Are you receiving a salary differential for your advanced degree?
If you are a college laboratory technician (CLT) or an assistant to higher education officer (aHEO), the answer should be “yes,” thanks to an agreement reached in the negotiations for the PSC-CUNY 2007-10 contract. The contract contains special provisions in Article 24.8 for an annual salary differential for full-time CLTs and aHEOs who have earned graduate degrees related to their work.
Graduate Degrees
Effective March 19, 2010, all full-time CLTs, senior CLTs, chief CLTs and aHEOs who hold a master’s degree from an accredited university in a field related to their job duties are to receive a $1,000 annual salary differential. An employee with any of these titles who holds a doctoral degree from an accredited university in a field related to his or her job duties is due a $2,500 annual salary differential. The differential becomes a permanent part of the employee’s base salary as long as he or she remains in a position covered by the agreement, and should be paid over and above each salary step increase.
The union pressed hard for this differential in the last round of bargaining. CUNY’s human resources offices should be doing more to ensure that new employees who may be eligible and incumbent employees who may become eligible for the differential know about the process for obtaining this important benefit. Specifically, your college should have informed you about the salary differential and the process for obtaining it at the time of your initial appointment, especially when a graduate degree is listed on a CV or employment application. Supervisors, guided by HR departments, should inform incumbent employees of this benefit, especially those who are pursuing a graduate degree.
The PSC provides information about the annual salary differential on its website in chapter newsletters and at union meetings. The union will help if you are having difficulty getting information about the process for obtaining the differential from your college HR office. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Albert Muñoz, PSC contract administration coordinator, at 212-354-1252 or [email protected].
