Members can earn additional wages based on skills, duties, or working conditions. For instance, if a job is running a night shift, rates may be higher depending on the shift worked. People may have additional duties, such as shop steward, first aid, or safety. Finally, some tradesmen may have additional certifications. Welders may be certified to weld chrome or alloys.

Shift premiums are tied to the shift you work. If the union is set up to earn shift premiums, then when shift work is done, the shift premium is added to the rate.

How and when premiums are added to hourly rates is controlled by the Union Premium screen. Navigate to [c] Payroll, then [u] Set Up, then [d] Union Premium Entry.

[c] Payroll | [u] Set Up | [d] Union Premium Entry

Union Wide Premiums

There are two types of premiums that apply to all work done for the union that uses the premium. The first type is applied for shift work. The other type is selectively available during timesheet entry.

Shift 1 and 2 premiums

The premiums for working night shifts (shift 2 and shift 3) are applicable to all members of the union. This type of premium is automatically added when the timesheet is posted to the relative shift. The actual dollar amount is specific to each union.

[c] Payroll | [u] Set Up | [d] Union Premium Entry

When you select ‘all union members’, you can then also select one of the three options in the ‘all union members’ box. Select the appropriate shift to create a shift premium.

Available for Timesheet Entry

This option creates a union-wide premium that can be selectively applied to timesheets. The dollar value is set when the premium is added to the specific union.

Employee Specific Premiums

Employee specific premiums only apply to certain employees. For example, employees with first aid may earn an additional hourly amount. First, set up a premium to represent first aid:

[c] Payroll | [u] Set Up | [d] Union Premium Entry

Then, use the Change action to add that premium to the union you’re setting up. If you specify a range, then when the premium is added to an employee they’ll be able to set different amounts within the range.

Employees must be assigned to that union before they can have that premium assigned:

[c] Payroll | [a] Employee Entry

You can add the premium on the Employee Premiums tab.

[c] Payroll | [a] Employee Entry

If no range of rates was specified when the premium was added to the union, then the rate will be set to the union rate and you won’t be able to change it.

Timesheet Entry

When you add a timesheet for an employee in a union with rates, Abio will automatically add shift premiums for time worked on shifts 2 and 3. Employee premiums will also be added automatically, regardless of the shift.

You can then selectively add premiums for that union that are set up as being available for timesheet entry.

[c] Payroll | [c] Timesheet Entry

Optional premiums can be added on the Premiums tab.