As many of you know, our new contract includes provisions to deal with Salary Compression, which is when new hires come in making close to the same amount as employees who have been on campus for years, and Salary Inversion, which is when new hires come in actually making more than their colleagues with seniority. The recently negotiated 2016-2022 contract includes money to be paid out by December 31, 2019, which is equivalent to 1% of the total payroll of employees in the UUP bargaining unit. Half of this money goes towards Discretionary Salary Increases (DSI), which we dealt with in-depth in our last issue of Wavelengths. The other half of this money, equal to 0.5% of the total UUP payroll, is earmarked for Salary Compression/Inversion.
Campuses must distribute this money across the board fairly, and no department can be excluded from this distribution, which will likely take place at or around the same time the DSI is paid, in December 2019.
The amount of this distribution will be based on negotiations between SUNY, UUP, and the Governor’s Office, and will likely be based on years of service and degree of salary compression within the department. Regional training has been given by the state to each of the campuses, and campuses must follow the guidelines given to them. When Salary Compression/Inversion increases are distributed, UUP will publicize the figures, as we have always done with DSI increases. Members with questions about their specific situations are welcome to contact UUP after the distribution has been made. For more detailed information about the Compression/Inversion process, schedule, and increases, President Fred Kowal has provided us with a detailed description.
by Eliliana Martinez and Kyle Anderson
