ARTICLE 10

Wage Rate Progression

Section 1.      An employee classified on a job for which the minimum experience requirement is less than twelve (12) months shall receive the Standard Rate of his or her job classification as soon as qualified and not later than six (6) months from the date he or she starts on such classification, provided he or she has worked continuously on such classification.  An employee classified on a job for which the minimum experience requirement is twelve (12) or more months shall receive the Standard Rate of his or her job classification as soon as qualified and not later than twelve (12) months from the date he or she starts on such classification, provided he or she has worked continuously on such classification.  Nothing herein shall prevent an employee from receiving at any time more than Standard Rate, provided he or she is qualified.

Section 2.

(a)       Wage rate progression from Standard Rate up to but not in excess of Maximum Rate within an employee's labor grade will be automatic at the rate of ten cents (10¢) per hour after completion of sixteen (16) full weeks of satisfactory job performance, subject to (b) through (k) below.

(b)       Automatic increases for any employee who is being paid Standard Rate or above but less than Maximum Rate will continue to be scheduled at sixteen (16) week intervals from the date the employee attained Standard Rate or the date the employee last received an automatic increase in the present labor grade, whichever is later.

(c)        Automatic increases for an employee attaining Standard Rate under Section 1 above will be scheduled at sixteen (16) week intervals from the date of attainment of Standard Rate.

(d)       Ingrade transfers will not affect the scheduling of an employee's next automatic increase.

(e)        Effective the same date as a promotion or a job upgrade, the employee will receive an increase of at least thirty cents (30¢) per hour.

(f)        Employees who are demoted as a result of the conditions of Article 8 Section 4(a) or employees who are demoted for reasons other than at the employees' request shall be placed in such lower rated job at the maximum base hourly rate of the lower rated job or at the base hourly rate the employee is being paid immediately prior to the demotion, whichever is the lower; provided, however, that any resultant reduction in the employee's base hourly rate shall not occur until six (6) months after the effective date of the demotion and any subsequent reduction in wages shall not be more than ten cents (10¢) per hour at each subsequent sixteen-week interval.  Employees who request demotion to a lower rated job will be paid the maximum rate of the lower grade or retain the rate then being paid, whichever is the lower.

(g)       Automatic increases for an employee hired or transferred into the bargaining unit at a rate at or above Standard Rate will be scheduled at sixteen (16) week intervals from the beginning of the next pay period after date of hire or transfer.

(h)      Automatic increases for an employee promoted will be scheduled at sixteen (16) week intervals from the effective date of such change in grade if the employee's rate is at or above Standard Rate but below the Maximum Rate on the new grade.

(i)        Automatic increases for an employee demoted, who is at or above Standard Rate but below the Maximum Rate of the lower labor grade, will be scheduled at sixteen (16) weeks from the employee's last increase in the higher grade before demotion and at sixteen (16) week intervals thereafter until at Maximum Rate of the lower labor grade.

(j)                 An employee paid eleven cents (11¢) to nineteen cents (19¢) below the Maximum Rate shall be given an increase to the Maximum Rate on his or her next automatic increase date.

(k)               Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent the Company at its discretion from advancing an employee within the rate range more rapidly than the specified intervals shown above or giving increases larger than those provided in this Section.