(a) Whenever an employee is assigned or appointed from a position to another position, the following step placement procedures shall apply:
(1) If the top step rate of the salary range for the new position is higher than the top step rate of the salary range for the former position, the employee shall be placed on the lowest step within the salary range for the new position which provides at least a five (5) percent increase over the rate received in the former position including any regularly assigned bonus or premium compensation amounts in either the former position or in the new position.
(2) If the top step rate of the salary range for the new position is the same as the top step rate of the salary range for the former position the employee shall retain the salary step from the former position.
(3) If the top step rate of the salary range for the new position is lower than the top step rate of the salary range for the former position, the employee shall receive the lower of:
a. The top step rate of the salary range for the new position, or
b. The step rate in the salary range for the new position which is the same as the employee’s step rate in the prior class; if no step rate in the range is the same, the net higher level rate in the new salary range shall apply until the employee’s next anniversary date.
(4) In no case shall an employee receive a salary that is lower than the lowest step rate of the salary range for the new position, or higher than the top step rate, including regularly assigned bonus amounts, of the salary range for the new position.
(5) When an employee returns to a higher level position the employee shall be restored to the former step and step anniversary date.
(b) Salary Rate Comparisons.
(1) All salary rate comparisons shall be made in the hourly or bi-weekly amounts for the step rates in the salary range.
(2) Flat rate salary amounts shall be considered to be the top step of the salary range for the position.
(3) Any regularly assigned bonus or premium amounts shall be included in the top step rates of the salary ranges before the top step rates of the former and new positions are compared.
(4) In determining the step placement for an employee assigned or appointed to a position in the Department of Water and Power from a position in any other City department, salary rate comparisons shall be made using the employee’s actual salary in accordance with applicable provisions of this section. The availability of higher pay levels for the employee’s classification shall not be considered in the salary step determination.
(c) Concurrent Step Advancement and Position Change. Employees who would be entitled to receive a step advancement on the same date as they are appointed or assigned to a new position on a different salary range shall be deemed to have received the step advancement prior to the appointment or assignment to the new position.
(d) Bonus/Premium Compensation Assignment. Assignment to or from a position with a regularly assigned bonus or premium rate within the same class and pay grade does not change the employee’s step placement or step advancement anniversary date.
(e) Change in Classification by the Civil Service Commission. Whenever a position is reclassified and an employee is found “legally employed” or “not illegally employed” by action of the Board of Civil Service Commissioners, such employee shall retain the salary step and anniversary date from the former classification.
(f) Retroactive Salary Ordinances. Step adjustments will be recomputed, if necessary, pursuant to the provisions of any retroactive salary ordinance.
SECTION HISTORY
Added by Ord No. 150,778, Eff. 4-17-78, Oper. 7-4-77.
Amended by: 1st and 3rd unnumbered paragraphs, Ord. No. 152,544, Eff. 4-23-79, Oper. 7-1-78; Title and Section, Ord. No. 155,181, Eff. 5-4-81; Subsec. (a)(1) and (d), adds (a)(5), Ord. No. 157,221, Eff. 11-3-82; Subsec. (f) added, Ord. No. 159,659, Eff. 2-15-85.