The OSEA news., August 01, 1973, Page 7, Image 7

Page 7
Candidate for
Director o f
E m ploye
Representation
Employes Seeking Reclassification Face
Complex, Time-Consuming Procedures
Editor's Note: During The last six
months a large number of requests for
reclassification have been sent by
employes to OSEA headquarters for
preliminary processing. The procedures
fo r processing reclassifications are
complex and time consuming. Cheryl
Williams, OSEA's research analyst,
wrote the following article to describe
those procedures and to advise employes
of the obstacles which confront those who
seek reclassification.
BY CHERYL WILLIAMS
OSEA Research Analyst
EUGENE J. WATSON
Watson has served as president, vlce-
esident, secretary-treasurer and
sneral Council delegate of Coos Bay
lapter 65 and as president, vice-
esident and delegate of Chemeketa
lapter 64 in Salem. He has served as a
ember
of
OSEA's
Employe
epresentation and Insurance Com-
Ittees, and presently Is a member of the
mploye Representation Committee. He
a field examiner for the Bureau of
abor. Watson brings 22 years of labor-
lanagement relations experience to
SEA. Statement: " I w ill continue the
r e s e n t progressive policies of the
mploye Representation Committee and
ork to develop a quick and effective
¿stem of work area representation for
idividual OSEA members."
Candidate fo r
Director o f
M em bership
"Reclassification," as defined In the
Personnel Division rules, is "a change In
classification of a position by raising It to
a higher class, reducing It to a lower
class, or moving It to another class at the
same level."
The type of reclass
request
headquarters commonly receives Is that
of an employe who feels he Is performing
duties which g re a tly exceed those
assigned to his classification and who,
therefore, desires reclassification to a
higher class and higher salary range.
Procedurally, a reclassification to a
higher class must be based on a finding
by the Personnel Division that the duties
and responsibilities of a position have
been significantly enlarged, but that the
knowledges, skills and "abilities needed
for the position are still essentially
similar to those previously required. The
legal responsibility for allocation of each
position In the classified service rests
with the administrator of the Personnel
Division In accordance with ORS 240.215
(2).
To determine If such an enlargement of
duties has occurred in a position, an
employe must complete Personnel
Division form 122, on which the employe
describes his job duties and respon­
sibilities in as much detail as possible
a n d e s tim a te s th e a m o u n t o f tim e
he
spends on each particular task.
The employe then discusses his job
duties and responsibilities with his
supervisor and the supervisor attaches
his recommendations In support of or In
opposition to the reclass request.
The next step In the procedure Is
submission of the request to the em­
ploye's personnel officer. He evaluates
the form, compares It to the work plan
and position description for the par­
ticular job and makes a recom­
mendation.
If the personnel officer makes a
positive recommendation, the request Is
forwarded by the agency to the Per­
sonnel Division for consideration. If a
negative recommendation is made by the
agency, the employe must appeal In
k/\fnro "Fkio P f—C? R in sn
writing to the administrator of the pending before the PERB In an attempt
Personnel Division for reconsideration of to resolve this Issue.
(2) Agencies are reluctant to recom­
the allocation of his position.
mend reclassifications to a higher level
The Personnel Division evaluates the and higher salary range because of
request, performs a "desk audit" of the budgetary problems.
position, consults with the agency head
(3) The Personnel Division Is con­
and renders a decision.
cerned about the "domino effect" of
If the decision Is positive, It forwards reclassifications. For example, If a clerk
the request to the Budget Division for 3 Is reclassified to clerk 4, It Is the feeling
approval of the necessary funding of the of the Personnel Division that other clerk
higher level salary. The request Is then 3's will sim ilarly seek reclassification.
sent to the Emergency Board for final
(4) Many classifications have obsolete
review. If approved, the position is and poorly written class specifications
which do not properly describe the duties
reclassified.
However, If the Personnel Division and responsibilities of the class.
(5) Some legislators oppose the con­
rejects the reclass request, the employe
has the option of pursuing the matter on cept of reclassification to a higher level
appeal to the Public Employe Relations because they feel it Is simply another
method whereby employes can get an
Board.
PERB's findings on reclassification additional pay Increase.
(6) Reclassifications that do not have
appeals are legally limited to a deter­
mination of whether or not the employe Is the backing of agency management have
properly classified. That is, the board little chance of being approved by the
may find that the employe Is Improperly Personnel Division.
