Section 6-B1128. WAGE SERVICE RATE SYSTEM - GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

1128.1This section applies to all Career and Management Supervisory Service employees paid under a Wage Service rate schedule.

 

1128.2The Wage Service rate schedules listed in section 1125.3 of this chapter are the hourly rate schedules applicable to employees who are paid from the Wage Service Rate System.

 

1128.3The Wage Service rate schedules shall be comprised of grades and steps consisting of hourly rates within each grade.

 

1128.4Except as provided in sections 1128.5 through 1128.8 of this section, a new appointment shall be made at the minimum rate of the grade.

 

1128.5At the discretion of the agency head (or designee), an individual may be appointed at any step up to the representative rate of the appropriate grade on an applicable Wage Service rate schedule.

 

1128.6An individual may be appointed at a rate above the representative rate of the appropriate grade on the basis of superior qualifications, as provided in sections 1128.7 and 1128.8 of this section.

 

1128.7A superior qualifications appointment may be made only with the approval of the personnel authority.

 

1128.8A superior qualifications appointment shall be based on all of the following criteria:

 

(a)The special needs of the agency for the candidate’s services;

 

(b)The candidate’s skills and experience are of an exceptional or highly specialized nature in his or her trade or craft; and

 

(c)The candidate’s rate of basic pay.

 

1128.9When a superior qualifications appointment is made by reemployment, the candidate must have a break in service of at least ninety (90) calendar days since his or her last period of District government service.

 

1128.10At the discretion of the agency head, the rate of basic pay of an employee in the Management Supervisory Service (MSS) with Career Service status who is paid under the MW rate schedule and moves to a Career Service wage position without a break in service of more than three (3) months may be set at any rate of the appropriate grade on the RW, LW, or SW rate schedule that does not exceed the employee’s existing rate of basic pay on a MW rate schedule, except that the rate of basic pay on the RW, LW, or SW rate schedule shall not be set below the rate of basic pay that the employee would have attained in the Career Service had the MSS appointment never been effected.

 

1128.11At the discretion of the agency head, the rate of basic pay of an employee in the MSS without Career Service status who is paid under the MW rate schedule and moves to a Career Service wage position without a break in service may be set at the minimum rate of the appropriate grade on the RW, LW, or SW rate schedule or at any rate above the minimum rate that does not exceed the employee’s existing rate of basic pay on a MW rate schedule.

 

1128.12When an employee moves without a break in service from a position paid under a Wage Service Rate System schedule to a position paid under another Wage Service Rate System Schedule (i.e., movement within the same rate schedule, and movement from a rate schedule to a different rate schedule), the rate of pay shall be determined under one (1) of the following, as appropriate:

 

(a)If one hundred one percent (101%) of the representative rate, as defined in sections 1131.11 and 1199 of this chapter, of the employee’s grade on the Wage Service Rate System schedule is less than the representative rate of the grade to which he or she is being assigned, the movement constitutes a promotion, and, the employee shall be entitled to one (1) of the following:

 

(1)Basic pay at the lowest rate of the grade on the rate schedule that is equivalent to his or her existing rate of basic pay, plus two (2) step increases of the current grade on a Wage Service Rate System Schedule;

 

(2)If the rate determined in (1) above falls between two (2) rates of the new grade, he or she shall be entitled to the higher rate; or

 

(3)If the rate determined in (1) above is higher than any rate of the new grade, he or she shall be entitled to the maximum rate of the new grade.

 

(b)If one hundred one percent (101%) of the representative rate, as defined in sections 1131.11 and 1199 of this chapter, of the employee’s grade on the Wage Service Rate System schedule is equal to or more than the representative rate of the grade to which he or she is being assigned on the MW rate schedule, the movement constitutes either a reassignment (when “equal to”) or a change to lower grade (when “more than”), and the agency may pay the employee in accordance with either of the following:

 

(1)The agency may pay the employee at any rate of the grade on the MW rate schedule that does not exceed his or her highest previous rate on a Wage Service Rate System schedule; or

 

(2)If the employee’s highest previous rate on a Wage Service Rate System schedule falls between two (2) rates of the new grade, the agency may pay the employee at the higher rate.

 

1128.13When an employee moves without a break in service from a Career Service position under the CS salary schedule to a Management Supervisory Service position under the MW rate schedule, the rate of basic pay on the MW rate schedule shall be determined under the provisions of section 1126.15 of this chapter, reading “MS salary” as “MW rate.”

 

1128.14When an employee moves without a break in service from a Management Supervisory Service (MSS) position under the MS salary schedule to a MSS position under a MW rate schedule, the rate of pay on the MW rate schedule shall be determined under the provisions of section 1130.3 of this chapter, using the employee’s MS salary schedule as the “current schedule” and the MW rate schedule as the “new schedule.”

 

1128.15When any action moves an employee from one MW rate schedule (“current” schedule) to another grade within the same rate schedule or to any grade within another MW rate schedule (“new” schedule), the rate of pay on the new schedule shall be determined under one (1) of the following, as appropriate:

 

(a)If one hundred one percent (101%) of the representative rate, as defined in sections 1131.11 and 1199 of this chapter, of the employee’s grade in his or her current schedule is less than the representative rate of the grade to which he or she is being assigned in either the same schedule or a new schedule, the employee shall be entitled to one (1) of the following:

 

(1)Basic pay at the lowest rate of the new grade that is equivalent to his or her existing rate of basic pay plus one (1) step increase of the current grade;

 

(2)If the rate determined in (1) above falls between two (2) rates of the new grade, he or she shall be entitled to the higher rate; or

 

(3)If the rate determined in (1) above is higher than any rate of the new grade, he or she shall be entitled to the maximum rate of the new grade.

 

(b)If one hundred one percent (101%) of the representative rate, as defined in sections 1131.11 and 1199 of this chapter, of the employee’s grade in his or her current schedule is equal to or more than the representative rate of the grade to which he or she is being assigned in either the same schedule or a new schedule, the agency may pay the employee in accordance with either of the following:

 

(1)The agency may pay the employee at any rate of the new grade that does not exceed his or her highest previous rate; or

 

(2)If the employee’s highest previous rate falls between two (2) rates of the new grade, the agency may pay the employee at the higher rate.

 

source

Final Rulemaking published at 52 DCR 934 (February 4, 2005); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 55 DCR 6461 (June 13, 2008).