Template revised January 10, 2019.

COMMISSION

AGENDA MEMORANDUM

Item No.

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ACTION ITEM

Date of Meeting

November 17, 2020

SUBJECT: 2021 Salary and Benefits Program

ACTION REQUESTED

Request adoption of Resolution 3781: A resolution of the Port of Seattle Commission establishing

pay ranges for non-represented jobs and authorizing benefits that comprise the overall benefits

package offered to non-represented Port employees and amending the Salary and Benefits Policy

Directive established by Resolution No. 3739.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

JUSTIFICATION

The Salary and Benefits program specifies the pay and benefit programs authorized by the Port

Commission, while administrative details of these programs are maintained in Port policies. The

program also includes benefits offered to Port of Seattle retirees and to Port Commissioners, as

well as the administrative details of these benefits. Updates to the program are designed to keep

the authorized pay and benefit plans current and to ensure the Total Rewards package they are

part of continues to support the attraction and retention of employees with the talents and

abilities necessary for the Port to achieve its mission, vision, and objectives.

DETAILS

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

for Port jobs in these ranges. Annually, Human Resources staff analyze data from published

salary surveys for both public sector and private industry employers to determine how well our

existing pay ranges align with current market pay rates. The annual analysis also includes

analyzing data from salary planning surveys to determine what pay increases local employers are

anticipating for the coming year. Combining the data on how current ranges compare to market

with data on anticipated pay increases provides the basis for determining any recommended

range adjustment for the coming year.

This year, our analysis indicates that the Port’s current pay ranges for non-represented

employees are 1% above market. Additionally, Puget Sound area employers are reporting an

programs at most local public employers are based on changes to the Consumer Price Index and

include cost-of-living increases for employees equal to their range adjustments. The cost-of-

living adjustments are in addition to possible step and/or merit increases. At the time of our

survey this year only five of the 14 employers we surveyed were able to provide a projected range

adjustment amount. The available projected 2021 range adjustments range from 0% to 3.0% and

average at 1.4%.

With the recommended 2021 pay range adjustment, we estimate that approximately 11

employees will have pay rates that fall below the 2021 range minimum and the estimated annual

cost of increasing these employees’ pay to the new range minimum will be about $13,000.

Holidays

We recommend adding June 19

th

as an additional Port-paid holiday in observance of Juneteenth.

Juneteenth, otherwise known as Black Independence Day, commemorates the day in 1865 when

enslaved people in Galveston, Texas heard the news of their freedom, two years after President

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

the U.S.

Definitions

Policy Establishing Jobs, Pay Grades, Pay Ranges, and Pay Rates

In follow-up to the recent Commission-directed change to the description of Internal Audit

Director contained in the salaries and benefits policy directive, based on previous action taken at

the October 27, 2020, meeting to amend the Commission’s Bylaws and Rules of Procedure to

reflect dual reporting of the position functionally to the Commission, delegated to the Audit

Committee, and administratively to the Executive Director -- Section 5.1(A)(3) Internal Audit

Director is amended.

ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED

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