Q&A
Discussion on salary ranges, new hire rates, and hiring flexibility
2:06:50
·
4 min
Council Member Restler inquires about salary ranges, new hire rates, and the flexibility agencies have in offering higher salaries. Deputy Commissioner Pollak explains the current policies and processes.
- Labor agreements specify new hire rates, typically 15% below the incumbent minimum rate for the first two years of city service
- OLR has the authority to issue waivers for the new hire rate in cases of recruitment and retention challenges
- Waivers are decided collaboratively between OLR and OMB
- The process for granting waivers considers factors such as recruitment difficulties and agency needs
- Council Member Restler expresses concern about the lack of urgency in addressing hiring challenges and filling vacant positions
Lincoln Restler
2:06:50
I wanted to ask about something I I mentioned to to to Henry earlier around salary ranges.
2:06:57
Our understanding is that the current city kind of OMB policy is that agencies have to hire at the lowest possible end of a salary range for a position regardless of the qualifications of the candidate, if they're coming from outside city government.
2:07:16
And there may be some caveats to that.
2:07:18
There always are.
2:07:19
But that OMB has placed just tremendous restrictions on allowing any agency to hire from within the range.
2:07:26
So let's say there's a social worker with a range from 55,000 to 79,000.
2:07:31
OMB is insisting that that person be hired at a $55,000 range.
2:07:39
Is there anything in our labor agreements that would prohibit an agency from hiring at a higher point, if that's the acceptable range for the position?
2:07:48
Is is that just an entirely OMB discretionary issue?
Daniel Pollak
2:07:52
Thank you for that question, council member.
2:07:54
Yes.
2:07:55
It is in our contracts.
2:07:56
So where there are ranges in our contracts, and not all of them have them.
2:07:59
Some contracts have a flat rate for a position, or rate set rate based on years of service.
2:08:04
Where there's a range, we typically have, what's called a new hire rate, which applies for the 1st 2 years of city service.
2:08:11
So anyone with less than 2 years of service under those contracts is required to repay the new hire rate, which is typically 15% below the incumbent minimum rate, meaning the the rate applicable to someone with at least 2 years.
2:08:24
So the contract specify that someone must be paid that minimum rate for the 1st 2 years of city service unless there's been a waiver, which is is something that, you know, it it where there are recruitment and retention challenges, OLR has the authority to issue a waiver of that new hire rate.
2:08:41
But under our contracts, the general principle is someone that's supposed to be brought in at the new hire rate.
Lincoln Restler
2:08:45
Deputy commissioner Pollock, are you tracking the number of waivers that are do you get to is it OLR's determination to issue that waiver, or do you have to get OMB's approval to grant the waiver?
Daniel Pollak
2:08:55
We have, discussed the type of criteria for when when that would be waived.
Lincoln Restler
2:09:00
So it's a collaborative decision with OMB.
2:09:02
Is that what I'm hearing?
2:09:03
Yes.
2:09:04
And you've been in city government for a while.
2:09:09
Have you noticed a shift or a trend?
2:09:11
Or is there any data reporting on the number of waivers that are issued annually?
Daniel Pollak
2:09:15
I I do not have any data.
2:09:17
You know, anecdotally, I would say the last few years, have seen more, more hiring above the new hire rate.
2:09:25
I would note also, DTEAS maintains a list of hard to recruit titles.
2:09:29
That's something we often look to the doc for guidance to determine if DITAS has already made a determination that a title is hard to recruit for residency purposes.
2:09:36
You know, that's illustrative that, you know, they may need an exemption from the new hire rate as well.
Lincoln Restler
2:09:43
For revenue generating positions?
Daniel Pollak
2:09:46
It's it it would depend on the position.
2:09:48
It's not it's not automatic waiver for For,
Lincoln Restler
2:09:51
you know, when our parks are in terrible shape and we've seen a 35% increase since the mayor came into office and complaints every summer because of the 40% reduction in seasonal employees in the summertime cleaning up our parks.
2:10:00
Would that lead to a, increase in waivers being issued?
Daniel Pollak
2:10:03
Yeah.
2:10:04
It depends on the recruitment retention challenges they're facing.
2:10:07
You know, we we look at data.
2:10:09
We we try to determine whether it's it's necessary to recruit.
2:10:10
When HRA is unable to process
Lincoln Restler
2:10:12
HRA is unable to process food stamps and cash assistance requests within the 30 days, they're required to do so
Daniel Pollak
2:10:14
because they
Lincoln Restler
2:10:14
don't have enough bodies.
2:10:16
Would that inform increase in a waiver?
2:10:18
Again, we take, you know, we take into account all the
Daniel Pollak
2:10:26
circumstances, but, you know, we really focus on whether this is really a place where they've tried to recruit the new higher salary and have been unable to.
Lincoln Restler
2:10:32
Okay.
2:10:32
I mean, it I think we need more reporting on this.
2:10:36
We need to understand when these waivers are being crafted and what flexibility agencies have to fill vacant positions.
2:10:42
The overarching sentiment I feel from this hearing is there was a recognition a year and a half ago that we were in a hiring crisis and that that recognition is lost on this administration today.
2:10:55
And that the urgency that we, at some point, felt for a period of months from o and b and city hall to fill vacant positions is gone.
2:11:02
And we're just not seeing the progress that we need to see.
2:11:06
We're seeing conditions conditions deteriorate in too many places because we don't have the bodies in place.
2:11:12
And I don't hear the new initiatives or the sense of prioritization and urgency that we felt 18 months ago to do something about it.
2:11:20
So we'd love to dig in and understand that a little bit better.
2:11:23
And then I just wanted to also ask you about the hybrid work pilot.
