DORS Contract Update: Raises & PTO
By Neal
Take a look below for some important updates about raises and Paid Time Off (PTO). Scroll to the bottom to see a more comprehensive look at what we won in our current contract and take a look at pictures and videos from our contract signing ceremony.
Raises
Our first raise of $.50/hr went into effect on August 1 and will be reflected on our September 13 paycheck for hours worked August 1-15, 2024. This means our pay will go from $17.25/hr to $17.75/hr. Our next raise will go into effect on January 1, 2025, which will bring our pay to $18.25/hr, and we will continue to receive a raise every six months after January 1, 2025!
And we’ll keep getting raises every six months!
| Date | New Hourly Wage Rate | Amount of Increase |
| January 1, 2025 | $18.25 | $0.50 |
| July 1, 2025 | $18.75 | $0.50 |
| January 1, 2026 | $19.50 | $0.75 |
| July 1, 2026 | $20.00 | $0.50 |
| January 1, 2027 | $20.75 | $0.75 |
Paid Time-off (PTO)
Our new Paid Time-Off (PTO) system went into effect on July 1, 2024. If you have already accrued enough PTO hours, then you are eligible to take your well-deserved time off. The DORS program has notified us they have rolled out a PTO request form that PAs must fill out in order to request your PTO.
Click here to download the PTO form.
If you feel as though your PTO requests are unjustly being denied due to the form being overly cumbersome, please call our Member Resource Center at 866-933-7348 to file a grievance.
These raises and the new expanded PTO system were major victories in the contract fight our union lead, and we are committed to making sure that all DORS Personal Assistants are able to make use of our hard-earned PTO.
We work hard for our consumers, and we need to make sure that we’re taking care of ourselves as well!
Examples of how PTO Works
Example: PA works 100 hrs/ month per the consumer’s service plan
- 100 hrs/month x 12 months= 1200 hrs. per year
- 1,200 hrs/ 40 hrs= 30 hrs
- This PA will have earned 30 hours PTO over the course of one year
Example with Carry Over and Cap
- PA earned 15 hours of PTO in 2024
- PA only used 6 hours of PTO in 2024
- PA can carry over the 9 unused hours into 2025; PTO bank cannot exceed cap of 40 hours of PTO per year.
Signing Ceremony
On July 18, we gathered to for a ceremonial signing of our DORS contract with the State of Illinois. Take a look at some pictures and video of the event below.
