United States

Office of Personnel Management

Office of Merit Systems Oversight and Effectiveness

Digest of Significant Classification Decisions and Opinions

September 1991

No. 15-03

Standards:	Materials Handler, WG-6907 (September 1990) and

Fork Lift Operator, WG-5704 (November 1968)

Factor:	N/A

Issue:	Proper grading of a mixed-series, mixed-grade job in the Federal Wage System

Identification of the Classification Issue

This issue arose in an Office of Personnel Management region's consideration of a job grading appeal. The appellant stored ammunition and other explosive materials, loaded and unloaded freight cars and trucks of ammunition, and performed other duties typical of the WG-6907 Materials Handler occupation. He also operated fork lifts in order to move the ammunition and other materials. This work was typical of the WG-5704 Fork Lift Operator occupation.

According to the agency, the materials handler duties of the job were most important for recruitment, selection, placement, and promotion purposes and were graded at the WG-4 grade level. The fork lift operating duties were graded at the WG-5 grade level. The issue relates to the Office of Personnel Management's "mixed job" guidelines. The standard for the WG-6907 occupation states that mixed jobs are typically titled and graded according to the job grading standard that represents the highest skill and qualification requirements.

Resolution

For titling purposes, this job was determined to be an exception to the typical situation described in the standard. As explained in paragraph 5c of section III-A of the Federal Wage System Job Grading System: Part I--Explanation of the Federal Wage System Job Grading System, jobs requiring the performance of work in two or more occupations on a regular basis are coded to the occupation which is most important for recruitment, selection, placement, promotion, or reduction-in-force purposes. Because work appropriate to the Materials Handler occupation was more important than the Fork Lift Operator duties in terms of these factors, Materials Handler, WG-6907, was determined to be the proper occupation. The parenthetical title "Fork Lift Operator" was added to the basic title of "Materials Handler" to acknowledge that operating a fork lift is necessary to the performance of that primary function.

The guidance found in paragraph 3 of Section II-C of the Federal Wage System Job Grading System: Part I--Explanation of the Federal Wage System Job Grading System states that a mixed job should be graded in keeping with the highest skill and qualification requirements of the job that are regular and recurring even if these duties are not performed for a majority of the time. This principle is also stated in the WG-6907 standard. In keeping with that guidance, grade WG-5 was determined to be the proper grade level by application of the standard for Fork Lift Operator. The job was found to be properly classified as Materials Handler (Fork Lift Operator), WG-6907-5.