Section 5.  Salaries

5.1 Salary Ranges

The salary ranges for all employees in the aforementioned representation units will be as set forth in the Exhibits which are attached hereto and made a part hereof. 

The rates of pay set forth in the Exhibits represent for each classification the standard biweekly rate of pay for full-time employment.  The rates of pay set forth in the Exhibits represent the total compensation due employees, except for overtime compensation and other benefits specifically provided for by the Board of Supervisors or by this Memorandum of Understanding.

The rates of pay set forth in the Exhibits do not include reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses for traveling, subsistence, and general expenses authorized and incurred incident to County employment.

Effective the pay period in which the Board of Supervisors’ approves the successor MOU in 2022, there shall be a three percent (3%) cost of living adjustment for all represented classifications.

Effective the pay period in which the Board of Supervisors approves the successor MOU in 2022, equity adjustments to individual job classifications will be applied in the amounts listed below:

Job Classification	% Equity Adjustment
Cardiac Sonographer	3.1% increase to Imaging Specialist salary range, after 3% COLA applied to Imaging Specialist
Lead Cardiac Sonographer	Salary range will be established at 6% above Cardiac Sonographer
Clinical Coordinator Pharmacy Services (to be re-titled as Senior Clinical Pharmacist)	Salary range will be aligned with Supervising Pharmacist; Class spec will be updated to include consulting pharmacy duties;
Dietician I, II, Supervising	Dietician II will receive 2% equity; Dietician I salary will be adjusted so that Dietician I top step is 5.74% lower than Dietician II top step; Supervising Dietician top step will be adjusted to be 10% higher than top step for Dietician I.
Park Ranger III	1.6%
Pharmacy Buyer	Salary range for Pharmacy Buyer will be adjusted by 0.26% retroactive to February 24, 2019 to maintain the 5.74% (1 step differential) gap between Pharmacy Buyer and Pharmacy Technician, and to align Pharmacy Buyer salary schedule with salary schedule for Lead Pharmacy Technician.
Clinical Laboratory Scientist I, II, Supervising Clinical Laboratory Scientist	4.8%
Ultrasonographer	3.1% increase to Imaging Specialist salary range, after 3% COLA applied to Imaging Specialist
Lead Ultrasonographer	Salary range will be established at 6% above Ultrasonographer

Effective the pay period in which the Union ratifies and Board of Supervisors’ adopts a successor MOU in 2022, each full time employee in active paid status will receive a lump sum payment of two thousand dollars ($2,000) as a non-discretionary incentive to ratify the agreement. It is the intent of the parties that the lump sum payments will not be treated as salary or wages, as the payments are not provided as compensation for hours of employment or longevity pay. The lump sum payments will not be included in overtime/regular rate of pay calculations, and there will be no roll up effect of the lump sum payments. The County will withhold taxes from lump sum payments in accordance with federal and state requirements. The lump sum amount will be prorated for part time employees.

Effective October 2, 2022, there shall be a three percent (3%) cost of living adjustment for all represented classifications.

Effective October 1, 2023, there shall be a four percent (4%) cost of living adjustment for all represented classifications.

Longevity Pay

Effective February 24, 2019 (for all represented classifications excluding those in the Human Services Unit), and effective March 24, 2019 (for all represented classifications in the Human Services Unit),   longevity pay shall be paid as follows:

• One percent (1%) of base salary after the equivalent of five (5) years of full time County service (10,400 hours).
• An additional one and one-half percent (1.5%) of base salary (for a total of two and one half percent (2.5%)) after the equivalent of ten (10) years of full time County service (20,800 hours)
• An additional one and one-half percent (1.5%) of base salary (for a total of four percent (4%)) after the equivalent of twenty (20) years of full time County service (41,600  hours)
• An additional two percent (2%) of base salary (for a total of six percent (6%)) after the equivalent of twenty-five (25) years of full time County service (52,000 hours).

