2023 - 2026 WCE Memorandum of Understanding:   Article 11: Salaries and Administration of Salary Schedule

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What’s on this Page

• 11.1 Salaries
  • 11.1.1 Market/Equity and Salary Adjustments
  • 11.1.2 Cost of Living Adjustments
• 11.2 Salary Upon Employment
• 11.3 Salary Consideration Upon Reappointment or Return
• 11.4 Salary Extra Help to Extra Help or Permanent Appointment
• 11.5 Salary Upon Restoration
• 11.6 Salary Upon Promotion
• 11.7 Salary – Upon Promotion - Advanced Salary Step
• 11.8 Salary Upon Demotion During Probation (Failed Probation)
• 11.9 Salary Upon Involuntary Demotion
• 11.10 Salary Upon Voluntary Demotion
• 11.11 Salary Upon Reappointment from Voluntary Demotion
• 11.12 Salary Upon Transfer
• 11.13 Salary Upon Reallocation of Class
• 11.14 Salary Upon Reclassification of Position - Same Salary
• 11.15 Salary Upon Reclassification of Position - Higher Salary
• 11.16 Salary Upon Reclassification of Position - Lower Salary
• 11.17 Merit Advancement Within Salary Scale
• 11.18 Salary Upon Advancement Within a Scale
• 11.19 Effective Date of Merit Increase
• 11.20 Temporary Assignment to a Higher Class
  • 11.20.1 Temporary Assignment – Merit Increase Eligibility
• 11.21 Classification Study Requests
• 11.22 Successor MOU Negotiations
• 11.23 Labor Management Committee - Total Compensation Survey

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Read Next: Article 12: Hours and Overtime

Salary Scales shall be as specified in Appendix B for each classification in the Bargaining Unit.

11.1.1 Market/Equity and Salary Adjustments

Effective the pay period beginning July 11, 2023, contingent on the Board adoption by July 11, 2023: the A-I Steps will be increased for certain job classifications as listed in Appendix A-1 based on Market/Equity Adjustments.

11.1.2 Cost of Living Adjustments 

• Effective with the pay period that begins July 25, 2023, the County will increase by five percent (5%) the A-I steps of each scale in the Salary Table specified in Appendix B.
• Effective the pay period that begins June 11, 2024, the County will increase by four percent (4%) the A-I steps of each scale in the Salary Table specified in Appendix B.
• Effective the pay period that begins June 10, 2025, the County will increase by four percent (4%) the A-I steps of each scale in the Salary Table specified in Appendix B.
• The following formula will not be used during the term of this agreement. The County will provide a salary adjustment by increasing the adjusted A step of each job classification specified in Appendix B by at least 1.95% and not more than 3.85%. To determine the actual salary increase, the County will compare the following values:

(V1) The San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward All Urban Annual Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in January 2021 for the preceding December percentage change from December of the prior year.

(V2) The County’s actual annual growth percentage of secured property taxes collected between fiscal years 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, divided by 1.5

The effective salary adjustment to be applied to the salary scale will be based on the lesser of value (V1) and value (V2) above, in the following manner:

• If the lesser of value (V1) and value (V2) is less than or equal to 2%, then the effective salary adjustment will be 1.95%.
• If the lesser of value (V1) and value (V2) is greater than or equal to 4%, then the effective salary adjustment will be 3.85%.

If the lesser of values (V1) and (V2) is between 2% and 4%, the effective salary adjustment will be calculated according to the following formula:

Lesser of value (V1) and value (V2) = (X)

(X) - 2% = (F)

(F) x 0.95 = (G)

(G) + 1.95 = effective salary adjustment: (H)

      Examples:

(X) = 2.5%

      2.50 – 2.00 = 0.50

0.50 x 0.95 = 0.475

      0.475 + 1.95 = 2.425%

      (X) = 3.50%

3.50 – 2.0 = 1.50

1.50 x 0.95 = 1.425

1.425 + 1.95 = 3.375%

• Effective the pay period that begins May 31, 2022: The County will provide a salary adjustment by increasing the adjusted A step of each job classification specified in Appendix B by at least two percent and not more than four percent. To determine the actual salary increase, the County will compare the following values:

(V1) The San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward All Urban Annual Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in January 2022 for the preceding December percentage change from December of the prior year.

(V2) The County’s actual annual growth percentage of secured property taxes collected between fiscal years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, divided by 1.5.

The effective salary adjustment to be applied to the salary scale will be based on the lesser of value (V1) and value (V2) above, in the following manner:

• If the lesser of value (V1) and value (V2) is between 2% and 4%, the County will increase the A step by the lesser of the two values.
• If the lesser of value (V1) and value (V2) is less than or equal to 2%, County will increase the A step by 2%.
• If the lesser of value (V1) and value (V2) is greater than or equal to 4%, the County will increase the A step by 4%.

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Except as otherwise provided herein, appointment to any position in any class shall be made at the minimum rate, and advancement to rates greater than the minimum rate shall be within the limits of the salary scale for the class.

