Quick Fact: Staff Compensation
OPALCO conducts a thorough comparative analysis to verify that salaries are competitive within our utility industry. Hiring and retaining top notch personnel is critical to the operation of OPALCO’s complex electrical and communications systems.
- OPALCO’s wage philosophy is directly in line with the national network of electric co-ops. OPALCO pay rates are competitive based on electric utility cooperatives in the region.
- Utilizing technology and retaining highly talented personnel allows OPALCO to keep staffing levels flat/lower by doing more with less. OPALCO has maintained an average of 50 full time employees (FTE’s) over the last 10 years and this level of staffing is forecast to remain consistent in the upcoming years.
- OPALCO has been fortunate to attract and hire a very talented new generation of staff in key positions and must remain competitive to retain them in an environment where utilities nationwide are scrambling to find qualified employees.
- The wage rates of our union represented employees follow a collective bargaining agreement, which goes through its own prescribed comparison process every time the collective bargaining agreement is renewed.
- Annual Board Review: Each year the board does a detailed and comprehensive review of OPALCO’s strategic directives and how well the General Manager (GM) and the organization is accomplishing those goals. The Board reviews GM compensation data from:
- over 22 cooperatives (IRS Form 990 cooperative tax filings)
- an industry publication listing 83 Northwest electric utilities and
- an independent wage analysis by a compensation consultant
You can info on how the Board sets the General Manager’s salary HERE.