5.2 Entrance Salary

Except as herein otherwise provided, the entrance salary for a new employee entering County service shall be the minimum salary for the class to which they are appointed.  When circumstances warrant, the Human Resources Director may upon recommendation of the department head approve an entrance salary which is more than the minimum salary.  The Human Resources Director’s decision shall be final.  Such a salary may not be more than the maximum salary for the class to which that employee is appointed unless such salary is designated as a “Y” rate by the Board of Supervisors.

5.3 Salary Step Increases

Permanent and probationary employees serving in regular established positions shall be considered by the appointing authority on their salary anniversary dates for advancement to the next higher step in the salary schedule for their respective classes based on hours served in that classification as defined below.  All increases shall be effective at the beginning of the next full pay period.  Salary range adjustments for a classification will not set a new salary anniversary date for workers serving in that classification.

Hours of Service Necessary for Step Increases

1. After completion of 1040 regular hours satisfactory service in Step A of the salary schedule, and upon recommendation of the appointing authority, the employee shall be advanced to the next higher step in the salary schedule for the classification.  If an employee is appointed at a step higher than the first step of the salary range for that classification, the first merit increase shall be after completion of 2080 regular hours of satisfactory service.
2. After the completion of 2080 regular hours of satisfactory service in each of the salary steps above A, and upon recommendation of the appointing authority, the employee shall be advanced to the next higher step in the salary schedule for the classification until the top of the range is reached.
3. If an employee completes the 1040 or 2080 hours in the middle of a pay period, the employee shall be eligible for an increase as follows:
   1. if the merit increase period is completed during the first week of a pay period the increase will be made effective with the start of the then current pay period.
   1. if the merit increase period is completed during the second week of a pay period the increase will be made effective with the start of the next pay period.
4. If an operating department verifies in writing that an administrative or clerical error was made in failing to submit the documents needed to advance an employee to the next salary step on the first pay period when eligible, said advancement shall be made retroactive to the first pay period when eligible.  This section also applies to fully flexibly staffed promotions in which case the advancement shall be made retroactive to the first pay period when approved by the appointing authority.

Special Merit Increases

Upon recommendation of the appointing authority and approval by the Human Resources Director, employees may receive special merit increases at intervals other than those specified in this Section.  The Human Resources Director’s decision shall be final.  Changes in an employee’s salary because of promotion, upward reclassification, postponement of salary step increase, or special merit increase will set a new salary advancement hours balance for that employee.

Salary Step if Rejected During Promotional Probation

Employees who are rejected during the probationary period and revert to their former classification shall return to the salary advancement hours balance held in the former class unless otherwise determined by the Human Resources Director.  The salary advancement hours balance for an employee shall not be affected by a transfer, downward reclassification or a demotion.

General Salary Range Adjustments

Salary range adjustments for a classification will not set a new salary advancement hours balance for employees serving in that classification.

Prior Service Credits

1. A permanent employee accepting provisional employment in a higher or different class in the County Classified Service, and who reverts to the former classification, shall retain the salary advancement hours balance in the former class on the same basis as if there had been no such provisional appointment.
2. Upon recommendation of the appointing authority and approval by the Human Resources Director, provisional and temporary employees shall be advanced to the next higher step in the salary schedule upon completion of the periods of service prescribed in this Section, provided that their service has been satisfactory.  Continuous service in provisional, temporary, seasonal or extra-help capacity shall be added to service in a regular established position for the purpose of determining an employee’s salary anniversary date, eligibility for salary increases, as well as vacation and sick leave accrual.

However, such service may not be added if it preceded a period of over twenty-eight (28) consecutive calendar days during which the employee was not in a pay status, except when the employee is absent from his/her position by reason of an injury or disease for which they are entitled to and currently receiving Workers’ Compensation benefits.

