Penn State employees are waiting longer than usual for annual pay raises. Here’s the latest
Most Penn State employees are waiting longer than usual to see their pay raises reflected on their paychecks — and it could be weeks, if not longer, before that finally changes.
Typically, the board of trustees approves merit-based general salary increases in July, and employees see the changes reflected in their paychecks by the end of August or September. But that assumes the state legislature has already approved the annual funding, or appropriation, for the state-related universities in Penn State, Lincoln, Pitt and Temple — which has not yet happened this year.
Penn State has said the delay from the state legislature, which could ultimately approve more than $250 million in general support funds for the land-grant university, has in turn delayed the raises, which range up to 3% for employees. The Pennsylvania House passed a state appropriation bill late last month, but the bill still needs to pass the state Senate.
The state Senate is not due back in session until Nov. 13, and it’s unclear if they’ll get on board with the plan approved by the House. Even if they do, and the bill passes quickly, it must then be signed by the governor, who typically signs the legislation within a few days. Only then will Penn State take the next step toward the pay raises.
“We understand the concern that our employees are expressing, and note the critical role they play in delivering a world-class education to Pennsylvania residents,” university spokesperson Wyatt DuBois said in a written statement. “Our current plan is to start the general salary increase process once our appropriation is approved by the governor.
“We value our partnership with the legislature as well as their support, and we are working very closely with our partners in the House and Senate to find a path forward that supports our university and the impact we have in Pennsylvania. We were hoping to have this issue resolved by this point, and as soon as we learn more we will share with our community.”
When asked how long the “general salary increase process” is expected to last, DuBois said it is expected to “take a number of weeks to process” since the university has tens of thousands of employees. From 2018 to 2022 — excluding 2020, when there was no raise — the trustees approved the raises around mid-July, and they twice went into effect in August and twice in September.
The raises are all retroactive to July 1, meaning Penn State employees will eventually be compensated for the paychecks where the increases were not reflected. The general salary increase involves most non-union employees but not all, as salary increases for union employees are covered by their collective bargaining agreements, while self-supporting units (e.g. Intercollegiate Athletics) fund and announce their own salary increases.
The delay in the appropriation comes after Republicans had repeatedly stopped it from receiving the required two-thirds supermajority to get it out of the Democratic-majority House. Critics had chafed at the proposed 7% increase to the appropriation in light of rising tuition costs and said the universities should be held to higher transparency standards.
In late October, the House approved a bill that would expand what the universities must disclose about their finances and budget under the Right-to-Know Law, addressing one of the Republicans’ concerns. An amendment to require universities to freeze tuition for the 2024-2025 academic year — a measure opposed by Penn State — was also a late addition to the appropriation bill.
Zack Moore, Penn State’s vice president of government and community relations, previously told The Associated Press the university would be fine if the appropriation passes at some point this semester.
“But I do believe that if we get into the new year, into the second semester of the academic year, then we will certainly get very, very nervous and potentially have to start taking other fiscal actions to make sure that we can pay salaries, can operate,” he said.
The final day of classes this semester is Dec. 8. Spring 2024 classes start Jan. 8.
The Associated Press contributed to this story
