2014-15 Campus-Based Faculty Equity Program

Faculty equity increases were differentially distributed to 4 groups of Unit 3 employees: Tenure-track Faculty, Y3 Lecturers, Counselors, and Faculty Coaches. Librarians and Counselors were included in the figures for tenure-track faculty. Of the 1,458 employees in Unit 3 eligible for equity awards, approximately 563 (39%) received an equity increase.

Tenure-track Faculty:

The analysis of tenure-track faculty salaries included the following factors: rank, years in rank, and compression and inversion within their department. A campus-wide analysis of salaries was used to determine a minimum annual salary for each rank starting with Rank 3 through Rank 5. Thereafter, salary comparisons within each rank at the department level were calculated to address instances of inversion. Additionally, salary comparisons across ranks within each academic department were calculated to address instances of compression. The number of years in current rank was used to determine equity increases when assessing inversion and compression.

Lecturers:

Only Y3 Lecturers (those who have taught on campus at least 6 years) were eligible for equity increases. Lecturers at Rank 2, Rank 3, and Rank 4 were considered and awarded equity increases that raised their base rate to 5% above the Service Salary Increase (SSI) minimum for their rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule.

Counselors:

After a review of the salaries of the 9 Counselors, equity increases were provided to individuals who had lower salaries than their counterparts at other CSU campuses based on averages for Counselors with SSP and academically-related classifications.

Faculty Coaches:

After a review of the salaries of the 36 faculty coaches, equity increases were provided to a subset of individuals who had lower salaries than their counterparts at other CSU campuses in the Big West Conference.

What is salary inversion?

Salary inversion occurs when the starting salaries for new employees are higher than those for existing employees. This can commonly occur when other regions or systems are experiencing regular salary increases that increase the market rate for new hires. Salary inversion is prevalent in higher education where the demand for employees is increasing rapidly following several years of small hiring groups. Inversion was further elevated when the CSU system lacked the funds to provide bargained General Salary Increases to existing employees.

What is salary compression?

Similar to inversion, salary compression can occur when there is a small or no difference of pay between employees regardless of their years of service and/or experience. Inversion can contribute to compression as employees may be hired at levels which eclipse the historical rates given to existing employees. Compression can also occur when employees apply for a market-based salary increase based on an offer of employment from another institution.