Idea #60 -- Initiate Job and Wage Classification Study

Idea #60 – Initiate Job and Wage Classification Study

Report Status: Fully Reviewed

Researched by: Anne Helgen

Original Idea as Submitted

Regrade/Reclassify salary ranges for jobs

Other ideas included in this report

None

Idea intent

Determine whether Belmont’s job classifications and pay scales are in line with similar communities.

Weighted Final Score: 31 (Financial Impact: 2, Operational Impact: 2, Time Scale: 2, Ease of Implementation: 1)

Background Information

Salaries and wages are by far the largest portion of the Town and School expenditures; total salaries plus benefits constitute almost 80% of the general fund net operating expenditures (excluding enterprise funds). The Town’s most recent job and wage classification study for non-union positions was done in 2014, and for union employees was completed over 10 years ago. In December 2021, the Financial Task Force II (FTF II) recommended that the Town update the 2014 wage study for all non-union employees, which the Town Administrator expects to get underway for town employees in FY22. In addition, the FTF II recommended that the Town begin negotiation with the unions regarding conducting similar studies for union employees. (A breakdown of union and non-union employees and a list of the Town’s 13 unions as of November 2021 is included below.) It is anticipated that such negotiations would be complex, due to the range of grades and classifications. For the Town, such studies will address community questions and concerns on how compensation is determined in the hiring process, benchmark Belmont’s compensation with peer communities and establish market driven salary ranges.

Recommendations:

The SCIG concurs with the Financial Task Force II recommendations, as job and wage classifications change over time. Over 85% of the town’s employees are in unions, which will require collective bargaining.

This recommendation will not generate immediate structural savings however, such a study will provide insight into Belmont’s pay scales relative to similar communities-a critical component of hiring and retaining employees -and provide insight into future compensation costs.

Next Steps

Town Administrator and School Committee to initiate negotiation of new job and wage classifications.