Number
020893
Version
ORIGINAL
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. BOHL
Title
An ordinance relating to the creation of an employe suggestion program.
Sections
320-43 cr
350-245 cr
Analysis
This ordinance establishes a suggestion program for city employes to enable employes to confidentially suggest solutions to problems and improvements to operations and procedures. Employes whose suggestions are adopted shall be eligible for cash awards, which shall be based on the calculated savings of the suggestions. This ordinance also establishes an employe suggestion review committee, consisting of the director of budget and management division, 3 members of the common council and one member appointed by the mayor, to review the employe suggestions to determine if the employe suggestions shall be adopted and the amount of the cash awards.
Body
The Mayor and Common Council of the City of Milwaukee do ordain as follows:
Part 1. Section 320-43 of the code is created to read:
320-43. Employe Suggestion Review Committee.
1. COMPOSITION. a. There is created an employe suggestion review committee consisting of 5 members:
a-1. The director of budget and management division or designee.
a-2. Three members of the common council appointed by the common council president, who shall designate one as chair.
a-3. One member appointed by the mayor.
2. POWERS AND DUTIES.
a. Duties. The committee shall evaluate employe suggestions submitted pursuant to s. 350-245-5-c.
b. Staff. The department of employe relations shall staff the committee.
c. Appeals. The decision of the committee shall be final.
Part 2. Section 350-245 of the code is created to read:
350-245. Employe Suggestion Program.
1. ESTABLISHED. There is established a suggestion program for city employes. This program shall enable employes to suggest solutions to problems and improvements to operations and procedures. Employes whose suggestions are adopted shall be eligible for cash awards, which shall be commensurate with the calculated savings of the suggestions.
2. ELIGIBILITY. a. This program applies to all employes in active service except those employes whose job responsibilities involve the investigation of methods to improve operations or services, and supervisory personnel if the suggestion involves operations that the supervisor has the authority to change. If the employe leaves the service of the city before the suggestion is adopted, the employe is not eligible for any cash award.
3. ADMINISTRATION. a. Accountability. The director of employe relations shall be responsible for the implementation and operation of the employe suggestion program.
b. Suggestion Implementation. Affected department heads shall be accountable for the implementation of employee suggestions, which have been approved by the committee for adoption.
c. Notification. The director of employe relations shall ensure that appropriate program notification activities are conducted which shall include but are not limited to the following:
c-1. Preparing a brochure summarizing the employe suggestion program and disseminating it to all eligible employes.
c-2. Including reference to the employe suggestion program on employe payroll stubs.
c-3. Working with department heads to develop strategies that will maximize employe participation.
d. Confidentiality. Each employe suggestion shall be treated confidentially with the employe's name released only upon the employe's consent. A control number assigned by the director of employe relations shall identify each employe suggestion for the employe suggestion review committee.
e. Records and Reports. The director of employe relations shall keep a record of all employe suggestions submitted for review as well as the determinations made by the employe suggestion review committee regarding each employe suggestion submitted. The director of employe relations shall report semiannually to the mayor and common council the results of using this program.
4. SUBMISSION OF SUGGESTIONS. Employes or groups of employes shall submit suggestions in sealed envelopes marked "employe suggestion program" to the director of employe relations. The submissions shall include the following information:
a. Cover memo. A cover memo shall include:
a-1. Name, job title, departmental address and telephone number and signature of employe(s) submitting the suggestion.
a-2. If a group of employes are jointly submitting a suggestion for evaluation, then one member of the group shall be designated on the cover memo as the contact person for the group.
b. Explanation. An explanation of the suggestion shall include the following sections:
b-1. The current situation or problem that the suggestion is addressing.
b-2. The proposed suggestion, the method in which the suggestion shall be implemented and an estimated cost of implementation.
b-3. The implementation schedule for the suggestion.
b-4. The potential benefits and anticipated cost savings of implementation.
5. EVALUATION. a. Upon receipt of an employe suggestion, the department of employe relations shall complete the following tasks:
a-1. Assign control numbers to any suggestions and log any suggestions by the date received.
a-2. Provide notices to employes of the assigned control numbers, the dates of receipt and the expected dates of consideration by the employe suggestion review committee.
a-3. Forward copies of suggestions which shall be identified by control numbers to the heads of departments affected by the suggestions submitted for evaluation.
b. Department evaluation. Within 30 days of receipt of any employe suggestions from the department of employe relations, the department heads shall prepare and submit to the director of employe relations for review by the employe suggestion review committee evaluations of the following:
b-1. The proposed suggestion, the method in which the suggestion shall be implemented and the estimated costs of implementation.
b-2. The implementation schedule for the suggestion.
b-3. The potential benefits and anticipated cost savings of implementation.
b-4. The amount of cash award.
c. Committee Review. The employe suggestion review committee shall meet as necessary to review the employe suggestions which have been evaluated by the affected department heads. Within 30 days of receipt of an employe suggestion from the department head, the committee shall review the employe suggestions and departmental evaluations to determine if the employe suggestions shall be adopted and the amount of the cash award.
d. Notification to Employe. The director of employe relations shall notify employes who have submitted suggestions for review as to the determinations of the committee relating to adoption or rejection of the suggestions and the amounts of any cash awards if applicable.
6. CASH AWARDS. a. Authorized. Cash awards are authorized by the employe suggestion review committee for the employe suggestions which result in significant savings in terms of time, money or materials or which solve an operational problem, and are based upon the anticipated savings of the suggestion.
b. Amount. Cash awards shall be based on the calculated savings of the suggestions. Suggestions which are calculated to save a minimum of $10,000 shall be eligible for cash awards. Cash awards shall be 5% of the calculated savings of the suggestion. The minimum cash award shall be $500 and the maximum cash award shall be $10,000.
c. Source of Funds. Cash awards shall be funded by the department or agency for which the employe suggestion benefits. If suggestions which provide city-wide benefits are adopted, the committee may request alternative sources of funds for the cash awards from the finance and personnel committee.
d. Similar Suggestions. When 2 or more similar employe suggestions are submitted independently to the director of employe relations for evaluation by the employe suggestion review committee, only the first suggestion received is eligible to receive a cash award. If similar suggestions are received by the director of employe relations on the same date, and a cash award is authorized by the employe suggestion review committee, then the cash award shall be divided equally among the employes involved.
e. Groups. If employe suggestions are submitted jointly by two or more employes and a cash award is authorized by the employe suggestion review committee, then the cash award shall be divided equally among the employes involved.
f. Grace Period . If an employe suggestion is evaluated by the committee and not adopted and the same suggestion is later evaluated by the committee and adopted, the cash award shall be divided equally among the employe whose suggestion is adopted and the employe who initially submitted the suggestion for evaluation provided that the period of time between the initial submission and the suggestion adoption shall not exceed 36 months.
g. Payment. Cash award payments provided under this subsection shall be made as soon as is administratively practicable following the adoption of the suggestion by the employe suggestion review committee.
h. Not Part of Salary. Cash awards made under the provisions of this subsection shall not be construed as being part of the employe's base salary and shall not be included in the computation of any fringe benefits. Such cash awards shall not have any sum deducted for pension benefits, nor shall such payments be included in any computation establishing pension benefits or payments.
LRB
APPROVED AS TO FORM
_________________________
Legislative Reference Bureau
Date:_____________________
Attorney
IT IS OUR OPINION THAT THE ORDINANCE
IS LEGAL AND ENFORCEABLE
________________________
Office of the City Attorney
Date:____________________
Requestor
Drafter
LRB02129-1
RGP
9/13/02