Administrative Staff Compensation & Benefits
Every year, the Personnel, Welfare and Compensation committee drafts a Compensation and Benefits Request and submits it to University senior leadership for consideration.
This request includes an analysis of the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI), a review of administrative staff accomplishments, compensation increase requests based on the CPI review and accomplishments, benefit change requests and other requests that could make up the overall compensation and benefits package for the following fiscal year.
This process is one that Administrative Staff Council has been doing for over a decade; however, we realize this fact is widely unknown to members outside of those serving on the council.
So in an effort to be more transparent, we have made shifts in this process. Additional improvements to this request process will be implemented next year and beyond. We will do this by collecting your feedback about the current request and the University’s response later this spring.
You can submit feedback by emailing asc@bgsu.edu at any time.
2022-23 Benefits & Morale Survey Results
In October 2022, a survey was conducted at the general ASC meeting and 150 staff members completed it. You can find a public reivew of the data we collected in our online presentation and a comparison of the results that we received in October 2021 at the end of the document.
Letter to Leadership
TO: Sherideen Stoll, C.P.A., Chief Financial Officer
CC: Viva McCarver, Chief Human Resources Officer
Rodney Rogers, Ph.D., President
Joe Whitehead, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Provost
FROM: Administrative Staff Council
DATE: April 6, 2023
SUBJECT: Administrative Staff Compensation Request FY24
Included in this request:
The Administrative Staff Council (ASC) and the over 700 constituents it represents take very seriously its role in advancing the mission of Bowling Green State University. In return, we ask for the University to consider the valuable contributions of all its employees, including Administrative Staff members, in reviewing this request.
This request is founded on our devotion to our students and our commitment to BGSU. We know BGSU is changing lives, and we are proud to be an integral part of the good service the University provides to the public. We thank you for your commitment to a review of our request and consideration.
Compensation Request
We want to thank University leadership for recognizing our hard work by continuing to offer the flexibility to work in-person and/or remotely, to consider staff benefits differently, and for offering the last five days of the year off with pay.
These acts of appreciation have not gone unnoticed, and we recognize the University must continue to make decisions based on the challenges BGSU is facing, but we also see places where the University could add benefits that would allow for greater returns and help BGSU recruit and retain employees. As representatives, we seek to submit a request that fairly and equitably compensates the dedicated Administrative Staff at BGSU.
Bowling Green State University’s current and continued success is only as great as the employees that support the institution – faculty members, Classified Staff, student staff and Administrative Staff. All of us are needed to make BGSU a great place to learn and work.
ASC is positioned to serve alongside senior leadership to ensure policies, processes and other University decisions are the best possible solutions for the institution and are fully thought out prior to being implemented and announced. We recognize growth with open communication between ASC and key members of university leadership, and we look forward to continuing to build trust and transparency.
So as an equal part of the overall success of the institution, we are presenting several FY24 requests for consideration. After review, we would like to extend an invitation to Sherri Stoll, Chief Financial Officer, to present at a fall 2023 Administrative Staff Council general meeting to provide a summary of decisions made for FY24.
COMPENSATION REQUESTS – EFFECTIVE FY24
3.75% salary increase across the board to move salaries closer to the 2022 Annual Consumer Price Index increase.
We have focused our compensation request on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increases to ensure Administrative Staff can keep up with their rising living expenses. The following CPI data points were taken into consideration for this request: 2022 CPI Report
- The 2022 CPI shows an overall increase of 6.5% from December 2021 to December 2022.
- Energy prices increased to 7.3%.
- Food prices at home increased to 10.4%, and away from home increased to 8.3%.
- Inflation is expected to peak at 9.1%, this is three times above the federal 2% target.
- Over the past three years (FY21-FY23), inflation has grown 9.65% more than the salary adjustments that were offered to Administrative Staff, and this does not include the rising healthcare costs. (CPI increased by 14.9%, and BGSU wages increased by 5.25%.) You can find a full audit and comparison on the ASC compensation request page.
We understand inflation affects University expenses as well and has a priority to keep education affordable for students. Because of this, we are not requesting a full cost of living adjustment of 6.5% to match inflation. However, to combat a large number of staff resignations BGSU is experiencing and to compete in the job market, the University must prioritize raising staff wages beyond what has been traditionally offered over the past 13 years.
As we strive to be a public university for the public good, Administrative Staff members are working hard to be innovative and resourceful in finding new ways to better serve our students, campus partners, and the Bowling Green and Erie County communities. Because of this, we are requesting that university leadership seriously consider our FY24 compensation request and grant a 3.75% salary increase across the board to move salaries closer to the 2022 Annual Consumer Price Index increase.
Benefit Request
Administrative Staff Council conducted a benefits and morale survey in October 2022 that gathered 150 responses from admin staff in all functional areas. The responses have been shared with senior leadership and are available for public viewing online.
For FY24, we have focused our requests based on the survey data and feedback we receive at our general council and executive committee meetings.
New this year, we have removed the healthcare benefit requests from this memo and instead appointed dedicated staff members from the ASC Personnel, Welfare and Compensation committee to PACHWI, and we plan on submitting a separate request for FY24 benefits through our PACHWI representatives.
We are appreciative of the ongoing partnership with University officials to enhance the employment benefits, and we look forward to working with you to implement the following prioritized requests:
Enact a permanent paid time off benefit between Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Administrative staff has been grateful for this extra time off at the end of the year to be with their families, and making this permanent will give staff more time to plan and can be used to attract candidates to work at BGSU. The days will be paid time off for employees. For those staff members whose duties do not accommodate this time off, they may work with their supervisors to take alternate five days off by June 30 of each fiscal year, or this time will expire.
