2008 Woodie Awards
Equity sought in employees' pay grades
By Jason B. Hogan
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: News
Originally published: 11/20/08 at 5:45 PM CSTLast update: 12/19/08 at 2:22 PM CST
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Optical scanning Clerk Henry Castillo said there is a huge indifference in the current compensation study appeal which seeks to compensate admissions clerks but does not address the concerns of supervisors within residency and reports who feel that an approval will level out all employees and supervisors in his section at Level 5.
But admissions clerk Chris Morales said clerks in his section are not looking for compensation, just a well-deserved adjustment.
After the initial study was approved last August, Morales said admissions clerks in neighboring district colleges were upgraded to a Level 3 pay grade.
"For whatever reason, we've been left behind," he said.
Morales said admissions has continued to follow their chain of command through all of the frustration, first speaking with admissions and records Director J. Martin Ortega.
Their department brought the discrepancy before President Robert Zeigler, Morales said, but it has still been a year since the college administration's and district's discovery and nothing has happened.
"We've got 22,000 students," Morales said. "That's higher than the combined level of all the sister schools together.
"Everyone works hard, so there is no disrespect," he said, "but we're at the same level as housekeeping, as the groundskeepers. And again no disrespect to them, but I'd have to be honest and say we are pretty much the heart and soul of San Antonio College."
Morales said admissions clerk duties entail application and transcript review, high school, college and general education, as well as the application process for graduation.
The process should not be classified as an appeals, Morales said, because admissions feels it is an error or oversight that deserves immediate correction.
A letter was issued to Zeigler for a request of reclassification by the admissions clerks from their current position which is at a Level 1 pay grade to student support Specialist I, basically placing them on equal footing with the rest of the district at a Level 3.
Ortega also submitted a letter to Zeigler with his approval of reclassification.
Morales said low morale in the office has recently become an issue among the employees.
"This office is tough," he said. "We've got a couple people in our office that are just making ends meet. Some of us were thinking about even putting some food together to give to these people. They're single parents with children."
Morales said they have been nothing but patient for a year and half and everyone else has felt the benefits of the pay.
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