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September 27, 2007

SAC targets salary compression

The Staff Association Council (SAC) is developing recommendations for a salary “step system” designed to protect long-term staff from salary compression.

At the group’s Sept. 19 meeting, SAC President Rich Colwell reported that the pay ranges for Pitt’s job classifications were raised by 4 percent, effective July 1. The ranges have been benchmarked annually by Human Resources since 2000.

“The pay ranges have a minimum amount and a maximum amount for hiring new staff,” Colwell said. The maximum amount is actually the mid-point of the salary range, he said, but noted that many new staff are hired at the mid-point range and some exemptions allow departments to hire new staff at above the mid-point.

That fact is unfair to long-term staff who sometimes are being paid less than new hires, Colwell said.

Pamela Weid, chair of the salary and job classification committee, said her committee is developing recommendations to implement a salary step system that would ensure staff would reach the pay range mid-point after a certain length of employment.

The committee has not yet developed a proposal, Weid said.

“We’re continuing to talk about the step program in regards to staff salaries and also we’re having a discussion about the salary increase [percentage] not being what the pay range increase was,” she said.

“The consensus of the committee is that when the University raises the pay ranges 4 percent and you’re only getting 3 percent when you’ve been here 10 years, you’re going downward, so we’re trying to develop something that would prevent that.”

Such a system would help prevent longer-term staff from making less money than new hires in the same position, she said.

There are related issues to be addressed, Weid acknowledged.

“For example, just because you’ve been at the University for 10 years, does that mean you should be at a 10-year level if you’ve switched positions and you’re only in that new department for one year? We have to look at those issues, too.”

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In other SAC developments:

• SAC’s benefits committee is looking into tuition and other educational benefits as they apply to regular part-time staff. According to committee chair Steve Zupcic, part-time staff currently are eligible for prorated tuition benefits, but their spouses/partners and dependents are not.

Also on the benefits committee agenda, Zupcic reported, is following up on changes to the Staff Handbook regarding former Pitt employees who are re-hired.

Under guidelines implemented in fall 2006, if a staff employee resigns a position voluntarily and then returns to employment at Pitt, he or she essentially “starts over,” that is, would be considered the same as a new hire for purposes of accrued benefits. Formerly such staff had one year to return to Pitt employment to be eligible to carry over accrued benefits.

Similarly, staff who are separated involuntarily formerly had one year to be re-employed and retain accrued benefits. Now that timeframe is 180 calendar days.

(See March 22 University Times.)

SAC is sponsoring an adult and pediatric CPR training session that includes AED use instructions on Oct. 6 in 669 Benedum Hall. The cost of the class is $30, payable by cash only.

To register, contact the SAC office at 4-4236; email: sac@pitt.edu.

—Peter Hart

Filed under: Feature,Volume 40 Issue 3

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