Weekly meal swipes for ALL BGSU dining services facilities; expand the program to include an equitable equivalent for staff on the Firelands campus, Sandusky Resort and Attraction Management and Levis Commons campus.
Provide increased workload stipends for employees with increased workloads due to a department vacancy, long-term absence, special project, etc. BGSU should provide increased workload stipends for employees with increased workloads outside their normal duties. Although there is an official policy for interim work, only 6.76% of staff think the policy is being applied consistently. To combat this, we are requesting that policy 3341-5-2 section D4 be amended to exclude “and is in a higher grade level” and rewritten so it is inclusive of additional scenarios that deserve additional compensation. Just because a vacancy is in the same or lower pay grade level does not mean there is less work to be shared, and it doesn’t mean that the individual absorbing the extra work has a position with the same responsibilities. All staff deserves to be compensated fairly if they are taking on extra work that is typically done by another position. If this is not feasible due to budget, staff should be granted the right to refuse the extra workload without penalty or punishment and expectations from the department should be adjusted in accordance with the number of individuals available to conduct the work.
Provide supervisors the ability to offer additional merit-based raises and bonuses. We are requesting that policy 3341-5-5 be reviewed, and a merit pool based on job performance be allocated in addition to the annual across-the-board cost of living adjustments. Additionally, we would like the University to make an effort to ensure supervisors and staff who manage department budgets are informed about the policy so they can properly plan their budgets and are aware of the existence of the policy. Over 90% of staff who took the survey said merit-based bonuses and raises would boost their morale and help retain current employees, but only 33% knew a formal policy existed. Furthermore, there are departments on this campus that would like to offer bonuses under the current structure but can't because their budgets are limited. We would like to see amendments made so departments in this situation can request to grant bonuses out of a university-shared fund.
- Undergo a wage audit for all staff. During this audit, our hope is that job duties and wages will be realigned based on the audit’s findings.
Annual Request Comparison FY10-FY23
To provide additional justification for this request and future requests, we are providing Administrative Staff the following information so you can understand what has been requested through this process over the years and can compare it to what was actually approved by leadership.
Administrative Staff Council uses the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to compare cost of living increases to our annual salary increases. Historical CPI reports can be located on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website.
Unfortunately, historical records are missing but we have included everything we have access to at this time.
Takeaways from this report
- Over the past 3 years, the CPI has increased 14.9% and Administrative Staff salaries have increased by 5.25% (9.65%)
- Over the past 5 years, the CPI has increased 19.1% and Administrative Staff salaries have increased by 9.25%. (9.85% below CPI)
- Over the past 10 years, the CPI has increased 28.5% and Administrative Staff salaries have increased by 20.75%. (7.75% below CPI)
- Over the past 13 years, the CPI has increased 32.7% and Administrative Staff salaries have increased by 23%. (9.7% below CPI)
- The following report does not take into account the rising cost of insurance premiums over the years.
| YEAR | ASC REQUST SUBITTED | INCREASE GRANTED | CONSUMER PRICE INDEX |
| FY24 | TBD | 2.5% salary adjustment and:
|
CPI for 2023 will be published in January 2024 |
| FY23 | 4% salary increase across the board to move salaries closer to the 2021 Consumer Price Index increase. |
2.75% salary adjustment and:
No gratidude pay was offered this year, like the previous year. |
6.5% |
| FY22 | 2.3% salary increase across the board to match 2019 Consumer Price Index increase. An additional 1.4 % salary increase across the board to match the 2020 Consumer Price Index increase. If both cost of living increases we are requesting are not approved for FY22, the University will enact a formal, written plan that will proactively increase administrative staff’s wages over the next three years by 4%. Review the full FY22 Request |
2.5% salary adjustment and:
|
7.0% |
| FY21 | 2.3% salary increase across the board to match 2019 Consumer Price Index increase. An additional 1% merit pool for division leaders to disseminate to administrative staff who exceed expectations in their roles. |
0% Salary Adjustment
|
1.4% |
| FY20 | 3% across the board and 1% pooled raise. – “Allocate to administrative staff members who go above and beyond to advance the mission of BGSU as a public university for the public good. May also be used for more tenured administrative staff to move them closer to the control point established for their respective pay grade.” | 2% | 2.3% |
| FY19 | “We request a 3% across the board raise. We additionally request $1,000 added to every Administrative Staff employee’s base salary or up to the employee's pay grade midpoint to address income inequality.” | 2% | 1.9% |
| FY18 | “We request a 4 % merit increase to every BGSU Administrative Staff employee’s base salary. We have received raises, on average, below inflation, and were required furloughs to assist the University in times of financial need.” |
2% | 2.1% |
| FY17 | No request on record. | 2.5% | 1.4% |
| FY16 | No request on record. | 2% | -0.1% |
| FY15 | A salary increase of 3% (or higher if Faculty and Classified staff raises are higher than 3%) and a one-time salary increase of $1,500 to offset healthcare increases. | 1% | 1.5% |
| FY14 | “A minimum salary increases of 3% is requested for FY13 and bring all administrative staff currently between the minimum of their salary range but below the control point to the control point for that range.” |
2% | 1.6% |
| FY13 | No request on record. | 2% | 2.9% |
| FY12 | 4% across the board, flat $2,000 raise to make up for furloughs and increase healthcare costs – “Requesting a raise consistent with Faculty and Classified Staff” | 1.25% | 1.6% |
| FY11 | 3% across the board (consistent with faculty and classified staff), $1,500 flat raise. | 1% | 2.6% |
Updated: 06/23/2023 11:05AM