9/9/11:  Earlier this week the Union requested an update on the agency's processing of the FY 2010 Merit Pay awards. This morning, SEC management informed the Union that no Merit Pay processing has been completed for anyone at the agency, and that all Merit Pay processing will occur between pay periods 20 and 24. Furthermore, we were told that while approximately 2,300 bargaining unit employees were expected by management to receive their Merit Pay awards in Pay Periods 2o or 21, the rest will require more complicated processing, which could mean delays until as late as Pay Period 24 (which will occur in late November), and perhaps later.

This information is different from what SEC management informed the Union just two weeks ago. On Tuesday, August 23, after the Union requested detailed information on the processing of Merit Pay awards, the Union received an email from SEC management clearly stating: "Processing has begun for Bargaining Unit staff, in alphabetical order by office/division/region, for those members who have had no change in Bargaining Unit/Non-Bargaining unit status as of 10/31/10. Merit Pay changes will occur over the next few weeks in the order in which they are processed."

This information was provided to the Union by management specifically for the purpose of distributing it to the SEC's workforce. The SEC is now stating that while the "analysis" of individual employees' Merit Pay has begun, no actual payment of retroactive Merit Pay awards and no actual adjustments to salaries will even begin to occur until Pay Period 20. Furthermore, the SEC also indicated that these dates are "approximate," and that it is possible that it could take longer.

We know that SEC employees make financial decisions based on the information that is provided to them, and so we will continue to update you when we receive new information from the SEC or further changes to management's message. Thank you to the dues paying members of Chapter 293, without whom there would be no employee advocate at the SEC to deal with compensation issues like these.