Personnel Activities

The Pennsylvania Economy League is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization which since 1936 has been helping state and local government officials meet the increasingly complex demands placed upon them. PEL has a long tradition of involvement in matters relating to public personnel management. In terms of the broad picture we have devoted considerable energy to the issues of public pensions in the Commonwealth; we aided the Commonwealth Compensation Commission; prepared brief guides to collective bargaining, fact-finding, and arbitration; participated in and analyzed statewide surveys of compensation, providing recommendations for appropriate action; and recommended and helped create Pennsylvania’s Public Employee Retirement Study Commission.

With respect to individual governments, PEL has evaluated individual personnel systems (totally or partially); written personnel policies and procedures manuals; developed classification and pay plans; established performance appraisal systems; aided in management decision-making relative to collective bargaining; and helped jurisdictions involved in arbitration and fact finding by analyzing proposals and other relevant data and testifying at hearings.

The common theme of all PEL’s work is to provide facts and objective analyses to public officials to enable them to make sound public policy decisions. As an independent nonprofit organization, PEL has been widely recognized as being free of partisan considerations, vested interests, profit motivation, and other factors which can often be perceived as clouding government decision-making.

Below is a partial listing of recent PEL projects and clients involving personnel issues:

  • Personnel Systems
  • Personnel Policies And Procedures Manuals
  • Position Classification Plans
  • Job Structuring
  • Job Evaluation
  • Pay Plans
  • Salary/Compensation Surveys
  • Pay Plan Administration
  • Performance Appraisal Systems
  • Labor Management Relations
  • Other

PERSONNEL SYSTEMS

  • Allegheny County – Develop alternative merit systems for county human services agencies – 1991
  • City of Wilkes-Barre – Evaluate city personnel system – 1988
  • Salisbury Township – Draft personnel ordinance – 1987
  • City of Philadelphia Personnel Organization for consideration by the Home Rule Charter Commission – 1988, 1992, and 1993
  • Mayor’s Labor Relations Transition Task Force – 1991
  • Controlling Compensation Costs – 1987
  • Group Insurance Benefits – 1987
  • Nonuniformed Employee Appraisal System – 1987
  • Health Absences – 1985

PERSONNEL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUALS top of page

  • Manchester Township – 1991
  • Upper Saucon Township – 1990
  • Bethlehem Township – 1989
  • City of Hazleton – 1989
  • Whitehall Township – 1989
  • Lower Allen Township – 1989
  • Salisbury Township – 1987
  • Northwest Pennsylvania Training Partnership Consortium – 1986

POSITION CLASSIFICATION PLANS top of page

  • Borough of West Reading Nonuniformed Staff – 1999
  • Bethlehem Township Nonunion Staff – 1999
  • Elizabethtown Area School District – 1997
  • Bipartisan Management Committee of the PA House of Representatives – 1994
  • York Township – 1992
  • Borough of Perkasie – 1992
  • Southeast Delco School District – 1992
  • Upper Saucon Township – 1990
  • Borough of Catasauqua – 1990
  • Bethlehem Township – 1989
  • City of Hazleton – 1989
  • Lower Allen Township – 1989
  • Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority – 1989
  • Warren County – 1985, Update – 1989
  • Whitehall Township – 1989
  • Salisbury Township – 1987
  • Borough of Ambler – 1987
  • Chichester School District – 1987
  • Jefferson County – 1986
  • Northwest Pennsylvania Training Partnership Consortium – 1986
  • Borough of Emmaus – 1985
  • Lehigh County Department of Human Services – 1985
  • Warren County-Rouse Home – 1985
  • Clarion County – 1984

JOB STRUCTURING JOB STRUCTURING top of page

  • Southeast Delco School District – 1992
  • Borough of Catasauqua – 1991
  • Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority -1989
  • Borough of Emmaus – 1985

PAY PLANS top of page

  • Bethlehem Township Nonunion Employees – 1999
  • Conestoga Valley School District Administrators – 1999
  • Northern Lebanon School District – 1999
  • Conestoga Valley School District Support Staff – 1998
  • Whitehall-Coplay School District – 1998
  • Elizabethtown Area School District – 1997
  • Palmyra School District – 1994
  • Bipartisan Management Committee of the PA House of Representatives – 1994
  • Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority – 1993
  • York Township – 1992
  • Borough of Perkasie – 1992
  • Southeast Delco School District – 1992
  • Borough of Catasauqua – 1990
  • Upper Saucon Township – 1990
  • Bethlehem Township – 1989
  • Lower Allen Township – 1989
  • Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority – 1989
  • Borough of Ambler – 1987
  • Salisbury Township – 1987
  • Warren Library Association – 1987
  • Jefferson County – 1986
  • Northwest Pennsylvania Training Partnership Consortium – 1986
  • Lehigh County – 1985
  • Warren County – 1985
  • Clarion County – 1984

