CAREER LADDER
We will be meeting with management in the coming months to develop a Universal Behavioral Health Career Ladder. The process to develop this clinical ladder will begin within 90 days of ratification.
In the meantime, existing Career Ladders will be incorporated into our new salary structure:
- Social Worker MSW
- Future Advancement:
- Entry Clinician to Advanced Clinician: one additional step on the salary grade L scale.
- Advanced Clinician to Expert Clinician: moved to the same step on the Social worker MSW Senior salary grade M.
- Expert Clinician to Clinical Scholar: 5% pay differential
- Social Worker MSWs currently on the career ladder prior to the ratification of this contract will be credited with the following:
- Advanced Clinician will receive one additional step
- Expert Clinician will receive one additional step
- Clinical Scholars will receive a 5% differential following placement on the scale.
- All Employees with the current job title of Social Worker MSW and Social Worker MSW Senior are eligible to apply for the MSW Career Ladder.
- Future Advancement:
- Social Worker BSW
- Future Advancement:
- Entry to Advanced BSW: one additional step on the salary grade J scale.
- Advanced BSW to Expert BSW: moved to the same step on the Social worker BSW Senior salary grade K.
- Expert BSW to Scholar BSW: 5% pay differential
- Social Worker MSWs currently on the career ladder prior to the ratification of this contract will be credited with the following:
- Advanced BSWs will receive one additional step
- Expert BSWs will receive one additional step
- Scholar BSWs will receive a 5% differential following placement on the scale.
- All Employees with the current job title of Social Worker BSW and Social Worker BSW Senior are eligible to apply for the MSW Career Ladder.
- Future Advancement:
- Child Life Specialist
- Child Life Specialists will be moved to the same step of the higher salary grade as shown below when advancing from Associate, Intermediate and Senior levels:
- CLS Associate: Salary Grade F
- CLS Intermediate: Salary Grade G
- CLS Senior: Salary Grade I
- The review process and maintenance of career ladder level will not result in disciplinary action or job title change.
- Child Life Specialists will be moved to the same step of the higher salary grade as shown below when advancing from Associate, Intermediate and Senior levels:
- Genetic Counselor
- Genetic Counselors will be moved to the same step of the higher salary grade, as shown below, when advancing from Associate, Intermediate and Senior levels:
- Genetic Counselor Associate: Salary Grade N
- Genetic Counselor Intermediate: Salary Grade O
- Genetic Counselor Senior: Salary Grade Q
- Genetic Counselors will be moved to the same step of the higher salary grade, as shown below, when advancing from Associate, Intermediate and Senior levels:
CHAPLAIN PERQUISITE: Chaplains shall receive their perquisite annually in the amount of a $15,000 parsonage allowance for housing, paid monthly.
FLOATING: Employees will get float pay if:
- They are specifically assigned to a float pool (i.e. they float every day);
- They are temporarily reassigned to a unit that has a vacant position;
- They are assigned to a different unit to use skills outside their usual specialty, or
- They voluntarily accept an assignment outside their primary location.
Float pay will not be paid in the following circumstances:
- The work by its nature requires movement to different locations (e.g. interpreters in UH)
- When there are no vacancies in the unit and the employee is reassigned by management to a different geographic location to perform within the same specialty or same patient population
- An employee voluntarily accepts an overtime shift outside of their primary work location(s).
- If an employee is mandated to report to a different location, and the reason is not due to a low staffing, but absenteeism in a unit without low staffing.
When floating assignments arise, volunteers are prioritized. They are selected based on qualifications and seniority. If no volunteers are available, employees are assigned floats in reverse seniority order (lowest to highest).
Floating employees must receive appropriate orientation and training to ensure they are prepared for the new setting. Necessary resources and support, such as adequate staffing and managerial assistance, must be provided.
When an Employee floats to a location different from their regular work location, the Employee will be paid mileage equal to the difference between the Employee’s regular commute and the Employee’s actual travel to the different location.
The management must provide a business pass or equivalent parking/travel arrangements for Employees floating to the main medical campus.
SAFETY
- Employees who request training in non-violent crisis intervention will have the opportunity to attend, with the training scheduled during work hours. This encourages participation and equips employees with valuable skills for managing challenging situations.
- For staff who perform home visits as part of their regular job duties, annual training in non-violent crisis intervention and self-defense shall be mandatory.
- Employees who require confidential spaces for discussions, assessments, or interventions will be provided secure and private areas equipped with a computer, phone, and desk. For those needing additional materials or supplies for their roles, a permanent and easily accessible storage location will be designated.
