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OPEA Applauds ODOT Market Adjustments, Encourages All Agencies to be Aggressive.

 

 

With the implementation of market adjustments at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, the Oklahoma Public Employees Association encourages all state agencies to take an aggressive approach toward pay raises for their employees.

 

ODOT recently announced a series of market adjustments that will be phased in with the first phase already implemented on August 1st, with a follow-up phase two beginning December 1.  The adjustments were based on a study of the Office of Personnel Management’s Compensation Study as well as national data reflective of the transportation industry. 

 

According to ODOT officials, the agency was experiencing recruitment and retention problems because of salaries that were not keeping pace with their competition within the industry. 

 

According to Title 74, 840-2.17, agencies are prohibited from granting pay raises to employees unless the agency uses a method authorized by the Legislature.  Pay movement mechanisms have been established to authorize agencies to grant pay increases for employees in the classified service but may also use the mechanisms’ for the unclassified service as well.

 

ODOT utilized the permissive language made available after the 1998-99 Classification Reform Act which added Section B of Title 74 840-2.17, dealing with compensation.  This section describes eight compensation adjustments the agency may make if the agency can certify to the appointing authority that the actions can be implemented  for the current and subsequent fiscal years.  One of these areas is Market Adjustments for job families tied to market competitiveness. 

 

According to OPEA, any agency can utilize the information contained within the OPM Compensation report or any other market comparison data to justify market adjustments, the rub is having the money to fund them. 

 

“Many agencies simply do not have the funding to do these types of market adjustments,” said OPEA Executive Director Sterling Zearley.  “However, we applaud ODOT for taking a very aggressive stance with this pay adjustment and encourage all state agencies to look a this approach to granting state employees a much needed adjustment.  For the agencies that cannot afford this, the information on the need for additional market compensation adjustments should be plugged into their budget requests for FY 2010 so the legislature is well-aware that compensation is high on the list of every state agency.”

 

 

OPM recommends this as well.  In the OPM recommendations contained in their Pay Movement Mechanism Report for 2007, OPM encourages state agencies:  ‘Agencies should continue to focus on developing and implementing strategic compensation plans that are aligned with and support their missions, business objective, and goals.  Such plans should consider labor market trends and work force demographics and skills mix, as well as data on recruitment and retention.’

 

OPEA has extended its hand to any state agency wishing to partner on pay movement mechanism for state employees.  “We are committed to helping any state agency that wants to work on improving their employee’s compensation outside of the legislative process,” said Zearley.  “We realize that it is difficult to fund, but this legislature must begin to fully realize that agency heads cannot run efficient agencies without a highly motivated workforce.  That includes pay.” 

 

While OPEA applauds ODOT for their initiative, we realize all state employees deserve fair compensation.  OPEA will continue to lobby the legislature on your behalf to bring state employees salaries to market levels.

Posted on Monday, August 25, 2008 by Mark Beutler filed under

11 comments (Add your own)

1. Ross Jury wrote:
This will never be realstic until the legislature funds agencys for these kind of things. They stick the agencys with having to find a way to fund any raises on their own, which can become a big burden for a smaller agency, that has to knock themselves crazy trying to just fund longiviy pay and insurance, that goes up every year.The legislature is so behind on the realitys, that it is silly to even think about fair raises for a long time. I don't want a raise at the expense of someone else being cut from the payroll in a riff to make room for raises that are not funded properly by the legislature, due to budget cuts. I would rather not have one. Thanks but no thanks.

August 26, 2008 @ 10:06 PM

2. allen wrote:
Well the adjustment raise was nice for 86% of ODOT employees but what about the 14% that did not receive the market raise? The inflation rate has affected those 14% as well. I'm confused how most of ODOT management has received multiple market raises over the last few years when there are many of us who have not received a single one. When does the market value cap out for them? It amazes me that employees with 20 years of service now make almost exactly what an employee of the same classification with 5 years of service is now making.Did most of these employees deserve this raise? Absolutely, but so did alot of others that did not recieve it.

August 27, 2008 @ 6:50 PM

3. Response wrote:
Give me a break! Everyone wants a raise. I would like to see fairness in job classifications. The Administrative Techs in the Maintenance Sections at ODOT are treated as incidental, treated like they don't have the sense they were born with. However, they do a ton of work and make their ill trained and uneducated superintendents look good. They should be classified as Administrative Assistants and given more respect for what they actually accomplish on a daily basis, not cyclical like some other higher paying positions.