SALARY/COMPENSATION SURVEYS top of page

  • Borough of West Reading – 1999
  • Lampeter-Strasburg School District – 1999
  • Bethlehem Township Nonunion Employees – 1999
  • Waynesboro School District – 1999
  • Lebanon County – 1999
  • Conestoga Valley School District Administrators – 1999
  • Northern Lebanon School District – 1999
  • Conestoga Valley School District Support Staff – 1998
  • Whitehall-Coplay School District – 1998
  • Elizabethtown Area School District – 1997
  • Salisbury Township – 1997
  • West Shore School District – 1996
  • Teachers/Private Sector in Delaware County–Comparative Compensation
  • Analysis – 1993
  • City of Philadelphia/15 major cities–Comparative Compensation
  • Analysis – 1992
  • Teachers/Private Sector in Lehigh County–Comparative Compensation
  • Analysis – 1992
  • City of Philadelphia/15 major cities–Comparative Health and Welfare
  • Benefit Analysis – 1992
  • City of Philadelphia/Private Sector in Philadelphia Metropolitan Area–
  • Comparative Compensation Analysis – 1991
  • Teachers/Private Sector in York County–Comparative Compensation Analysis – 1991
  • Northampton County, Assistant District Attorneys and Assistant Public Defenders – 1989

PAY PLAN UPDATES top of page

  • Salisbury Township – 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997
  • West Shore School District – 1987 and 1990
  • Warren County – 1989
  • Jefferson County – 1988
  • Elizabethtown Area School District – 1999
  • Conestoga Valley School District Support Staff – 1999

PAY PLAN ADMINISTRATION top of page

  • Forest/Warren County Department of Human Services – 1991

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEMS top of page

  • Conestoga Valley School District Administrators – 1999
  • West Shore School District – 1996
  • Manchester Township – 1991
  • Lower Allen Township – 1989
  • Whitehall Township – 1989

LABOR MANAGEMENT RELATIONS/PREPARATION FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, ARBITRATION, AND FACT FINDING top of page

  • City of Scranton – Ongoing
  • Lehighton Borough–Police – 1997
  • Northampton County Deputy Sheriffs–Job Evaluation – 1992
  • Northampton County Correction Officers–Job Evaluation – 1992
  • Whitehall-Coplay School District – 1992
  • Parkland School District – 1992
  • Bethlehem Area School District Teacher Compensation – 1992
  • City of Lebanon: Fire – 1991
  • City of Lebanon: Police – 1991
  • Monroe County–Prison – 1991
  • Tamaqua Borough–Police – 1991
  • West Pittston Borough–Police – 1991
  • Philadelphia School District–Teacher Pay – 1988
  • Dickson City Borough–Police – 1988
  • Lebanon City–Fire – 1988
  • Lehigh County–Prison – 1987
  • Philadelphia–Police – 1986
  • Wilkes-Barre City–Police – 1986
  • Wilkes-Barre City–Fire – 1986
  • Reading City–Police – 1986
  • Reading City–Fire – 1986
  • Lehigh County–Prison – 1985
  • Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority–Drivers & Mechanics – 1984
  • Reading City–Police – 1983
  • Reading City–Fire – 1983
  • Susquehanna Township–Police – 1983
  • Lehigh County–Social Services – 1983
  • Reading City–Police – 1982
  • Derry Township–Police – 1982
  • Lehigh County–Social Services – 1982
  • Lehigh County–Prison – 1982
  • Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority–Drivers & Mechanics – 1982
  • Northampton County–County Home – 1981
  • Derry Township–Police – 1980
  • Northampton County–County Prison – 1980
  • Reading City–Nonuniformed – 1979
  • Susquehanna Township–Police – 1979
  • Reading City–Police – 1978
  • Reading City–Fire – 1978
  • Derry Township–Police – 1978
  • Northampton County–County Home – 1978
  • Reading City–Police – 1977
  • Reading City–Nonuniformed – 1977
  • Chambersburg Borough–Police – 1977
  • Susquehanna Township–Police – 1977
  • York City School District–Teachers – 1976
  • Wilkes-Barre City–Police – 1975
  • Wilkes-Barre City–Fire – 1974
  • Williamsport City–Police – 1974
  • Williamsport City–Fire – 1974
  • Wilkes-Barre City–Fire – 1971
  • Bethlehem City–Police – 1971

OTHER top of page

  • Pennsylvania Department of Education–presentation on library pay plans – 1988
  • Chichester School District–organization structure and work flow – 1987
  • Philadelphia–testimony on pension legislation – 1987
  • Philadelphia–blue ribbon pension task force – 1986