First of all, CWA did not actively pursue having a merit component in any wage progression formula for our members. However, it became abundantly clear that in order for us to get any portion of the plan to reward seniority, we had to have a merit component in the formula to satisfy the demands of the administration. We do not know the amount of increase the trustees will determine this year. Next year the formula will be applied according to the final formula. It is not an optional program.
Supervisors HAVE to participate in it.
They have to define what an employee's job is, what the duties are and what the standards of performance are. If Support Staff have been asked to do more duties than their PAQ says they should be doing, it should be identified during this process, and a new PAQ should be filed. We want to use this program to make supervisors accountable to the people they supervise and to make sure that the performance standards are understood by all affected parties. The committee felt we needed to make the percentage appropriate for the amount of work involved in the earning and awarding of the merit increases. This amount will vary from year to year due to the percentage of raise Support Staff will be given and the variance in the COLA, but we wanted to make sure it would be worth the effort of earning it.