HPAE Rutgers Alert: Payroll Migration Update, October 26
On Monday, October 24th, representatives of the Union Coalition at Rutgers met with Administration officials as part of the quarterly Labor Management Committee (LMC) meeting to discuss a variety of issues. The most pressing of these had to do with the recent migration of payroll from Banner to People Soft.
Hold Back Pay: As you are likely aware, one key issue the migration generated is the “hold back” week that Rutgers owes all of our members. The law requires these delayed payments, when made for legitimate business reasons, to be paid within a “reasonable amount of time.” In an effort to avoid litigation and offer a “reasonable” solution, we again demanded a signed stipulation that Rutgers will pay back our members one day per pay period for five pay periods, but not later than February 2017. After our previous threat of litigation, management agreed to address the issue with our Labor Management Committee; however, we were unable to come to an agreement at the Monday meeting. We are currently preparing our complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor. We will update you with any new developments.
Payroll Errors: We have been receiving an enormous amount of complaints regarding payroll errors from our members. Some are related to missing differentials and/or overtime pay; the incorrect amount of hours worked; and others may not have received a check at all. We encourage any member experiencing problems with payroll to contact the University Help Line at 848-932-3888 and report the issue. Be sure to get a ticket number so you can follow up. You may also want to contact Payroll. Our contracts with the University require payroll errors to be corrected within a few days of notification. In the event a reported payroll error is not corrected, let your Union Rep know. We may have grounds to file a grievance. Members should fill out the HPAE payroll issue tracking form and send it, along with your paystub, to an appropriate HPAE Staff Rep.
Benefits Withholding: Effective with the current pay cycle, the employee contribution towards our health benefits (including dental and prescription) premiums will be deducted out of twenty four (24) paychecks per year. That will leave two paychecks per year without benefits deductions. Our pension withholdings will continue to be taken out over all pay periods (26), regardless of whether you are in PERS or ABP.
Overtime Eligibility: Due to a change in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations put forward by the Obama administration, some of Rutgers’ salaried employees may become eligible for overtime compensation. Effective December 1, 2016, the eligibility threshold will be increased to $47,476 per year. When we raised the issue, Rutgers indicated that they may increase the salaries of some employees so they will remain overtime exempt. We requested further information. In the meantime, if you are an exempt employee and earn less than $47,476 a year, it may be worth speaking with your department director to find out how they intend to apply the new rule.