LEAD PAY: differential of 10% of base salary
ON-CALL
- Employees designated for on-call status must restrict their activities to remain available to work on-site or off-site as needed. They must be reachable via phone, beeper, or other remote communication methods.
- However, merely using communication tools like cell phones without restrictions on whereabouts or activities does not qualify as on-call time.
- For work groups not previously required to be on-call, any introduction of on-call duties will require negotiation with the union. Should the department need to change on-call procedures, the union will receive 30 days’ notice and the opportunity to discuss or negotiate any changes.
- Specific On-Call Scenarios:
- Catholic priests provide on-call coverage for Catholic-specific needs. Chaplains on duty will assess patient needs and may contact an on-call priest if a priest from the patient’s home parish is unable to meet the need.
- Non-priest chaplains may volunteer for on-call shifts outside regular weekday hours, including holidays and weekends. Shift allocation follows a fair process based on previous on-call assignments and seniority. If no volunteers are available, shifts are assigned in rotating order starting with the least senior staff member. Employees are not required to be on-call during pre-scheduled PTO.
- CPT Social workers participate in a 24/7 on-call rotation, with one-week assignments at a time. Any changes to this rotation require approval by the staffing, scheduling, and workload committee. On-call duties are limited to phone consultations with the CPT team and do not require on-site presence.
- Employees activated during on-call may be assigned duties aligned with their job description if the initial need changes. If no duties are assigned, the employee will still receive two hours of pay.
PRODUCTIVITY METRICS
We negotiated some very important limitations on management’s use of productivity metrics:
- While benchmarking will continue, it will not be used for disciplining an employee for poor work performance.
- Employees will not be disciplined or given extra work for not meeting specific benchmarking (also known as productivity metrics). Adjustments in work assignments may be necessary in some cases.
- Benchmarking will be a regular agenda item at bargaining unit labor-management committee meetings.
- As a current standard, behavioral health bargaining unit employees are allocated administrative time equal to 20% of their appointment fraction when the appointment fraction exceeds 0.1. Campus departments will continue to provide administrative time consistent with current practice.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Each employee is entitled to up to 40 hours of professional development time per year, prorated by Full-Time Equivalent (FTE). This time is dedicated to activities directly related to their occupation, certification, or licensure. Additional time may be approved at the discretion of leadership, with written documentation provided for any denials.
- Approval arrangements must be made with a supervisor at least six weeks in advance. Requests submitted less than six weeks prior will still be considered based on operational coverage needs.
- On a case-by-case basis, additional time may also be granted when deemed appropriate.
- Collaborative coverage for missed work will be arranged between the employee and supervisor to ensure minimal disruption to operations.
- When professional development activities occur during the employee’s regular work schedule, the time will be coded as paid business time and considered part of their appointment fraction.
- When professional development activities occur outside normal workdays, including weekends:
- Exempt Employees: Flex time will be provided, allowing employees to take equivalent time off during their regular work schedule.
- Non-Exempt and Off-Shift Employees: Flex time or additional PTO equivalent to the time worked will be provided for professional development activities or mandatory meetings outside normal schedules, up to 72 hours per year.
Continuing Education Funds
- Continuing Education (CE) funds will be maintained at a minimum of $800 per year per employee for the duration of the contract. Units offering greater amounts will continue to do so.
- CE funds may be used for:
- CEU-providing activities
- Presenting at and/or attending professional conferences
- Guest lecturing at local academic institutions
- Presenting to professional organizations
- Sitting for certification exams
- Non-CEU-providing activities directly related to the Employee’s work (e.g. researching developments and updates within the field)
- Developing educational materials (for patients, new staff, interns, etc.)
- Conducting educational presentations (peers and/or other disciplines at UofM)
- Participating in specialty-related community outreach work
Licensing Supervision
- The University will provide supervision required for limited-license employees to meet licensing requirements. This supervision will occur during paid time.
Approval Process and Documentation
- Requests for funding must be submitted on a specific form. Denials of funding requests must include written documentation detailing the reasons for any denial.
WORKLOAD
- Workgroups that require after hours coverage, weekend, or holiday coverage must create an after hour coverage response plan within 3 months of contract ratification.
- Job duties that overlap with other disciplines will be clearly delineated and prior to job duties being reassigned from one discipline to another it will be negotiated.
- Employees in a lead position will continue to have an exception to their schedule to perform the additional duties required in the lead position. If found not able to do current FTE and lead position a review by the staffing, scheduling review advisory committee would occur.