Class-Action Settlement Reached to Resolve Compensation Allegations

The parties have reached a settlement and have submitted the Settlement Agreement to the Court for approval.

No. Many factors determine whether parties in any given lawsuit can reach a mutually agreeable solution. The University is pleased it was able to work with the faculty lodging the complaint to find such a solution. This settlement is not an admission of any liability or wrongdoing on the part of Syracuse University.

Yes. Syracuse University compensates its faculty based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, records in teaching, research, and service, academic discipline and years of service.

Provided that the Court approves the settlement, it covers all persons who: (i) have identified as female in Syracuse’s business records; (ii) hold or have held a position identified with a job code description of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Assistant Teaching Professor, Associate Teaching Professor, Teaching Professor, Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor, Research Professor, Assistant Professor of Practice, Associate Professor of Practice, Professor of Practice, Department Chair/Associate Professor, Department Chairperson/Professor, Interim Department Chair/Associate Professor, Department Chair/Distinguished Professor, Director/Professor, Director/Associate Professor, Director/Assistant Professor, Distinguished Professor, University Professor, or Trustee Professor with the rank of Assistant, Associate, or full Professor (regardless of whether they are tenured, on tenure-track, or non-tenure track); and (iii) have been employed by Syracuse as full-time faculty in one of the positions identified by the job code descriptions identified in 1.4(ii) above at Syracuse University for a minimum of one academic year during the Settlement Class Period.  Provided, however, that if a person who otherwise qualifies as a “Class Member” held the positions of provost, associate provost, dean, senior associate dean, associate dean, senior vice president, vice president, associate vice president, senior associate vice president, assistant provost, or assistant dean, or was a professor with a temporary assignment (including, without limitation, visiting professors) at any time during the Applicable Class Period, that person is excluded for the time they spent in that position during the Settlement Class Period.

For Assistant Professors, a portion of the overall settlement amount will be allocated based on the number of years in the class period (January 8, 2014 to the date the complaint is filed).

For Associate Professors and Professors, the allocation model will regress salary on indicators for rank, year, contract length, tenure, and school. For allocation, each Associate Professor and Professor’s total predicted pay over the class period will be calculated as a share of total predicted pay, which will be multiplied by the settlement amount to arrive at individual settlement amounts.

If the Court approves the settlement, a third-party settlement administrator will distribute the settlement payments.

Eligible faculty will receive approximately 2/3 of the overall settlement amount of $3,713,000, less certain payments to the settlement administrator. The law firm representing the five named faculty who filed the complaint and the class will receive the remaining 1/3.

No. This settlement applies only to full-time faculty.

Yes. Any member of the campus community who believes they are unfairly compensated based on their gender or some other protected basis should contact the University’s Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services at EqualOpp@syr.edu.

The University implemented structural budget increases of nearly $2 million, eliminating incidences of statistical significance in pay disparities.

The University is committed to ensuring salary equity through ongoing analysis, new tools and appropriate shared governance. The University works in partnership with an ad hoc committee of the University Senate to monitor gender based pay equity, and is working with staff across campus to bring online a Faculty Information System which can help ensure equity in pay, and remains committed to this approach into the future.

No, this settlement only applies to faculty.

If you are a class member, you will receive a Notice that contains additional information after the court preliminarily approves the settlement.