Earth Scientist

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Earth Scientist

• Salary Equity

CAPS/State Bargaining Meeting
May 18, 2006
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• That is your annual salary?
• I had no idea. Im sorry.

-Federal geologist to state geologist on
budgeting for collaborative project
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Series Represented

• Geologist
• Geochemist
• Geophysicist
• Meteorologist
• Oceanographer
• Petroleum Geologist
• Seismologist

Currently about one dozen staff in State service
t
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Geologists

• Study Earth materials and processes
• Requires Bachelors also M.S., Ph.D.
• Geologic hazards and earth resources
• Multidisciplinary projects
• Public safety and conservation

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Seismologists

• Study earthquakes
• Requires Bachelors generally Ph.D.
• Earthquake hazards and engineering
• Multidisciplinary projects
• Public safety

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Problem of Salary Equity

• Salaries for earth scientist classes lag compared
  to equivalent classes outside and inside state
  government

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Salary Inequities at Two Levels

• Outside State Government
• Federal Government
• Private Industry
• Inside State Government
• Engineering-Geologist Series

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2006 CAPS/DPA Salary Survey
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State (Senior Geologist) vs. Federal (GS12)
Source Federal OPM General Schedule
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State (Petroleum Geologist) vs. Private (6-9 yrs)
Source AAPG 2005 Survey
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Senior Geologist/Oceanographer vs. SEG
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Senior Geologist vs. Engineering Geologist
Assumes 5.5 Increase on 7/1/06
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Effects of Salary Inequity

• Retention of Seismologists (loss of staff)
• Recruitment of Seismologists (weak pool)
• Recruitment of Earth Scientists (retirements)
• Productivity (psychic reward reaches its limit)
• Unequal pay for equal work (Senior Geologist)
• Inverted pay (Senior Geologist lt Journey EG)

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Solution

• Immediate salary parity between State
  earth-scientist classes and equivalent federal
  earth-scientist classes
• Salary parity between Unit 10 earth- scientist
  classes and equivalent Unit 9 engineering-geologis
  t classes

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Justification for Salary Parity

• Equal pay for equal work
• Improve long-term retention
• Improve recruitment in future
• Improve morale and thus productivity

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