5.4 Salary Step When Salary Range is Revised

Whenever the salary range for a class is revised, each incumbent in a position to which the revised schedule applies shall remain at the same step as in the previous range, unless otherwise specifically provided by the Board of Supervisors.

5.5 Salary Step After Promotion

When an employee is promoted from a position in one class to a position in a higher class and at the time of promotion is receiving a base salary equal to, or greater than, the minimum base rate for the higher class, that employee shall be entitled to the next step in the salary schedule of the higher class which is at least one step above the rate they have been receiving, except that the next step shall not exceed the maximum salary of the higher class.

5.6 Salary Step After Demotion

When an employee is demoted, whether such demotion is voluntary or otherwise, that employee’s compensation shall be adjusted to the salary prescribed for the class to which demoted, and the specific rate of pay within the range shall be determined by the Human Resources Director, whose decision shall be final; provided, however, that the Board of Supervisors may provide for a rate of pay higher than the maximum step of the schedule for the employee’s classification, and designate such rate of pay as “Y” rate (see Section 5.8), and also provided that an employee demoted as a result of abolition of position shall be placed at the salary step in the lower classification which most closely approximates (but does not exceed) his/her salary in the higher classification.

If an employee takes a voluntary demotion to a classification previously held, the employee shall be placed at the same step in that classification which the employee held last.  The employee’s service time at such step shall be the same as the service time held at such step previously.

In order to further the movement from lower-level to higher-level careers, an employee taking a voluntary demotion to a classification in the higher series (e.g., clerical employee to Eligibility Worker I classification) shall be placed at the salary step in the new salary range which most closely approximates such employee’s salary in the prior classification.

5.7 Reclassification of Position

An employee in a position reclassified to a lower classification shall have the right of either: (1) transferring to a vacant position in his/her present classification in the same or another department, provided the head of the department into which the transfer is proposed agrees, or (2) continuing in the same position in the lower classification at a “Y” rate of pay when the incumbent’s pay is higher than the maximum step of the salary range for the lower classification.

5.8 “Y” Rate Process Upon Reclassification

When an employee is reclassified downward, they shall continue in his/her present salary range, with cost of living adjustments, for two years, at which point the employee’s salary shall be frozen (“Y” – rated) until the salary assigned to the lower classification equals or exceeds such “Y” rate.  The “Y” rate provisions of this Section shall not apply to layoffs, demotions, or other personnel actions resulting in an incumbent moving from one position to another.

5.9 Salary Step Defined

For purposes of salary administration in this contract a step is defined as 5.74%.

5.10 Classification and Compensation Review

The County incorporated the following recommendations of the 2020 Compensation Philosophy Study into the County’s Compensation Philosophy:

1. Increase the number of Bay Area counties used as comparators from six (6) to eight (8), adding Marin and Sonoma counties, and continuing to include the cities of San Jose and Oakland to increase the likelihood of five (5) matches for each benchmark classification.
2. Use the median as the measure for determination of labor market placement and compensation adjustments, in addition to internal equity, pursuant to meet and confer and Board approval.
3. Maintain a list of classifications to benchmark for negotiations and ensure that classifications being surveyed represent ten (10) percent of the union’s classifications and at least 50% of the union’s membership.
4. Maintain current practice of surveying base pay only when conducting salary surveys.

The County will conduct a total compensation review one year prior to the expiration of the MOU and deliver to the Union for review. This will include a full, total compensation survey for one benchmark classification in each of the AFSCME bargaining units. The following compensation elements to be included in total compensation surveys:

1. Top step base salary (offset by negotiated employee pension cost share above statutory requirements);
2. Average employer contribution to pension (PEPRA rate, or average based on age range for legacy employees);
3. Employer highest contribution to medical, dental, vision based on family coverage; and
4. Employer deferred compensation contribution.

The Compensation Philosophy is incorporated in the County’s Classification and Compensation Guideline, published online on the County’s website.  

See https://www.smcgov.org/hr/classification-and-compensation-guidelines