PAGE 4 OCTOBER 6, 1978
Editorial
E COOSH EEWA
(The way it is)
Tribal Salary Program Adapts to Growth— — —
by Donna Behrend
Low wages have long been
the cause of low morale and a
high -turnover rate, but Tribal
management, under the direc
tion of the Tribal Council, has
taken the necessary
steps
through the years to improve the
low wage scale, merit rating,
and salary review processes of
the Confederated Tribes.
The Confederated Tribes is
one of the largest corporations in
Oregon, second only to Crown
Zellerbach. Its rapid growth is
reflected in community change
as well as in increasing numbers.
The salary scale system used in
early years was efficient for the
50 employees, but now with 400 to
600 employees a much more
sophisticated method is requir
ed.
Management provided that
nietnoa by introducing the pre
sent salary structure, merit ra t
ing process and other benefits
and processes available to all
employees.
Prior to 1965, the tribal
salary scale was very much
similar to the Civil Service pay
rates. But while Civil Service
wages rose ten percent for five
years until 1970, the Tribal wages
remained at the 1965 level,
putting the income of tribal
employees far below the national
average.
According to Lloyd Smith
Sr., Tribal personnel manager,
this kind of setback took years to
compensate for since that bal
ance of wages couldn’t be given
in one lump sum. In 1970, the
Tribal Council recognized the
need for a more equally balanced
salary administration. It was
then that the council directed
acting General Manager Ken
Smith to hire Price Waterhouse
and Company to conduct a salary
administration study.
This study involved the pre
paration of job descriptions by
department Staff, listing specific
duties and responsibilities and
requirements such as education,
knowledge of job and super
visory expectations. The job
evaluation committee was also
established at this time.
After the job descriptions
were completed, representatives
of Price Waterhouse and Com
pany evaluated them. Then fol
lowed a review and leveling
process by a six-member Tribal
evaluation committee. This six-
member team has grown to 11
members, each representing one
of the Tribal branches or enter
prises.
The evaluation committee
has been kept fairly busy since it
was recently directed by Tribal
Council to carefully review each
Tribal job description. The Coun
cil felt that the program Price
Waterhouse recommended was
not being followed since the
wages and increases were get
ting out of hand and were not
consistent for management, de
partment heads and staff. .
Some department
heads
were keeping employees at a low
level so as not to exceed their
crfi-
U U U g C l- O . V U l
VAAC C
11A
ployees had to be upgraded to
keep up with the Consumer Price
Index. Our wages, even with a 10
percent increase over last year’s
budget, are still five percent
below the Portland Consumer
Index,” stated Gene Greene,
Tribal Council Chairman. The
Consumer Price Index is con
sidered the best guide to deter
mine the present cost of living.
“I also feel that the Salary
Administration program
has
established good guidelines, but
like any program, it has its
faults,” continued Greene. “But
I think the committee is dealing
with the evaluation job very
well.”
Some of the faults mentioned
by Greene were the lack of just
compensation for employees who
have been working many years,
how the committee evaluates
jobs with which they aren’t
familiar, and the difficulty of
moving beyond step four to steps
five, six or seven.
Celeste “Cece” Smith, CETA
Program Officer-Contracts Spe
cialist, serves as staff liaison and
technician to the evaluating cbnv
mittee. Smith feels the “Com
mittee is very effective "and
definitely useful.” Its main pur
pose is to update all job descrip
tions and re-evaluate positions
with significant change that may
reflect salary increases or level
ing. She also added, “It is not the
committee’s responsibility to
merit-rate the individual holding
a certain position.”
But Tribal management is
responsible for following the sug
gested merit rating guidelines
originally introduced by Price
Waterhouse. Each employee is
rated at least once a year to show
progress, good or poor per
formance and any improvement
needed in specific areas. A merit
rating is required for an em
ployee to get a step increase and
the majority of employees get
one step increase a year.
Administrative Branch Man
ager Doug McClelland advises
the tribes “utilize the salary plan
and allow for modification to
better fulffill the needs of the
enterprises. It must change to
meet the changing needs of the
Tribes.”