(7) Some employes assume more
classified but does not have authority to
responsibilities than the agency
recommend a proper classification.
If the board finds In the employe's management Intends them to perform.
favor (which, Incidentally, seldom oc­ There are several reasons why employes
curs), the Personnel Division must do that. Probably the most common is to
recommend
an
appropriate Improve their chance for promotion.
The problem that nearly always arises
classification and the recommendation
In
such cases Is this: after an employe
goes on to the Budget Division and the
performs at a higher level for a period of
Emergency Board.
Obviously, the procedure outlined time he expects to be reclassified based
above Is complex. It also is time- on the additional duties he voluntarily
consuming. There are no time limits assumed on his own volition.
OSEA's
role
In
processing
placed on the processing of reclass
reclassification
requests
has
been one of
requests. It has been OSEA's experience
that final resolution of reclasses may candidly advising employes of the ob­
take anywhere from three months to a stacles which confront them In any at­
tempt to achieve a reclassification.
year and a half.
Employes who seek OSEA's help In
The most disturbing element In
reclasses Is that "final resolution" in reclass requests are asked to complete
most cases does not result in PD form 122 and provide It and a copy of
reclassification of the employe's their current position description to their
position. There are several reasons for field representative.
If there appears to be logical
this:
(1) There presently exists a conflict justification for the reclassification,
between the statutes dealing w ith OSEA w ill help employes submit their
reclassifications and Personnel Division request through proper channels.
If there appears to be no justification
rules. ORS 240.215 (2) gives employes the
right to appeal directly to the ad­ for a reclass, the field representative will
ministrator of the Personnel Division for advise an employe that there is little
reconsideration of the allocation of chance for success.
That Is done for one very valid reason:
positions. However, the division's rules
require employes to process reclass If an employe can't convince an OSEA
requests through agency grievance field representative that his position
should be reclassified, there is little
procedures.
It Is OSEA's contention th a t possibility he can convince his agency or
reclassification requests are not the Personnel Division that It should be
grievances, that the legal authority for reclassified.
This may appear to be an overly
final approval of a reclass rests with the
Personnel Division administrator and pessimistic view of the reclass situation
that an agency grievance procedure Is in state government. Nevertheless, It Is
useless In reclassification cases because an honest one and is made to Inform
a reclass cannot legally be resolved at employes of one of the major problem
areas in employment relations at the
the agency level.
The Association currently has cases current time.
HELP OSEA HELP YO U: USE THIS
FORM TO ENROLL A NEW MEMBER
ENROLLMENT FORM
DAVID D. SAUNDERS
Saunders has served two terms as
resident and delegate of Beaver
hapter 31 In Portland. He Is completing
is first term as assistant director of
»¡strict One, and has served on various
hapter and district committees. He is
u rren t chairm an of the
U nit
Representation Committee in the
hlldren's Services Division. Statement:
My chapter has had a net Increase In
lembers of over 30 per cent In the last
ear and I believe the methods I used can
e applied on a statewide basis to stop
ur membership losses and start gaining
gain. It will take lots of hard work but
tie survival of our Association depends
pon membership. We cannot continue to
rovlde the high quality of service In the
uture If we don't reverse the downward
rend In our membership."
o
«*>
o
c
o
o>
«
Ô O
O R E G O N
S T A T I
1127 TWENTY-FIFTH STREET 8.E.
Founded in 1943
SALEM, OREGON S7301
.CHAPTER NO..
NAME
ä
e
<
o
S " 5
Q
<
»
2
Ui
SÇ
G)
g >
S
i
©
«
MAILING ADDRESS.
INITIAL
FIRST
LAST
ZIP CODE
CITY
STREET
AGENCY—--------------
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
disburse same to the Oregon State Employes Association.________ _____________ _____________]
{jltalM A 1 U M t
n
(SIGN ONLY FOR PAYROLL DEDUCTION)
-----------------------
T R A N S A U 1IU N
CASH PAYMENT OF DUES
RECEIVED $
1 ANNUAL □
(SEMI-ANNUAL
□
NEW
□
0
O
10
TRANSFER
TYPE MEMBER
f - | ACTIVE 0
ENROLLED B Y :-------------- -------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- TZ—
RENEWAL
ASSOCIATE 0 j RETIRED