R-17, Memorandum of Understanding on the Procedures for Special Salary Adjustments and Bonus Payments
Special Salary Adjustments
The parties recognize that a rational salary system includes many elements, particularly where the appointment of academic professionals draws applicants from local, national, and international employment pools. The parties have agreed to the following principles when making special salary adjustments:
A. The salaries paid at the University of Hawai‘i should be competitive with those paid at peer institutions.
B. Members of the faculty need, and accept, the opportunity to be recognized for outstanding achievement in the profession. Special salary adjustments can provide a system that recognizes meritorious performance in teaching, research, and/or service.
C. The existence of salary differentials among faculty in a given discipline must be clearly attributable to academic credentials, rank, experience, years of service, and/or the individual’s academic and service accomplishments. Inequitable differentials caused by other factors should be eliminated.
D. Although there is no one field of study or academic discipline intrinsically more valuable than another, there is a need to address differentials in salaries required to retain faculty in specific fields or disciplines
E. Salary determination and placement must be free from biases, in accordance with Article II, Non- Discrimination.
Internal reallocation of budgeted resources to fund special salary adjustments shall not undermine the ability of the Departments or Divisions to carry out their educational missions.
Special salary adjustments will be made during the term of this Agreement only to prevent the erosion of the academic program or mission of the University. Even when otherwise justified, special salary adjustments to individuals will not be made when the cumulative impact of funding such adjustments, on students, faculty workload, and departmental/division resources, is deleterious to the University.
Bonus Payments
The parties further recognize that certain faculty achievements deserve to be recognized and rewarded through one-time bonus payments. Bonus payments are a means of recognizing outstanding achievement in the areas of teaching, research, and/or service. As with special salary adjustments, bonus payments shall be subject to the availability of funds and will not be made if there will be a resulting deleterious effect to the University. Requests and nominations for bonus payments shall be made in accordance with the procedures below.
Procedures
A. Faculty may apply for a special salary adjustment or bonus payment by submitting a completed Special Salary Adjustment or Bonus Payment request form with supporting attachments to the appropriate Dean or Director. Faculty may also be nominated for special salary adjustments and bonus payments.
B. All requests and nominations shall be brought before the Faculty Member’s department/division. All bargaining unit members in the department/division shall be given the opportunity to review the request and support or not support the request. The department/division position and comments shall be provided to the Dean or Director.
C. After consultation with the department, the Dean or Director shall review the request and submit a recommendation to the appropriate Chancellor. The recommendation shall include a proposed method of funding the request and a general statement concerning the impact the funding of the request will have upon the programs, faculty workload, and department/division resources.
D. The Chancellor shall review the request and submit a recommendation to the President. All requests shall be forwarded to the President, including those not supported for lack of funding or based on the evaluative review.
E. The President shall approve or deny all requests and nominations after consultation with the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly. The President will secure the written concurrence of the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly on the request form before any adjustment or bonus is awarded. A copy of the completed request form will be transmitted by the President’s office to the Dean or Director and the Faculty Member.