In exceptional cases after reasonable effort has been made to obtain employees for a particular class at the minimum rate, employment of individuals who possess special qualifications higher than the minimum qualifications prescribed for the particular class may be authorized at a rate higher than the minimum upon recommendation of the appointing authority with approval of the County.

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A full-time or part-time employee who resigns in good standing and is reappointed on a full-time, part-time or extra-help basis in the same or a closely related class in the same or a lower salary scale within two (2) years of resignation, shall not be paid less than two steps below the step paid at the time of resignation. Approval of the County is only required if the person is rehired at a step which exceeds the step paid at the time of resignation.

A full-time or part-time employee who resigns in good standing and, within one (1) month of the date of resignation, is appointed to an extra-help job in any class may, with approval of the appointing authority, receive the hourly rate which is closest to but does not exceed the step rate received upon resignation.

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An Extra Help employee who is appointed to an allocated part-time or full-time position or on an Extra Help basis in any class and without a break in service, shall be paid at a step in the appropriate salary scale which is nearest in amount to that of the step received in the classification held immediately prior to such appointment. Employment at a higher salary step not to exceed the maximum of the scale may be authorized upon recommendation of the appointing authority and approval of the County. This provision does not apply to the appointment of an Extra Help employee to another Extra Help position(s) held simultaneously with the first position.

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Any full-time or part-time employee displaced, laid off, or voluntarily demoted in lieu of layoff and reappointed within two (2) years in the same class from which separated or in a closely related class in the same salary scale, or in a lower salary scale than the class from which separated shall be paid at the salary step closest to but not exceeding the step of the applicable scale paid at the time of displacement, layoff or voluntary demotion. Such employee shall be considered for merit increase when the employee's total hours in pay status before and after separation and restoration equal the number of hours required for merit increase.

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Except as otherwise provided herein, any full- or part-time employee who is promoted to a position or a class allocated to a higher salary scale than the class from which the employee was promoted shall receive the salary step rate of the appropriate range which would constitute an increase of salary most closely equivalent to but not less than five percent (5%) of the employee's salary step rate before promotion, but not less than the minimum salary scale of the new class nor greater than the maximum salary of the new class.

If a promotion occurs during the same pay period a merit increase is due and approved, the merit increase shall be computed first and subsequently the increase due to promotion. An employee who is promoted shall be considered for a merit increase when the employee's total hours in pay status, exclusive of overtime subsequent to promotion, equals 1,040 hours. The effective date of the merit increase shall be in accordance with Section 11.19.

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Upon promotion of a full-time or part-time employee to a new class, the Human Resources Director may recommend to the County Administrator that the person being promoted shall receive a rate of pay which is higher than that to which the employee is entitled, but which in no way exceeds the top of the scale.

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Any full-time or part-time employee who, during the employee's probationary period, is demoted to a class which the employee formerly occupied in good standing during the same period of continuous employment in paid or unpaid status, shall have the employee's salary reduced to the salary the employee would have received if the employee had remained in the lower class throughout the employee's period of service in the higher class. The employee's eligibility for merit advancement shall be determined as if the employee had remained in the lower class throughout the period of service in the higher class.

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A full- or part-time employee, to whom the circumstances described in Section 11.8 do not apply, who is demoted involuntarily to a position in a class which is allocated to a lower salary scale than the class from which the employee is demoted, shall have the employee's salary reduced to the salary in the range for the new class next lower than, or not more than five percent (5%) lower than the salary received before demotion, except that such employee shall not be paid more than the maximum of the scale of the class to which the employee is demoted. The employee's eligibility for merit advancement shall not change as a result of demotion.

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A full- or part-time employee, to whom the circumstances described in Section 11.8 above do not apply, who is demoted voluntarily or who is displaced as a result of layoff to a position of a class which is allocated to a lower salary scale than the class from which the employee is demoted, or displaced as a result of layoff shall receive the highest salary step in the scale for the new class which does not exceed the salary received before demotion or displacement but not exceeding the maximum of the salary scale for the new class. The employee's eligibility for merit advancement shall not change as a result of demotion or displacement.

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Any full-time or part-time employee who is demoted voluntarily and who is reappointed on a full-time or part-time basis in the same class within two (2) years, shall be reappointed at either the same step the employee received at the time of demotion or the salary step nearest the amount of the employee's present salary step, whichever is greater.

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A full-time or part-time employee who transfers from one allocated position to another allocated position in the same job class shall be placed at the same salary step that the employee was receiving prior to the transfer. A full-time or part-time employee who transfers from one allocated position in a job class to another allocated position in a closely related job class as defined in the Civil Service Rules for which s/he possesses the minimum qualifications shall be paid at the step in the new scale nearest in amount to what the employee received prior to transfer.

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An employee in a position of a class which is reallocated from one salary scale to another shall continue to receive the same salary step.

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Whenever a position is reclassified to a class which is allocated to the same salary scale, the incumbent shall retain the same salary step received prior to the reclassification if the incumbent is appointed to fill the position.

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Except as otherwise provided herein, whenever a position is reclassified to a class which is allocated to a higher salary scale, the salary of the incumbent shall be as provided in this Article upon promotion if the incumbent is appointed to fill the position.

