Cancellation of Merit-Pay Process

The board/administration wants to eliminate the process for which merit pay is determined. Source: http://www.wright.edu/administration/aaup/nego/FF/Exhibits%20_A- N(from%20admin)(OCR)(annotated).pdf (located in Section 11.6)

Under the administration’s proposal: Merit pay process eliminated from CBA.

Deans/chairs would have total discretion to allocate merit pay in the future.

What the Merit Pay Process Cancellation Proposal Means:

Under the old CBA, there was a transparent process in terms of calculating merit pay. Our members knew that meeting specific performance criteria would result in a merit pay raise.

Under the administration’s proposal, transparency is eliminated and our members will be under subjective criteria we cannot negotiate. Arbitrary financial power in the hands of administrators in practice removes many protections from faculty. Who would question or protest the decision of their Chair or Dean? Who would file a grievance? Your next Chair or Dean may not be someone you trust.

Merit pay increases, when earned, become part of one’s base salary. No merit increases put our members at a cumulative, long-term financial disadvantage.

Summary

Merit pay increases are permanent and added to base salary. This proposal allows the university to arbitrarily determine your merit pay. The cumulative negative impact of this proposal is substantial, in terms of both money and freedom.