August 28, 2008 @ 6:37 AM

4. Tired wrote:
Recently, an article appeared in the papers here and on KOTV.com that mentioned how the State Health Dept is going to have a hard time funding our insurance this coming year. And yet, I understood that funding would be provided. After all, didn't we just go through a big mess this past spring to keep our benefits from disappearing? Silly me, I forgot, we are dealing with politicians! They'll do anything to keep our vote!

Well, here's another good one. We're getting a new Health Dept in our county. I just found out that while we do not have enough money to purchase new computers, which are badly needed, somehow, money was budgeted to provide a custom made peice of "sculpture" made out of parachute material! This will then be hung in the front lobby-if anyone can figure out how to hang it.

Oh, and all the counties under my current Admin seem to be going to scrubs. Although I'm personally against them, I've been told it will most likely happen. However, we are being expected to purchase our own, with our own funds--no clothing allowance! In one of the counties, they select their own styles, and I was told they do this every quarter, at a cost of $90 a quarter. I don't see how anyone can justify forcing me or anyone else to spend my own money--and an amount that large, on a work related issue and not expect to reimburse us. Is this even legal?

August 28, 2008 @ 10:30 PM

5. Lynn wrote:
Tired - Legal? Have no idea. But in an agency where we routinely throw away our clothes due to work-related environment, scrubs would be a relief. I cringe every time I throw away a pair of Dockers or a decent shirt (let's not get into shoes). No clothing allowance for us either- but that stuff is tax deductible. I do understand that agencies like OHP not only supply the uniforms, but issue monies every month for the dry cleaning. Hey - at least you're not stuck wearing wool in the August heat and sun.

Kudos for the ODOT administration for even thinking of their people to being with. I have no idea why the other 14% did not get a raise, but I guess it is related to the private sector comparison and turnover rate or ability to replace those that do leave.

August 29, 2008 @ 1:18 PM

6. Me wrote:
14% did not get a raise because they already make more than the 90% of the market rate ODOT pays. We are paid 10% less than the market because ODOT management thinks we don't deserve 100% of market. So don't think we are making what private sector makes becasue we don't.

August 29, 2008 @ 4:19 PM

7. Tired wrote:
Hey, Lynn, just to clarify, in our case, I work with the publica as an Admin Tech--not with chemicals, blood, or anything like that. I have a closet full of clothing that I purchased to wear to work, church, after-work social gatherings, etc. The scrubs that the other clerks wish to choose are all very expensive, and in a year, we'd have to buy new. If I already have clothes that have been acceptable to the job for the past 12 years, why buy something now that I can only wear to work, but no where else, and in a year, will just be made to replace anyway--even while they will most likely still be in good shape? (I did find out that at least, it wouldn't be every quarter, just once a year. However, this means I'd have to wear the same clothes, no matter what the season, and I am extremely cold natured.) WE get remimbursed for travel time on the job, so why not clothes that we are being forced to buy--but that none of the higher paide clinicians have to purchase?

BTW, I too am thrilled for the ODT guys. I hope the someone will recognize the remaining 14% and eventually come through for them as well.

August 29, 2008 @ 8:06 PM

8. max wrote:
OPEA better be watching the petition that the teachers are getting signed...this petition calls for a state wide vote on increasing the money oklahoma spends on education to the regional average....in other words they want more monies for teacher pay....folks the people of oklahoma will blindly sign this.....and the teachers know it.....this would be one of the most horrific things to happen to the state budget in years....if what I read was true,it would cost the state 800 million more a year....talk about RIF's and tax increases...someone or some group has to reign in these people before we are left with nothing....this could be a bigger threat to our agencies and employees than the insurance bill was last year....this needs to be talked about...threr are options they could do like consolidation but they want talk about that....we need to let people know how much money the teachers make per hour.remember only 175 days taught...and admin. salaries....this is serious!!!!

August 30, 2008 @ 3:55 PM

9. Tired wrote:
max, not only that, but they are demanding that money be taken away from our much needed street and road repairs to fund more teacher raises! How on earth do they even except the children to reach the classes if all the bridges are falling down!

September 1, 2008 @ 11:14 PM

10. fedup wrote:
"According to ODOT officials, the agency was experiencing recruitment and retention problems because of salaries that were not keeping pace with their competition within the industry."

uh, hello so are the rest of us...

September 8, 2008 @ 1:15 PM

11. Response wrote:
Hey ODOT upper echelon--Do you think now that the Federal Govt. has frozen the monies for many road projects, that you might have jumped-the-gun on those raises? I know I quit before the raises were given. Are you going to be able to keep the workforce in tact, or will you have to have furloughs. I know they are closing some OESC offices.

September 10, 2008 @ 6:51 PM

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