Section 31. Bilingual Pay

A salary differential of Seventy ($70.00) biweekly shall be paid to incumbents of positions requiring bilingual proficiency as designated by their respective Department Heads or their designee. Said differential shall be prorated for employees working less than full-time or who are in an unpaid leave of absence status for a portion of any given pay period.

An employee may submit a request for bilingual pay to their Department Head or designee. Upon receipt of an employee request for bilingual pay, the Department Head or designee shall approve or deny the request within thirty (30) calendar days. If the Department Head or designee does not respond within thirty (30) calendar days, the employee may submit the request to the Human Resources Director or designee, who will approve or deny the request within thirty (30) calendar days. Within one (1) week of approval, the County shall contact the bilingual examiner and offer the employee appointment dates and times for the bilingual examination.

Bilingual pay is effective the first pay period after Human Resources certifies the result of the bilingual exam. Human Resources may approve retroactivity for bilingual pay on a case-by-case basis.

Designation of positions for which bilingual proficiency is required is the sole prerogative of the Department and is based on operational and staffing needs of the Department. Human Resources will oversee the bilingual examination, certify exam results and determine effective date of bilingual pay of any individual submitted by the Department for testing. The Union shall be provided listings of employees receiving bilingual pay twice a year.

If an employee who has not been designated/approved for bilingual pay is required by the Department to perform bilingual services, the employee may report this issue to Employee & Labor Relations, who will investigate the matter within thirty (30) calendar days.

Individuals who promote or transfer to another position or Department will be reevaluated by the received Department to determine if bilingual pay should be continued. Should bilingual pay be continued, the Department must submit a request for continuation with the Human Resources Department.

f any employee’s request for bilingual pay consideration is denied by the Department, such denial shall be subject to appeal to the Human Resources Director whose decision shall be final.