UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Earlier this year, in anticipation of new rules outlined in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Penn State conducted a comprehensive review of positions affected by the impending regulation, slated to be implemented Dec. 1. While an injunction was issued last week temporarily blocking the implementation of the new rules, Penn State, similar to many other peer institutions, has decided to fulfill the commitment we made to our employees and move forward with implementing some of the revised regulations.
Penn State employees who received a letter informing them that their salary would be increasing as a result of the review process will receive that salary increase. Those jobs include postdoctoral fellows, and a majority of full-time, non-teaching academics and select staff. Employees who received a letter informing them that their job profile and level would be changing to non-exempt effective Dec. 1, will remain exempt until further notice, with no other changes at this time.
“Throughout this process we looked carefully at our job classification and salary structure for a significant number of our employees. As a result, we made a commitment to increase the salaries of some of our personnel, and we consider this a timely, long-term, strategic investment in our staff,” said Nick Jones, executive vice president and provost. “Our decision to proceed with these changes, is consistent with the approach of many of our AAU peers, and further supports our efforts to attract and retain the very best employees that make Penn State a preeminent institution. It is important to emphasize our overall strategic workforce planning efforts continue, which focus on building and maintaining a productive, effective and efficient workforce, while supporting broader university goals of access and affordability.”