ADVISORY COUNCIL OF CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES

Minutes of Meeting

September 20, 2001

West Virginia University

Morgantown, West Virginia

The Advisory Council of Classified Employees met at 11:00 am, Thursday, September 20, 2001 in the Jerry West Lounge at the Coliseum, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV.

MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:

MEMBERS ABSENT

GUESTS:

J. Michael Mullen, Chancellor; Margaret Buttrick, WV HEPC Chancellors Liaison; Linda Adams, WVU; Verne Britton, WVNET; Heidi Derry, WVNET; Brenda Feltner, Shepherd College; Ken Harbaugh, Shepherd College; Hayward Helmick, WVU; Jo Morrow, WVU; and Kelly Pryor, WVNET.

The Chair, Ms. Pitzer, called the meeting to order. Introductions were made for all present. Mr. Martinelli welcomed everyone to the West Virginia University campus and gave a brief overview of the activities planned for the day.

Approval of Minutes: Being that a quorum was not present, approval of the July 29  31, 2001 minutes was deferred until the October 18, 2001 ACCE meeting.

Discussion of LOCEA Presentation: Ms. Pitzer gave an overview of the ACCE presentation that was made on August 21, 2001 before the Legislative Oversight Commission on Higher Education Accountability at Canaan Valley. Overall, it was the consensus of the ACCE in attendance at the presentation that it was well received. Mr. Martinelli requested that in the future additional ACCE members be given the opportunity to participate in the actual presentation of the materials. Ms. Pitzer noted that consideration would be given to this request but that the August presentation was made as such due to the limited time available in preparing the presentation and that some issues were not included due to a limited amount of information available at that time. Ms. Carney questioned if a date for a future presentation had been set. Ms. Pitzer replied that no such date had been made at this time but LOCEA members have indicated that if the ACCE has an agenda, then they would certainly be willing to meet with us.

Chancellors Report: Chancellor Mullen had visited the campus of Concord College on September 19, 2001 and asked Ms. Pitzer to comment on the visit. Ms. Pitzer reported the visit was very positive and informed the Chancellor that both classified employees and faculty would have liked it if each constituency group had been allocated time to meet separately with the Chancellor. Chancellor Mullen responded that he would be willing to meet with the groups prior to or following the HEPC meeting scheduled to be held at Concord College October 19, 2001.

The Chancellor reported that LOCEA would be meeting on Sunday, September 23, 2001 and that Segal Advisors, Inc., an independent investment consulting firm, had been hired to draft the RFP (request for proposal) which would provide alternative retirement programs and supplemental retirement plan options for higher education employees. Additional methods of tax sheltering funds have been identified and these methods will be included in the RFP.

Concerning the ACCEs recent presentation to LOCEA, there are a number of issues that the Chancellor believes will need to be brought to the table:

1. Funding of the equity step.
2. Hiring above the equity step.
3. Nature of the salary schedule. What do the cells and the steps in the current schedule actually mean?
4. No specified length of time provided for full-funding.
5. Inflation vs. progression on the schedule (the current schedule is not designed to address inflation).
6. PEIA  Since the higher education budget request was submitted, an additional 10% will be needed for PEIA. It is not clear if the 10% will be picked-up by the institutions or by the employees.

Ms. Pitzer indicated that classified employees are very much aware of the problems with the current salary schedule and informed the Chancellor that when the previous salary schedule was under c onsideration, a classified employee at Bluefield State college had developed a salary schedule which did not present many of the problems that are associated with the current schedule.

With regards to the current state of our country with the recent terrorism attacks, the Chancellor reported that support has been given in Charleston, which encourages the use of the military leave policy that was used during Desert Storm.

Presentation by Hayward Helmick: Following a brief break for lunch, Hayward Helmick, a retired classified employee and former Staff Council President from West Virginia University, spoke to all present encouraging classified staff to become more involved on their respective campuses.

Salary Implementation Policies: Representatives from those institutions present commented on their individual institutional salary implementation plans effective October 1, 2001 as follows:

