Beginning on the first day of the pay period within which an employee completes five (5) years of total state service, each employee will receive an automatic salary adjustment equivalent to one-half percent (.5%) times the number of years service times the first step of the pay rate of the employee's classification for a total of twenty (20) years. This amount will be added to the step rate of pay. The granting of longevity adjustments shall not be affected by promotion, demotion, or other changes in classification held by the employee.

Effective June 12, 1986 only service with state agencies, i.e. agencies whose employees are paid by the Auditor of State, will be counted for the purposes of computing longevity for new employees in the bargaining unit. Longevity adjustments are based solely on length of service excluding any service time earned between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2005, inclusive.