Concerning Compensation for State Employees of the University of North Carolina
Resolution Of The Employee Forum
of The University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill
April 2, 2008
WHEREAS, the mission of the Employee Forum is to advise the university administration on issues and concerns of importance to SPA/EPA staff, to represent and advocate for SPA/EPA staff while supporting the university administration in the achievement of the university’s mission; and
WHEREAS, these concerns include the receipt of appropriate salary and benefits in order to properly compensate staff employees for “excellence of performance and to maintain [the] labor market competitiveness necessary to recruit and retain a competent workforce” (1) ; and
WHEREAS, the state’s total compensation policy is to compensate its employees at a level that promotes successful work behavior, emphasizes demonstrated competencies linked to organizational goals, reinforces high standards of performance and maintains competitiveness with the private labor market necessary to recruit, retain and develop a competent and diverse work force; and
WHEREAS, the Office of State Personnel, in its February 2007 Compensation and Benefits Report, indicates that between 1998 and 2007 legislated annual salary adjustments for state employees have been less than average labor market movement eight out of ten times, and the cumulative salary adjustments in state government trail the average labor market increases by 7.7% over the past 5 years (2) ; and
WHEREAS, the Office of State Personnel, in its February 2007 Compensation and Benefits Report, indicates the cost-of-living component of the legislative annual salary adjustments from 1992 to 2006 trails the Consumer Price Index-Urban by -2,9% (3), indicating that state employees compensation has not even kept pace with the Consumer Price Index effectively creating a shrinkage in their consumer buying power in the state; and cumulative salary adjustments for teachers have outpaced UNC employee increases by 14.2% (4) ; and
WHEREAS, a number of UNC employees earn less than $25,625, the living income standard(5); and
WHEREAS, these statewide basic compensation issues adversely impact staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Employee Forum of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill requests that employees covered under the State Personnel Act receive funding for the Comprehensive Compensation Plan for fiscal year 2008-2009 that provides state employees:
1) A Cost-of-Living adjustment in the amount of $2500 per employee;
2) An increase of 2.5% for Career Banded employees to be distributed as Career Banding Increases based on pay factors authorized by the State Personnel Commission; and
3) A 1.0% Performance Bonus to recognize and reward employees demonstrating noteworthy performance.
Signed on behalf of the members of the Employee Forum of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
Ernie Patterson, Chair of the Employee Forum
References:(1) State Personnel Act General Statute 126
(2) State of North Carolina Compensation & Benefits Report February 2007, Office of State Personnel, Page 3
(3) State of North Carolina Compensation & Benefits Report February 2007, Office of State Personnel, Page 4
(4) State of North Carolina Compensation & Benefits Report February 2007, Office of State Personnel, Page 11
(5) “A Living Wage for North Carolina, Living Wage Income Standard,” NC Budget & Tax Center, NC Justice Center