Salary Administration

The N.C. A&T State University compensation philosophy is committed to the creation of an inclusive, collaborative, and responsive university by attracting, retaining, and developing a diverse community of talented individuals in support of the university’s mission. As a public research university, N.C. A&T must govern its resources in an efficient and effective way. Within the boundaries of financial feasibility, employee compensation is administered in a manner that is externally competitive and internally equitable, recognizes performance, and includes, but is not limited to consideration of job independence and discretion, job complexity, scope, supervisory or lead roles, relevant experience and credentials, and additional position responsibilities.

Administering compensation to reflect this philosophy means that salaries will be reviewed by the University on an ongoing basis. These analyses will support the institution’s efforts to obtain appropriate salary funding from the state legislature. As funding permits, salary increases shall focus on maintaining market alignment, supporting internal equity, retaining key personnel and recognizing performance. Within the parameters of discipline, function, job-related experience, and performance and individual effectiveness, employees shall be paid similarly for similar work. Salaries for new employees should be established at levels that recognize individual skills, competencies, and experience while considering the salary levels of current employees with similar job duties. 

FISCAL YEAR 2024-2025 ANNUAL RAISE PROCESS

The passage of House Bill 259 (Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2023) enacted a biennial budget for FY23-24 and FY24-25 state budget which provides an Annual Raise Process (ARP) process for both EHRA and SHRA employees. The FY24-25 budget provides a base salary increase of 3% for eligible EHRA and SHRA permanent employees.  

North Carolina A&T State University is committed to facilitating the ARP by implementing the mandatory Legislative Salary Increase (LSI) efficiently and timely for all eligible permanent employees. Details regarding the distribution, eligibility criteria, and other provisions of the legislative salary increase pertaining to special groups such as transfer employees, SHRA employees with annual longevity payments, faculty participating in phased retirement, and employees on leave (with or without pay), are provided below. 

  • All eligible permanent Faculty, SAAO, EPS, and SHRA employees (including the Aggie Academy Lab School) will receive a 3% legislative salary increase to their June 30, 2024, base salary if they meet the eligibility requirements for the increase.  
  • The mandatory legislative salary increase is effective July 1, 2024, therefore there will be no retro owed to employees. 
  • The salary increase will be calculated on each eligible employee’s June 30, 2024, base salary. For example, an employee earning a base salary of $50,000 on June 30, 2024, will have a new base salary of $51,500 ($50,000 x 1.03 = $51,500). 
  • Employees who have a primary faculty or non-faculty appointment and a secondary long-standing administrative appointment (e.g., deans, chairs, directors of major programs) and supplement are eligible to have their supplement included in the 3% calculation. This calculation for the mandatory legislative increase shall exclude any non-permanent administrative salary supplements in effect as of June 30, 2024, such as interim and acting appointments, temporary additional duties, or secondary administrative titles.  
  • For SHRA employees who receive their annual longevity payment for total state service anniversaries on or after July 1, 2024, the longevity payment must include the mandatory legislative increase. 

 

  • To be eligible for the LSI, employees must have been employed in a permanent benefits-eligible position on June 30, 2024, and July 1, 2024. 
  • Permanent employees are those eligible to participate in state benefits programs (e.g., the State Health Plan) and who hold a recurring appointment of .50 FTE or greater. 
  • Eligible employees who separate from N.C. A&T after June 30, 2024, but before July 31, 2024, are due a prorated retroactive legislative increase. The pro-rated amount will be delivered in a lump-sum payment as part of the employee’s final paycheck or delivered electronically to the last banking institution on file with the University Payroll Office. The legislative salary increases apply to all eligible separated employees, regardless of the reason for separation.  
  • Any Faculty, SAAO, EPS, and SHRA employee who transferred to N.C. A&T after June 30, 2024, from an eligible position at another UNC System institution or qualifying state agency is eligible to receive the salary increase. The increase will be based on the employee’s June 30, 2024, base salary. Community college employees, teachers under the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and county employees, are not eligible to receive the LSI if they transferred to N.C. A&T.
  • Employees currently on disability or on a paid or unpaid leave of absence are eligible for the salary increase.  
    1. Employees on leave with pay will receive the LSI in their July paycheck. 
    2. Employees on leave without pay will receive the LSI upon return to work, if they meet all other eligibility requirements. The payments are to be made on a current basis, and are not retroactive. 
  • Eligible employees will receive the salary increase regardless of their current performance ratings. Employees with active or pending disciplinary action are also eligible for the salary increase if they meet all other eligibility criteria.  
  • An employee will receive the legislative increase even if the increase results in a new base salary that exceeds an established salary range.  
  • Faculty members who entered the Phased Retirement Program on July 1, 2024, are not eligible for the mandatory legislative increase. Faculty members who entered the Phased Retirement Program in 2023 or prior years are eligible for the mandatory legislative increase and the discretionary ARP increases. 
  • Graduate students, undergraduate students, and temporary employees are not eligible for the legislative salary increase through the Annual Raise Process but may receive other salary increases based on department available funding. 

The 2023 State Appropriations Act for the Annual Raise Process does not include a provision for temporary employees to receive the Legislative Salary Increase. However, the UNC System Office has empowered campuses with the discretion to provide wage increases to temporary salaried and hourly employees using available institutional funds. Given recent developments with inflation and other cost of living factors, North Carolina A&T State University is committed to providing a 2% across-the-board increase on the base salary of temporary (non-student) employees. Increases for temporary hourly and salaried employees will be implemented in the September payroll cycles, respectively. Conditions regarding eligibility and implementation are noted below:  

  • All salaried and hourly temporary (non-student) employees with an active job as of August 31, 2024, will receive a 2% increase in their base salary, effective September 1, 2024. 
    1. Hourly temporary employees with an active job as of August 31, 2024 and September 22, 2024, will receive a 2% increase in their hourly rate. The increase will be reflected in their September 22, 2024 paycheck (BW 19) 
    2. Salaried temporary employees with an active job as of August 31, 2024 and September 30, 2024, will receive a 2% increase in their annualized rate. The increase will be reflected in their September 30, 2024 paycheck (MN 9)
  • The 2% increase is a one-time allotment of institutional funds. Beyond FY24-25, departments will be required to maintain the 2% increase on the budgeted salary of the position, subject to budget availability. We encourage departments to identify funds that will maintain the increase on the rate of pay while an incumbent remains in the same seated temporary position within the same department. 

