Drafter

Clerk 11/29/2021

Title

AN ORDINANCE relating to 2022 wage increases for King County employees including the 2022 4.545 GWI King County Hourly Squared Schedule, 2022 4.545 GWI King County Annual/FLSA-Exempt Squared Schedule, 2022 4.545 GWI King County Standardized Hourly Salary Schedule, 2022 4.545 GWI King County Standardized Annual/FLSA-Exempt Salary Schedule, the annual general wage increase for nonrepresented King County employees, as stipulated in K.C.C. 3.12.130 and K.C.C. 3.12.140, and retention bonuses for nonrepresented King County employees.

Body

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

1.  Pursuant to K.C.C. 3.12.130, a change to the King County salary schedule must be made by the King County Council.

2.  Since the beginning of the COVID-19 health emergency, many employers have been impacted by what is termed "The Great Resignation."  That refers to the phenomenon of many employees resigning from their current positions to either seek other employment or to at least temporarily absent themselves from the workforce.

3.  An unstable workforce, characterized in part by an inordinate amount of employee departures, can make it difficult to meet workplace demands, especially during an ongoing health emergency.

4.  In an effort to forestall critical departures from county employment, it is advisable to enact one-time retention bonuses for nonrepresented King County employees.

                     BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:

                     SECTION 1.  The attached 2022 4.545 GWI King County Hourly Squared Schedule, 2022 4.545 GWI King County Annual/FLSA-Exempt Squared Schedule, 2022 4.545 GWI King County Standardized Hourly Salary Schedule and 2022 4.545 GWI King County Standardized Annual/FLSA-Exempt Salary Schedule, are approved and adopted.

                     SECTION 2.  The salary schedules listed in section 1 of this ordinance, reflect a 4.545 percent increase from the preceding 2021 schedules effective January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021, for nonrepresented employees of the King County executive branch, King County council, prosecuting attorney's office, district court, superior court and the office of economic and financial analysis.  Effective January 1, 2022, the wages of any nonrepresented King County executive branch, King County council, prosecuting attorney's office, district court, superior court or the office of economic and financial analysis employee whose wages are not based on any salary schedule listed in section 1 of this ordinance, shall be increased by 4.545 percent from the preceding 2021 schedules, which were effective July 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021.  This ordinance shall not apply to elected officials, superior court commissioners or district court judges pro tem.  Represented employees' general wage increases shall be governed by the employees' respective collective bargaining agreements.

                     SECTION 3.  Nonrepresented King County employees, excluding short-term temporary employees, administrative interns, elected officials, superior court commissioners and district court judges pro tem, who are employed by King County on December 31, 2021, and who remain employed by King County through April 30, 2022, shall receive one-time retention bonuses equal to one and one half percent of the employees' 2021 King County wages reflected on the employees' 2021 W-2 forms.  If the employees continue to be employed by King County on November 30, 2022, the employees shall receive one-time retention bonuses based on the employees' 2022 annual base salaries.  The bonus paid to an employee shall be one of the following:

                     A.  A payment of four thousand dollars for employees whose 2022 base salaries are less than one hundred thousand dollars;

                     B.  A payment of two thousand dollars for employees whose 2022 base salaries are greater than or equal to one hundred thousand dollars and less than or equal to one hundred twenty five thousand dollars; or

                     C.  A payment of one thousand dollars for employees whose 2022 base salaries are greater than one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars.