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3.8 Prison Recruitment and Retention Bonus

  1. Effective July 1, 2018, Unit 9 employees who are employed by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at Avenal, Ironwood, Calipatria, Centinella, Chuckawalla Valley, Pelican Bay, California Correctional Centers, or High Desert State Prisons, for twelve (12) consecutive qualifying pay periods, shall be eligible for a recruitment and retention bonus of $2,600, payable thirty (30) days following the completion of the twelve (12) consecutive qualifying pay periods.

  2. If an employee voluntarily terminates, transfers, or is discharged prior to completing twelve (12) consecutive pay periods at one or more of the State Prisons listed in a. above, there will be no pro rata payment for those months at either facility.

  3. If an employee is mandatorily transferred by the Department, they shall be eligible for a pro rata share for those months served.

  4. If an employee promotes to a different facility, or department other than the State Prisons listed in a. above prior to completion of the twelve (12) consecutive qualifying pay periods, there shall be no pro rata of this recruitment and retention bonus.  After completing the twelve (12) consecutive qualifying pay periods, an employee who promotes within the Department will be entitled to a pro rata share of the existing retention bonus.

  5. Part-time and intermittent employees shall receive a pro rata share of the annual recruitment and retention differential based on the total number of hours worked excluding overtime during the twelve (12) consecutive qualifying pay periods.

  6. Annual recruitment and retention payments shall not be considered as compensation for purposes of retirement contributions.

  7. Employees on IDL shall continue to receive this stipend.

  8. If an employee is granted a leave of absence, the employee will not accrue time towards the twelve (12) qualifying pay periods, but the employee shall not be required to start the calculation of the twelve (12) qualifying pay periods all over.  For example, if an employee has worked four (4) months at a qualifying institution and then takes six (6) months maternity leave, the employee will have only eight (8) additional qualifying pay periods before receiving the initial payment of $2,600.