Announcement: Staff Compensation Plan

Dear Emerson Staff:

As we begin to wind down the semester and start to approach the holiday season, we wanted to share important information about our regular staff compensation plans for this fiscal year.  Earlier this year, we signaled an intention and expectation for forthcoming salary increases, and we are now pleased to present the details of our salary plan, which will include several compensation actions:  

Annual Salary Increase

We are very pleased to announce that eligible staff will receive a 2.5% increase to their base salary effective Saturday, January 1, 2022.  Employees paid on a weekly basis will see their weekly pay increase in the January 14 payroll; semi-monthly paid employees will see their increases reflected in the semi-monthly payroll of January 14.

The College will also make changes to salary ranges this year in order to maintain competitiveness in the market. If any staff are impacted by this change, then they will be notified.

One-Time Payment

In addition to the annual base salary increase, Emerson will provide an additional one-time payment of $1,000 to eligible staff. This payment will be paid in mid-December 2021.

Eligibility

·       Regular staff hired prior to July 1, 2021, are eligible for the base increase, except for those staff who have had a salary increase since July 1, 2021.  All regular staff hired prior to July 1, 2021, except as noted below, are eligible for the one-time payment.  Regular staff does not include staff hired as Temporary, Fixed-Term Casual, and Intermittent employees.

·       Members of our bargaining units, ACOPS and SEIU, are not eligible for the salary increase or one-time payment, as those units are currently negotiating new collective bargaining agreements, which will address their pay. The college will bargain in good faith with those units regarding their compensation.

·       Temporary, Fixed Term, Casual and Intermittent staff, and those employees hired in these classifications who became regular employees after July 1, 2021, are also not eligible for the increase or one-time payment.

·       Employees on leave at the time of the payment, who are otherwise eligible in accordance with the above, will receive their increase or one-time payment upon their return from leave.

We also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their efforts over the last year and a half to ensure that Emerson maintained a safe and healthy campus.  Not only have we been re-energized by the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues in-person this semester, we have done so in the most health-conscious and responsible manner possible.  We are grateful for your cooperation and commitment to our weekly testing protocol and for your compliance with the campus mask requirement.  Taken as a whole, it has been a remarkably successful fall semester.

With health and safety in mind, we have considered the appropriateness of gathering everyone for an annual Emerson College Holiday Party.  We believe it is in the best interest of the College and the health and wellbeing of our faculty and staff to forego a college-wide holiday event this year.  We certainly look forward to a time when we can all gather, in a large in-person group, for a safe and celebratory event.  

As the end of the semester fast approaches, on behalf of the entire administration, we wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving, a successful completion of the fall semester, and a happy, healthy and joyous holiday season.

Sincerely,

William P. Gilligan, Interim President
Paul S. Dworkis, Vice President for Finance & Administration and CFO