The passage of House Bill 259 (Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2023) enacted a biennial budget for FY23‑24 and FY24-25 which provides an Annual Raise Process (ARP) for both EHRA and SHRA employees. The FY24-25 budget provides a base salary increase of 3% for eligible Faculty, SAAO, EPS, and SHRA permanent employees. Although the Appropriations Act for the Annual Raise Process does not include a provision for temporary employees to receive the Legislative Salary Increase, the UNC System Office has empowered campuses with the discretion to provide wage increases to temporary salaried and hourly employees using available institutional funds. North Carolina A&T State University is committed to providing a 2% across-the-board increase on the base salary of temporary (non-student) employees. The following document provides rule highlights and answers to some frequently asked questions. Please note that additional FAQs for supervisors are highlighted in the document.

Click here to view 2024 Annual Raise Process Lesgislative Salary Increase FAQ's

SALARY ADMINISTRATION RESOURCES

It is the policy of the university to compensate its employees at levels sufficient to encourage excellent performance and to maintain labor market competitiveness necessary to recruit, retain, and develop a competent and diverse work force. It is also the policy of the university to ensure that sound salary administration practices are followed and applied in order to maintain equitable compensation for similarly situated employee populations.

 
 
SHRA Wage & Hour Policies

The University Wage & Hour provisions conform to the requirements of both the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the State’s “Policy on Hours of Work and Overtime Compensation.” It covers all employees, both permanent and temporary. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is federal legislation that provides guidelines regarding compensation for time worked. Non-Exempt Employees (those that are not exempt from FLSA guidelines) are protected by FLSA and due additional compensation for hours physically worked over 40 in a work week. Exempt Employees (those that are exempt from FLSA guidelines) are not due any additional compensation for hours physically worked over 40 in a work week. University administration and other supervisory personnel are responsible for assuring compliance with Wage & Hour provisions.  

 
SHRA Wage & Hour Exemption Status

The intersection of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) with the State Personnel Act (SHRA) creates two major categories of SHRA employment, SHRA Exempt and SHRA Non-Exempt employees. SHRA Exempt Employees are not exempt from the State Personnel Act, but they are exempt from the overtime compensation provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). SHRA Non-Exempt Employees are also not exempt from the State Personnel Act, and they are not exempt from the overtime compensation provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

As part of the 2021 Appropriations Act, the North Carolina General Assembly expanded the exemptions under the North Carolina Human Resources Act (EHRA or Exempt from the Human Resources Act) to include University Audit, Business, and Finance professional positions. This change in the law means that these positions will become EHRA non-faculty positions under the University’s human resources policies rather than be subject to the NC Human Resources Act (“SHRA”). The University sought this flexibility with respect to certain compensation and leave issues to be more competitive within the context of a highly competitive labor market.

Individual employees currently in SHRA Audit, Finance, certain Business Officer, Business Manager, University Program Specialist, and University Program Manager classifications that are FLSA exempt (those salaried and not subject to overtime) will be offered an opportunity to convert from SHRA to EHRA status. FLSA non-exempt employees (those paid hourly and subject to overtime) are not affected by this change and will not change to EHRA. The exempt employees who do not choose to convert to EHRA status will continue as SHRA employees.

The General Assembly enacted an exemption for commissioned police officers of the University from most provisions of the North Carolina Human Resources Act (S.L. 2020- 56 Section 7) which permits the University to classify these employees and their positions as EHRA Non-Faculty (EHRA non-faculty and SAAO II). However, given the unique nature of law enforcement work and the highly competitive labor market for commissioned law enforcement officers, there are certain aspects of the State’s SHRA human resources program that are necessary to continue to apply to, and be reflected in, the University’s human resources practices for this limited population of employees. This includes longevity pay, holiday and on-call pay, and access to certain disciplinary procedures and grievance rights afforded career status State employees. This resolution permits the president to continue to utilize selected SHRA human resources policies or implement their substantial equivalents for commissioned police officers of the University while classified as EHRA non-faculty employees.

 All UNC System law enforcement officers will transition to a special EPS campus police officer status by June 30, 2023. Each campus will determine its specific transition date.

Senate Bill 195, also known as UNC Omnibus Bill expanded the Exempt Professional Staff (formally EHRA Non-Faculty) classification authority, became law on July 14, 2023. The change in the statute provides an exemption from most provisions of the NC State Human Resources Act for all remaining SHRA university employees and positions that are designated as exempt from the minimum wage and overtime compensation provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This means that all new and vacant SHRA FLSA exempt positions will be required to be filled as EPS non-faculty instructional, research, and information technology (IRIT). All remaining SHRA FLSA-exempt employees will be given the option to convert to EPS or remain SHRA in their current position.

Impact on Career Status and Probationary Employees

The legislation provides impacted SHRA career status and probationary employees the option of either 1) continuing their university employment as an SHRA career status or probationary employee if the employee remains in the position the employee occupied, or 2) waiving SHRA career status and converting to employment as an EPS non-faculty instructional, research, and information technology (IRIT) at-will employee subject to applicable UNC System and constituent institution EPS employment policies.