CAPE Members Win Bonuses Retroactive to 2016

Correction: In the print version of this article in the Winter/Spring 2017 newsletter, the retroactive date and year was incorrect. The bonuses are retroactive to January 2016.

For CAPE members Luis Orendain and Robert Cooney, December was a great month for bonuses.

The two members working in the Assessment Appeals Board (AAB) Unit received Additional Responsibilities Bonuses (ARB) that were retroactive to January 2016. The bonuses are pursuant to their unit’s Memorandum of Understanding’s Special Pay Practices, Article 7, Section 10, which states compensation is retroactive to “the first day the additional responsibilities are assigned by management.”

While HR did get it right, albeit rather slowly, this compensation may have never been seen were it not for the willingness of Orendain and Cooney to take action by citing their contractual rights through the grievance procedure. It’s a great example of members knowing their rights under their CAPE contract and that the union has their back in representing them through the grievance procedure.

CAPE continues to work to resolve issues with the Assessor’s Office regarding out-of-class bonuses and additional responsibilities bonuses, including those concerning Appraisers working on projects with within the Appraiser Specialist job classification. Most of these members are located in the downtown office and work in the Major Properties area.

The recognized path to resolving these cases is through the grievance process. Members can file requests for an out-of-class bonus or additional responsibilities bonus with their management. If management denies the bonus, the member may pursue the bonus by filing a grievance.

At an October meeting, CAPE representatives requested management define the terms “complex,” “most difficult” and “highly specialized,” which are used to describe the duties assigned to Appraiser Specialist in their class specification. Management has not responded to date.

In addition to the out-of-class issue, another problem affecting Assessor’s Office employees involves the promotional list for Appraiser Specialist I. Many CAPE members have been waiting for a promotion on the current list, however Assessor’s Office managers have indicated they intend to scrap the existing list and conduct a new promotion exam. This is an extremely frustrating turn of events for our CAPE members who have waited patiently on the current list for a promotion. Shortly before the Appraiser Specialist promotional list was to expire, CAPE sent two letters to Assessor Jeffrey Prang requesting all Appraisers who are reachable and who are working in Appraiser Specialist positions be promoted; seven additional promotions were made. There are still a number of Appraisers who are working out-of-class as Appraiser Specialists. If you feel your assignment is an Appraiser Specialist position please contact CAPE.

There is a strong consensus among CAPE-represented employees at the County Assessor’s Office that the new leadership under Prang could have avoided these issues and improved morale. Instead, most CAPE members say employee morale is deteriorating further. Still, all of our members are dedicated to providing the best services possible to the county and its citizens, and take pride in their work.

For CAPE, it’s the union’s duty to provide the best representation for these members and continue to pressure the Assessor’s Office to do the right thing when it comes to compensating and promoting our members.