Why the complicated two-part system?
The two parts of our program do different things. The structural raise increases all salaries by the same percentage, with the goal of moving everyone forward to keep up with the cost of living. Progression increases move you through the grade toward the grade maximum with every year of service. Progression raises ensure that longer-term staff earn salaries in the higher part of the grade, solving the problem of salary compression which existed before we formed our union. (Before 1989, longer-service workers had no assurance of progress through the salary grade, and often earned salaries in the middle or low end of the range.) As a result, while staff members with less than 2 years of service earn an average salary of just over $39,600, our co-workers with 20 or more years make nearly $53,200 on average.
