‘Ray for Fair Pay! CPI +5% for all Employees!
We love Bucknell!
So much in fact that we want to make it the best Bucknell it can be! Help us help Bucknell to do right by its employees!
The Problem
Over the past 5 years, Bucknell faculty and staff have seen their real wages decline by almost 8% because raises were below the rate of inflation.
The standard measure for inflation is CPI-U, or Consumer price Index for all Urban Consumers, which measures U.S. consumer prices based on a representative basket of goods and services. While the data below pertains to faculty salaries, University policy is that the faculty and staff salary pool increases are the same.
Faculty Salaries Compared to Inflation
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Inflation (CPI-U) (12 months to June of Year) | 1.65% | 0.65% | 5.39% | 9.06% | 2.97% | 2.97% |
| Faculty Pool Increase | 2.50% | 0.00% | 1.75% | 3.50% | 5.25% | N/A |
| Faculty Across-the-Board Increase* | 2.00% | 0.00% | 1.25% | 3.00% | 4.75% | 3.90% |
| Real Wage Increase (one-year, across-the-board) | 0.35% | -0.65% | -4.14% | -6.06% | 1.78% | 0.93% |
Endowment Growth
Over the same period, the University’s endowment has grown by an average of 9% per year from a total market value of $ 800 million to $1.1 billion.
Source: Bucknell Endowment Report Fall 2023 (Audited).
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Source: Bucknell Endowment Report Spring 2024 (Unaudited)
The Excuses
They’ll cite the lower cost of living in Central Pennsylvania. They’ll tell us to look at our peer institutions (seemingly always shifting to get the “right” numbers) who have also managed to hold down faculty and staff salaries. They might even cite the $5,000 pandemic bonus those of us who worked through the pandemic received.
But the fact remains that as the university’s wealth has been growing, the administration has been shirking workers in the long run with impacts on our families and communities across the region.
When we ask for CPI+5% for all employees we are just asking for fair compensation to begin repairing the harm done by the university’s administration. We’re asking the administration to do right by us workers and help us make a better Bucknell.
The Solution
Since the university has shown itself unwilling to compensate workers fairly, each of us has two options for increasing our pay:
- uproot your life and your family and find another better paying job somewhere else
- join with other workers to exercise your legally protected rights to advocate for fair compensation.
AAUP Bucknell is the only organization on campus advocating for higher wages for all workers.
What can you do?
- Sign up for AAUP Bucknell (no dues) to join our listserv.
- Sign the petition asking Bucknell administration to raise our wages CPI+5%. AAUP Bucknell will deliver our petition to the administration once we have 50% of faculty and staff support (approx. 650 signatures).
- Talk to your co-workers about your wages and compensation, about AAUP Bucknell, and the ‘Ray for Fair Pay campaign.
- Add the ‘Ray for Fair Pay badge to your email signature to demonstrate your solidarity with your co-workers. (right-click to download below)
