual skills during the implementation of the bilingual program will be allowed to voluntarily leave such positions provided management can reasonably replace them and there are sufficient positions within the class they can fill. Nothing herein precludes any of the above specified nurses from promoting to higher classifications.
18.4 Transfers
Transfers of nurses occupying bilingual pay positions shall be in accordance with County policy and practice and shall not be in violation of this MOU. It is recognized that utilization of a bilingual skill may be the sole reason for transfer in order to meet a specific County need.
18.5 Review
Management shall periodically review the number and location of bilingual pay. If the County decides to reduce the number of filled positions in a specific division or location eligible for bilingual pay, The County shall provide individual nurses with one full pay period of notice prior to loss of the bilingual pay eligibility.
18.6 Administration
Administration of the bilingual pay plan will be the overall responsibility of the HRD Department. Any disputes concerning interpretation or application of the bilingual pay plan shall be referred to the HRD Director whose decision shall be final.