HR Announces Salary, Retirement Plan, Insurance Changes for Employees

The U of A announced several changes related to employee salaries, insurance and retirement plans that will become effective July 1 for fiscal year 2022.

FACULTY AND NON-CLASSIFIED STAFF SALARY INCREASES

Units will receive a 1.5 percent salary pool to fund raises for eligible employees based on merit and performance. Senior administrators hired or promoted between Jan. 1 and June 30 this year are not eligible for a raise now unless previously approved by the chancellor. 

CLASSIFIED STAFF SALARY INCREASES

Salary increases will be added to base pay of current classified staff. Classified employees will receive a 1.5 percent Cost of Living Adjustment. 

Some classified staff will receive an additional increase to the entry pay level of their assigned grade in the U of A Classified Pay Grid. Please see a summary of Entry Salaries for Classified Staff. The U of A Classified Pay Grid was developed to assist in providing more competitive salaries within approved labor market rates and to begin addressing compression within classified positions.

Some employees in skilled trades, public safety and information technology positions will receive an additional increase to new entry salaries established for those positions at U of A. Details will be shared through direct email communication to the employees.

Merit payments are not planned at this time.

INSURANCE CHANGES 

Generally, health plan premiums will increase for the Classic, Health Savings and Premier Plan options, with the Premier Plan receiving a greater increase than the other two plans. Individual increases are determined based on elected coverage and salary tiers.  

The U of A System Benefits website provides details about why the increases are necessary. A PDF summary is available of monthly insurance premiums going into effect as of July 1.

Current Premier Plan subscribers may elect a change in enrollment to the Classic plan or drop enrollments due to the premium increase for the plan. Current subscribers in the Classic and Health Savings Plans have no enrollment change options associated with the premium increase.  

There are no increases to co-payments, deductibles or plan design, and no changes to Dental, Life and Disability Insurance premiums or coverages.  

Additional information is being sent to subscribers. 

RETIREMENT PLAN CHANGES

The required employee contribution to the U of A Retirement Plan will increase from 4 percent to 5 percent, and the required contribution must be tax deferred. Employees currently contributing less than 5 percent will have their contributions increased to 5 percent. 

Employees currently contributing 5 percent or more will not experience an increase in their overall contribution. However, 1 percent of their voluntary contribution will convert to a mandatory contribution.  

Additional information about retirement plan changes can be found on the U of A System Benefits website.

POLICY REMINDER

Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 732.0 (Workplace: Presence of Children, Other Family Member, or Friends) and Faculty Handbook 2.27 (Children, Other Family Members or Friends in the Workplace) details that employees should not have family members, including children or friends, as a regular presence in their workplace.  Exceptions should only be made for special circumstances for short periods of time and must be approved by the employee's supervisor.

If you have any questions regarding any of these updates, please contact: 

• Salary Increases: Carol Jones, cjones@uark.edu, 479-575-6211
• Insurance, Retirement Plan Changes: Katherine Moore, hrbenf@uark.edu or 479-575-3717
• Policy Reminder: Lisa Milam, lhmilam@uark.edu, 479-575-6207