1. Shepherd College -- Ken Harbaugh and Anna Mary Walsh: Ken Harbaugh, a classified employee at Shepherd College, stated that Shepherd College employees will be receiving 26% of the gap, as confirmed by Human Resources Director, Dan Starliper. The gap is defined as the difference between the old salary schedule and where an employee should be on the new salary scheduled based on the total years of service. Ms. Buttrick indicated that this was not the decision the HEPC had received from Shepherds Board of Governors. Anna Mary Walsh then quoted an August 14, 2001 email she had received from Alan Perdue, Shepherd College Counsel, which stated: "The Board of Governors promulgated a policy that addressed the current year only. For this first year, we agreed to move one-sixth of the gap. We are funding one-sixth but we are funding one-sixth of the total gap over a six-year period, rather than one-sixth of the current year gap, so that works out to a result that looks like forward funding."
2. WV Network for Educational Telecomputing -- Harper Grimm: One-sixth of the difference between the old salary schedule and the new salary schedule. Full funding of the equity step in two years.
3. West Liberty State College -- Patty Hendershot: The West Liberty State College Board of Governors approved a plan to bring all classified employees (including new hires) whose salaries are below equity (0 years of service) to equity on the new schedule within two years (by FY 2003) and to move all employees to their appropriate position on the new salary schedule within six years (by FY 2007).
4. West Virginia University -- Paul Martinelli: Effective October 1, 2001, West Virginia University will establish new entry-level salaries for all pay grades. The new entry-level salaries will be based on 16 percent of the gap between the equity step on the old and new Higher Education Classified Employee Annual Salary Schedule. All classified staff employees will be paid a minimum salary equal to the new entry rates, effective October 1, 2001. Classified staff employees whose present salary is below the appropriate placement on the New Higher Education Classified Employee Annual Salary Schedule will be provided a salary increase. This increase will be equal to 16 percent of the gap between the employees salary and appropriate placement on the new salary schedule as indicated by the employees pay grade and years of service as of September 30, 2001.
5. Marshall University Graduate College and Marshall University -- Joe Taylor and Stephanie Neal: A pool of funds will be created equaling 3.25% of the total of the salaries of classified employees. This pool will serve two purposes: 1) the salary of each classified employee will be increased a proportional amount between the current salary and the appropriate salary on the new Classified Employee Salary Schedule and 2) after movement toward the salary schedule, any employee whose salary is not at the University entry-level salary for the employees pay grade for this fiscal year will be increased to that salary. The entry-level salary for each pay grade has been set by the University to allow for full-funding of the equity step (step 0) on the salary schedule over four years.
6. Higher Education Policy Commission -- Betsy Crouch: On October 1, 2001, employees will be placed at a step on the July 1, 2001 salary schedule as follows: A) at the current classification and pay grade; B) at a step closest to but not less than their current salary; C) moved one additional step on the salary schedule if they have an additional year of experience since July 1, 2000; and D) new employees will be hired at the entry rate or higher for the pay grade assigned to the classification.
7. Southern WV Community and Technical College -- Chris Gray: Bring current filled classified staff positions to equity at zero years of service over two years and vacant positions to equity over four years. Hire new staff at one-fourth difference in old schedule and new schedule. Year four will bring new hires to entry level on new schedule. Increase salaries each year a minimum of 16.7% of difference to bring to full funding on the salary schedule. This will provide full funding over six years.
8. Glenville State College -- Linda Carney: FY2002, salary increases are calculated according to the relationship of each classified employee to the entry pay rate for their respective classification on the new Mercer salary scale. Employees whose salaries are equal to, above or within $750 of the entry level on the new Mercer scale will receive a raise of $750. Employees whose salaries were more than $750 below the entry rate receive a raise of the lesser of $1,200 or the amount necessary to bring them to entry level. FY 2003 to FY2008, GSC will increase classified employee salaries over the next six years to ensure each employee is compensated according to the adopted classified employee pay scale. Each year, beginning with FY2003, the College will use the same guidelines adopted for meeting the SB547 classified salary mandates. The salary of each employee will be increased proportionately to the total amount required to ensure that all classified employees are compensated according to the approved scale on July 1, 2008.
9. Concord College -- Amy Pitzer: All employees (faculty, classified staff and non-classified staff) will receive a 3.5% across the board raise.

Ms. Buttrick led a discussion on merit and indicated that all IBOGs (Institutional Board of Governors) are required to develop salary policies, which shall include merit.

Liaison Report: The Chancellors Liaison, Margaret Buttrick, distributed a number of handouts providing comments on each.

1. Commission Communiqui (dated August 2, 2001) -- This report is now available via the HEPC web-site (www.hepc.wvnet.edu) providing everyone with the information in a much more timely fashion.
2. Number of Employees in Pay Grades 4 and 5 in 1994 and 2000 -- The report indicated that overall, in 1994 there were 577 classified employees in Pay Grade 4 as opposed to 209 classified employees in Pay Grade 4 in 2000 and that in 1994 there were 48 classified employees in Pay Grade 5 as opposed to 297 in 2000.
3. HEPC Advisory Council of Classified Employees -- Updated list of all ACCE members.
4. Series 8 -- This is a procedural rule amending Title 131 -- Series 62 -- Personnel Administration (of the former State College and University Systems). Ms. Neal expressed concern that although the rule was filed with the Secretary of States office on August 31, 2001 with the comment period ending October 1, 2001 at 10:00 a.m., this was the first time that that the ACCE had seen the document. Ms. Buttrick indicated that although she thought the rule had been distributed to the ACCE previously, she would check to see why we had not received it.

WVU Presidents Report: West Virginia University President David Hardesty welcomed everyone to the campus and gave an update on progress being made at the university. Copies of his remarks made at a recent campus memorial service commemorating the lives of persons lost in the terrorist attacks on the United States, September 11, 2001 were distributed. He also entertained questions from the group.

WVU Vice Presidents Report: West Virginia University Vice President Scott Kelley presented a facilities management overview, which concluded with a bus tour of the campus and a guided tour of the new Student Recreation Center.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at approximately 3:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

STEPHANIE A. NEAL
SECRETARY

AMY PITZER
CHAIR