SENATE, No. 1858

SECTION 1. The general court finds and declares that:

(a) equitable compensation is a significant problem for state employees of the commonwealth;

(b) most job specifications for state employees of the commonwealth have not been updated in over twenty years;

(c) the starting point for equitable compensation is through a statewide classification plan;

(d) the commonwealth is experiencing an exodus of educated young adults and skilled workers and to be competitive the commonwealth must have current job descriptions which are updated in order to recruit, develop, promote and retain new workers;

(e) the commonwealth should ensure that state employees are paid equitably through fair, impartial, and up-to-date job specifications;

(f) the commonwealth should actively seek to provide equitable, impartial, just, and comparable worth for all people that it employs;

(g) equitable compensation has a significant impact on the financial welfare for individuals, families, and retirees; and

(h) equitable compensation can significantly improve the quality of life for many citizens of Massachusetts.

SECTION 2. Definitions

“Equitable compensation” means equal compensation for jobs with comparable skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions.

“Job classification” means a system designed to create an arrangement of different types of employment based on such factors as skill, responsibility or experience, time and effort.

“Job class” means a group of positions sufficiently similar in respect to duties and responsibilities that the same descriptive title may be used to designate all positions allocated to the class, the same general entrance qualifications may be required of incumbents of positions in the class, the same general tests of fitness may be used to choose qualified employees and the same schedule of pay may be made to apply under the same or substantially the same employment conditions.

“Job specification” means the official description of the characteristic duties, responsibilities and qualifications of a job class.

“The council” means the state workforce advisory council.

“The division” means the human resources division.

SECTION 3. The human resources division shall conduct a job analysis study of positions of state employees of the executive branch of the commonwealth. The study shall be conducted to update the current job classification system, including but not limited to class titles, job specifications, organizational relationships, and job qualifications. As part of this study, the human resources division shall insure that the job classification system is free of gender and racial bias. The human resources division shall also review the effect of the job classification system on employee pension and benefits, and on the recruitment and retention of employees within the commonwealth.

SECTION 4. State Workforce Advisory Council

Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a state workforce advisory council to assist and support the chief human resources officer of the human resources division in conducting job analyses, defining job classifications, and developing job specifications. The council shall be comprised of the HR Advisory Council and the following 9 members: the director of the office of workforce development or his designee, the director of the Massachusetts commission on the status of women or his designee, the commissioner of the Massachusetts commission against discrimination or his designee, the president of the national association of government employees or his designee, the president of the Massachusetts chapter of service employees international union or his designee, house chair of the joint committee on labor and workforce development, the senate chair of the joint committee on labor and workforce development, the designee of the house minority leader, and the designee of the senate minority leader. The council shall be chaired by the chief human resources officer and shall meet not less than quarterly.

SECTION 5. Said study relative to job classification shall be administered by the division subject to appropriation. For the cost associated with the study, $1,298,000 shall be appropriated to the human resources division in FY08, $615,000 shall be appropriated to the human resources division in FY09, and $615,000 shall be appropriated to the human resources division in FY10. The amount appropriated in this item shall include, but not be limited to, the costs of additional personnel, consultants, data collection software, and any other related costs of the study.

SECTION 6. The results of the study shall be reported on or before June 1, 2010 and in the interim, annual reports shall be submitted. The chief human resources officer of the human resources division shall submit the results of this study to the council, the chairs of the joint committee on state administration and regulatory oversight, the chairs of the joint committee on labor and workforce development, the senate committee on ways and means, and the house committee on ways and means.