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Whenever a position is reclassified to a class which is allocated to a lower salary scale, the salary of the incumbent shall be as provided by this article upon voluntary demotion, if the incumbent is appointed to fill the position. Whenever the effect of reclassification is to reduce the salary of an incumbent, the Board of Supervisors may, upon recommendation by the Director of Human Resources, direct that the incumbent shall continue to receive the previously authorized salary until termination of employment in the position, or until a percentage increase in pay may be authorized, whichever first occurs. Appropriate records shall show such an incumbent as being paid at a special fixed rate (Y-Rate) of the salary scale for the employee's class.

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Merit increases within a scale shall not be automatic. They shall be based upon merit and shall be made only upon written approval by the employee's department head or appointing authority. Merit increases shall be made within the appropriate salary scale for the class by computing the new salary step rate which is most closely equivalent to five percent (5%) higher than the previous base hourly salary.

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Each employee shall be considered for an initial merit increase when the employee's total hours in pay status within the current class exclusive of overtime equals 1,040 hours. Each such employee shall be considered for subsequent merit increases when the employee's total hours in pay status exclusive of overtime at each step to which advancement equals 2,080 hours.

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All merit increased will be effective on the date the employee is eligible in accordance with Sections 11.17 (Merit Advancement Within Salary Scale) and 11.18 (Salary Upon Advancement Within a Scale).

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An employee assigned by the County to perform the majority of duties of a higher classification to fill a vacancy caused by resignation, termination, promotion or an extended leave of absence, must complete the required personnel forms and must meet the minimum qualifications of the higher classification. Such employee shall be paid according to the salary of the scale for the new class at a step most closely equivalent to five percent (5%) greater than the employee's salary before promotion, but not less than the minimum salary of the new class, nor greater than the maximum salary of the new class. The employee shall receive this salary as long as the employee continues to serve in such assignment and shall be entitled to receive increases for the position in accordance with the merit increase Section of this Memorandum as though the employee had been appointed on the day that the employee began to receive the salary designated for the position.

11.20.1 Temporary Assignment – Merit Increase Eligibility

Temporary assignments shall be administered in the following manner:

1. If an employee assigned to a higher class has not yet reached the “I” step in the lower class, in-service hours while temporarily assigned to a higher class shall count as time served in the lower class for purposes of merit increase(s). If the employee reaches the “I” step of the lower class while temporarily assigned, all subsequent in- service hours worked while assigned to the higher class will begin counting toward a merit increase in the higher class.
2. If an employee is at the “I” step of the lower class when assigned to the higher class, in-service hours while temporarily assigned to a higher class shall count as time served in the higher class for purposes of merit increase(s) beginning with the first hour assigned in the higher class.
3. An employee who is subsequently reassigned by the County within 12 months of the ending date of the most recent temporary assignment shall be considered for a merit increase in the higher class when the employee’s total cumulative hours in the higher class are in accordance with Section 11.18 (Salary Upon Advancement Within a Scale).
   
   However, if the employee received credit toward a merit increase in the lower class for hours worked in a temporary assignment as provided in Subsection 11.20.1(a), such hours shall not also count toward a merit increase in the higher class.

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In response to a written request from a Department Head, the Council, or an employee for a reclassification study, the Human Resources Department shall acknowledge receipt of said request, and if possible, indicate the general priority, if known, within thirty (30) calendar days of the date said request is received by the Human Resources Department. 

The Director of Human Resources or his/her designee will review the status of pending classification study requests with a staff member of Council upon request.

Before the Board of Supervisors establishes the salary scale for any new class represented by the Council, the County shall meet and discuss the salary scale for the new classification with the Council.

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In previous negotiations, the County and the Council arrived at a mutually agreeable list of agencies and benchmark classifications for the Sonoma County Water Agency classifications and these classifications were surveyed in preparation for the 2016-2018 MOU. These agencies are:

East Bay MUD, Marin Municipal Water District, Vallejo Sanitation and Flood Control District, Alameda Zone 7, Alameda Water District, Napa Sanitation District, Delta Diablo, and Central Contra Costa Sanitation.

For successor negotiations, the County and the Council reserve the right to survey and gather compensation data from other comparable water / sanitation districts, as well as those listed above for the Water Agency classifications.

With respect to the Sonoma County classifications, the County and the Council shall gather data from the survey agencies of their choice. Subject to data availability, the County and Council shall make the data available to each other by the start of the next negotiations, or as soon as possible thereafter for both County and Water Agency classifications.

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The parties agree that in preparation for the next contract negotiation only, and at WCE’s request on or after February 1, 2025, a Labor Management Committee ("LMC") will be established to discuss the County’s total compensation survey methodology. If the LMC is established, the LMC will meet up to three (3) times for up to two (2) hours each to discuss the County’s total compensation methodology. The LMC will consist of four (4) employees from WCE, plus one representative (not employed by the County). The County team shall consist of no fewer than three management representatives from the County. Nothing in this paragraph precludes the parties from discussing comparable agencies, classifications, and benchmarks during negotiations.

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