If VDH employees will be required by Code to hold a license to perform their duties they should be properly compensated.

The entry level position for a VDH nurse is payband 4C.  As stated in the employee work profile, "actions performed at this level require licensure as a RN by state code".

It would follow that the same would be true for EHSs.  We need to be recognized for our KSAs.

Anything less than the following would be criminal:

Environmental Specialist I (4B - entry level - no license required) - formerly 4A

Environmental Specialist I (4C - conventional license required) - formerly 4B

Environmental Specialist II (5A - license required - technical expertise) - formerly 4C

Environmental Manager I (5B of 5C - license required - manages local office) - formerly EH Supervisor (5A)

Environmental Manager II (6A - license required - manages a district or region) - formerly EH Manager (5B or 5C).

We don't want a bonus; we don't want VDH to pay for our license; we want a fair assessment of our duties with a fair compensation.

For EHSs who can become an AOSE before July 1, 2009: Get your certification

For EHSs who have AOSE certification before July 1, 2009: Don't apply for DPOR license until December 31, 2009.  This will result in having NO licensed EHSs from July 1 to December 31.  This might help our case in negotiating better pay.  I think the license is worth at least a 15% adjustment in annual pay.

Don't call it a strike; don't call it a work slow down.  You can be fired for that.  Just tell your supervisor that it's going to take you an extra six months to save enough money in these hard economic times to pay for the license.  That's how long it will take me to come up with these unexpected costs to pay for this previously unrequired license.