B. 2. On November 16, 1965, the President asked the heads of Federal departments and a. b. the differences in the systems and practices used by the departments and the extent to which resulting wage rates differed for the same trades and labor jobs in the same wage area. Objectives The President stated that the policies and practices of the Coordinated Federal Wage a. b. wages shall be fixed and adjusted from time to time as nearly as is consistent with the public interest in accordance with prevailing rates; and there shall be equal pay for substantially equal work, and pay distinctions shall be maintained in keeping with work distinctions. 3. Action The President directed that common job standard, wage policies, and practices be developed to insure interagency equity in wage rates and to bring about equitable coordination of wage-fixing practices among the different executive departments and agencies. Thus jobs under the Coordinated Federal Wage System are to be graded on the basis of the same set of job standards and grade criteria, regardless of the department or agency involved, or the community in which they are located. Outline of the Job Grading System 1. Nature of the system The job grading system has been established in keeping with these directives. The system includes: a. b. C. ۵۰ a framework of key ranking jobs to serve as the basic pegpoints of the grade structure; job grading standards to provide the criteria for determining the relative worth of jobs in terms of grades; a job grading method to assure consistency in the application of job standards; and a plan for coding and titling trades and labor jobs. grading standards define grade levels in keeping with that basic scale. The standards are the immediate "yardsticks" or tools used for deciding the grade levels of the jobs which they apply. Under the job grading method used, the grade of a job is decided by comparison of the whole job with grade definitions in an appropriate job grading standard, considering job facts as indicated by the four factors of skill and knowledge, responsibility, physical effort, and working conditions involved in the work. The grade definitions in job grading standards also are described in terms of these four factors. The method provides a means for analyzing and comparing jobs with applicable job grading standards so that jobs involving the same level of work can consistently be assigned the same grade. When directly applicable job grading standards are not available, jobs can be graded consistently by comparison with grade-level definitions in standards for most nearly related occupations. Under this common job grading system, jobs with sufficiently similar levels of work are placed in the same grade; jobs with significantly different levels of work are placed in different grades depending on the extent of the differences. The job grading system is summarized graphically in ENCLOSURE 1. The identification of the significant similarities and differences in the levels of jobs by means of grades permits the setting of pay in keeping with work distinctions for jobs in many different occupations throughout the Federal Government. The common job grading system covers most nonsupervisory trades and labor jobs in the executive agencies that are paid from appropriated funds. (NOTE: Working leader, foreman, and other supervisory and managerial positions are evaluated and paid under the Supervisor and Manager Evaluation System.) The only nonsupervisory positions excepted in the executive agencies from the Coordinated Federal Wage System are trades and labor jobs: - in corporations not wholly owned by the Federal Government; in the Tennessee Valley Authority; in the Alaska Railroad; in the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation; in the U.S. Postal Service inmates, patients, or beneficiaries receiving care or treatment or living in Government agencies or institutions. All other trades and labor positions in the executive agencies are covered either by the basic Coordinated Federal Wage System job evaluation system and wage schedules, or by special Coordinated Federal Wage System schedules authorized by the Civil Service Commission. The U.S. Civil Service Commission determines finally the applicability of the preceding exclusions. 2. The nonsupervisory structure of the job grading system has 15 grades. To establish a framework for that structure, the Civil Service Commission determined the ranking relationships among certain key jobs. The descriptions of these key jobs, which are called key ranking jobs, serve as grade-level "pegpoints" for the 15-grade nonsupervisory structure. They reflect the relative worth of different key lines of work and levels within lines of work, and control the alinement of the grade levels in all nonsupervisory job grading standards. The ranking framework is based on the extensive network of relationships among the various kinds of jobs as well as the various grade levels within these kinds of jobs. In keeping with the factor guided job grading technique, these relationships are highlighted in the descriptions of the key ranking jobs by means of the similarities and differences cited among the factors of skill and knowledge, responsibility, physical effort, and working conditions. The grading criteria in all job grading standards are consistent with these relationships. Listing of key ranking jobs The 39 key ranking jobs listed below and described in ENCLOSURE 2 are found in the majority of agencies which have trades and labor jobs. They represent a cross section of varying kinds of work as well as various skill levels within these kinds of work. 1/ These titles are used only to identify the key ranking jobs. They should not be used as the guide for titling jobs. Rather, the official titles of jobs should be determined following the titling instructions in SECTION III, Codes and Titles. B. 4. The key ranking jobs are not job grading standards and are not to be used to make final grade decisions for jobs. However, since they establish the grade framework for standards development, the key ranking jobs can be very useful as a general guide, Maintenance of key ranking jobs The Civil Service Commission is responsible for initiating studies of the key ranking positions when there is reason to review their currency. Job Grading Standards 1. Nature and purpose of standards To insure interagency equity in job grading and wage rates, the U.S. Civil Service All jobs under that system must be graded in accordance with, or consistent with the common job grading standards and instructions published by the Commission. For jobs not covered directly by published standards, grades are determined by comparison with standards for most nearly related occupations. 2. Content of standards Because of the many differences in duties, skills, knowledges, and other aspects of |