Employment Types

All employees in Boulder are either non-union or union. All union employees are classified as Regular while non-union employees can be Regular or multiple other types.

Non-union employees include Regular, Fixed-Term, Temporary, Seasonal, Paid Intern and Varied employment types. Regular and Varied are ongoing types of employment with the city—meaning they have no specific end date. Fixed-Term, Temporary, Seasonal and Paid Intern types have either specific dates on which the positions end or a specified length of need or season.

Unions at City of Boulder

There are three labor unions at the city, including the Boulder Municipal Employees Association (BMEA), Boulder Police Officers Association (BPOA), and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local #900 (IAFF)

The recognition language of each union’s contract defines the positions that are represented by the union. Employees determine whether or not to pay union dues, but regardless, if the position is represented by the union, employees are entitled to those collectively bargained rights.

Compensation Structures and Schedules

Union employees follow the salary schedules that are established by their collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Please refer to the CBA links in the section above for current detail.

BMEA union positions are listed on the B-Schedule Job Structure (PDF). The BPOA union includes Police Officers and Sergeants. The IAFF union includes the ranks of Firefighter (3rd to 1st Class), Engineer, Lieutenant, and Captain.

Non-union Regular, Fixed-Term and Temporary employees follow the N-Schedule. The N-Schedule Job Structure contains all job titles for these types and the associated salary grade. The N-Schedule Salary Schedule contains each salary grade (between N-01 and N-18), including the minimum, midpoint, and maximum levels of compensation.

Placement in the salary grade is determined based on a candidate’s alignment with the minimum and preferred qualifications of the position for which they apply. Temporary employment also considers Re-hire Increase pay for returning employees. Employees in the N-Schedule may be exempt (not overtime eligible) or non-exempt (overtime eligible), depending on the particular position.

Boulder follows a living wage for all positions in the N-Schedule. The 2024 living wage is $22.44.

Non-union Seasonal, Intern, and Varied employees follow the S-Schedule. The S-Schedule Job Structure contains all job titles for these types and the associated salary grade. The S-Schedule Salary Schedule contains each salary grade (between S-01 and S-11), including the hourly minimum, midpoint, and maximum rates of pay.

Placement in the salary grade is determined based on a candidate’s alignment with the minimum and preferred qualifications of the position for which they apply. Returning Seasonal employee types may be eligible for a Re-hire Increase in their department. All employees in the S-Schedule are classified as non-exempt and are eligible to earn overtime.

Fire and Police Leadership

Leadership positions in the Boulder Fire Department (BFR) and Boulder Police Department (BPD) that are not recognized in a union follow separate non-union salary schedules.

Requests

For organizations seeking compensation information, please review our Job Structure documents and provide the specific Job Titles on which you are requesting Job Description detail.