In agreement with McClel
land is Ralph Minnick, Admini
strative Assistant in the Genéral
Manager’s office, who says “the
Tribes can’t have strict regula
tions, or it will take away the
creative ability of
its em
ployees.”
What do people think of the
system and is it really working?
(Continued in next issue)
T r ib a l C ouncil
A g en d a
Will it Fly?
Tribal Councilman Amos Simtustus looked over a 4-seater Cessna 182 airplane that the Council later
decided to purchase. The plane will be used by Natural Resources and the Police Department for
surveillance work and by tribal delegations for trips.
_______ ______ _______________ PS Photo
General Council Meeting cocc ctasses
October 17
Need You
Interested in knowing what
happened at Rapid City, South
Dakota during the NCAI meeting
last month?
The general council meeting
scheduled for October 17, 1978
will feature the council’s report
on NCAI as well as other dele
gation reports.
Supper will be served at 6:30
p.m. and the meeting will begin
at 7:30 p.m.
Plan to attend this very
important meeting.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
October
8
Little Guys Football game behind Community Center -
12:00 noon
11-12 Health Legislation Workshop. Call the Group Home for
information.
13
District In-Service - No School
14
Warm Springs Judging Team to Livestock Expo.
17
General Council Meeting 6:30 - Supper 7:30. Meeting
Agency Longhouse
20
Varsity Football Homecoming Game vs. Burns Highlanders
8:00 D.m.
Put a little class in your life!
There is still time to register for
Community Education classes
through the Adult Learning Cen
ter.
Classes with room for more
students are: college
credit
Math, Accounting for Small Busi
ness, Patchworkshop,
Pine
Needle Baskets, Indian Langu
age, Business Communication
and GED prep.
If you are interested in any
of these classes call the Adult
Learning Center at 553-1428 be
tween 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday
through Friday or on Monday
evenings 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
October 1978
Oct. 2 — Tribal Council Meeting, 9:00 a.m.
1. Council Matters:
a. “Brief Look at Warm Springs”
b. “On or near” resolution
c. Culture-Heritage Board Appointments
d. Watermaster
2. 2:00 p.m. - Introductions: IHS Extension
Oct. 3 — Tribal Council Meeting, 9:00 a.m.
1. Planning Department - Proposed Resolutions:
a. Apartment and Mobile Home Complex
b. Planning of 25 new homesites
c. Pinning 25 rural homesites
d. Simnasho Community Plan
e. Simnasho Community homesites
2. 12:00 Noon - Film: “More than Bows & Arrows”
Education Committee
Oct. 5 — TOUR: Blowdown Areas
Leave from in front of Old Administration Bldg, 9:00 a.m
Oct. 6 — TOUR: Thinning Area
Leave Old Administration Bldg. 8:00 a.m.
Let Extension know if you plan to attend
Oct. 9-12th — TIMBER SYMPOSIUM - Spokane.
Oct. ll-12th - HEALTH LEGISLATION WORKSHOP -
Community Center
Oct. 16 — Tribal Council Meeting, 9:00 a.m.
1. Community Center - Rudy Clements -
Delano (Satch) Miller
2. 2:00 p.m. - Progress Report-Williston
Oct. 17 — Tribal Countil Meeting, 9:00 a.m.
1. 10:00 a.m. - Enrollments
2. Kah-Nee-Ta Advisory Board Appointments
3. Proposed Resolution - Death Benefits - Nonmembers
married into the Tribe
GENERAL COUNCIL
Agency Longhouse
Agenda: Delegation Reports
Supper: 6:30 p.m.
Meeting: 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 18 — Tribal Council Meeting, 9:00 a.m.
1. Committee Reports
2. 2:00 p.m. - Realty
Oct. 23 — W.S.F.P.I. - Kah-Nee-Ta
Oct. 24 — Tribal Council Meeting - 9:00 a.m.
1. 509-J Report
2. Unfinished Business
Oct. 30 — Tribal Council Meeting, 9:00 a.m.
1. Unfinished Business
Oct. 31 — Tribal Council Meeting, 9:00 a.m.
1. 10:00 a.m. - Sanders-Rickard Progress. Report