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TO: Represented Professional Employees and University Administrators

FROM: The Joint Committee to Oversee the Professional Salary Evaluation System

DATE: October 10, 1996

SUBJECT: Continuation of the Professional Salary System Development Project

The University and the University of Maine Professional Staff Association (UMPSA) are continuing to work together to develop a salary system for professional positions. The Joint Committee to Design a Professional Salary System issued its final report in March of 1996. The report made recommendations about a method of evaluating the responsibilities of represented professional positions as the basis for a professional compensation system. The new collective bargaining agreement for the UMPSA unit authorized further work on development of the system.

To carry out the project, a project team has been created. The team, coordinated by Larry Pile, System Office of Human Resources, will be staffed with two Evaluation Specialists (fixed-length employees hired through FY97) and two other employees. The project team will mail questionnaires to affected employees and their supervisors on November 1, conduct a two-hour interactive ITV program on November 8 with all campuses to clarify questionnaire response issues, and coordinate individual campus sessions on November 18 and 19 to discuss further any questionnaire issues with the employees or supervisors affected. The software described in the Joint Committee's final report will be used in evaluating positions. New market data will be added to the evaluation software program to assure an appropriate salary structure and range for each salary level utilized. We hope to complete the project by mid 1997. Outcomes of the project will be made available to UMPSA and the University for negotiations to start sometime after January 31, 1997, regarding further development of the system.

We will need your help in various efforts during the next few months. All represented professional employees and their immediate supervisors will receive questionnaires to complete, detailing job duties and requesting an accurate job description - since many jobs have changed substantively since the last questionnaire (1990-1) was completed. As needed, we will provide opportunities to ask questions about the questionnaire (e.g., interpretation of questions). Employees and supervisors may also be contacted during the evaluation process for clarification of questionnaire responses.

Monthly progress reports will be available through the UMS Home Page at http://www.maine.edu - system services - human resources - office of human resources - professional salary system - continuing phase; or, the UMPSA Page at http://www.eece.maine.edu/salary; or, the USM Human Resources Page at http://www.usm.maine.edu/~hrs. The reports will also be posted in the libraries and Human Resources/Personnel Offices at each campus. We need your support and cooperation during this project. On the back of this page please find a listing of our E-mail and campus addresses if you have questions (now or in the future) about this project.