Pay bands correlate to the corresponding job classification category. Since there is a wide range of positions that can fit into a job category, the Office of Human Resources reviews all positions to recommend a competitive compensation range. Internal peer comparators and external market data are analyzed for nearly every staff position and a recommended salary range is determined and shared with the hiring school, college or unit. This protocol ensures parity across campus and allows the university to be more competitive.
The Wage and Salary, Pay Rates Policy is a comprehensive resource for information on staff pay practice and includes information regarding:
- Annual increases
- Discretionary increases
- Pay rate reductions
The New York State (NYS) Minimum Rate Schedule was announced in May 2023 as part of the 2024 state budget agreement. Effective January 1, 2024, New York State will raise the minimum wage to $16.00 per hour for employees in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester and $15.00 per hour for employees elsewhere in the state. The current NYS minimum rate of $14.20 per hour (for employees elsewhere in the state) will be in effect for the remainder of calendar year 2023.
Syracuse University will continue to pay our staff above the New York State required minimum wage to remain competitive in the labor market. Effective June 29, 2023, the university will set a minimum rate of $16.00 per hour for all temporary staff and $17.00 per hour for all benefits-eligible staff. These hourly rates meet or exceed all other U.S. states’ minimums, except for California and the District of Columbia. All state minimum wages may be found on the U.S Department of Labor website.
Although New York State has not yet announced the new minimum rates of pay for exempt employees, based on past methodology, we anticipate they will announce an annual minimum of $58,500 (or $1,125 weekly) effective January 1, 2024. The Office of Human Resources will continue to keep budget leaders abreast of all minimum wage requirements.
Again, while these are the minimum rates, positions are reviewed so the minimum for a position can certainly be above these legal requirements.
Pay bands provide a broad range to encompass all positions within a job classification. Most positions do not span the whole range; therefore, supervisors should work with the HR Compensation Team to identify the appropriate compensation range.