Executive Compensation Reminders

Executive compensation arrangements provide a company with a highly flexible benefit to further attract and retain top talent.  Issues in design and administration of these plans include timing of taxation and whether the plans may be subject to ERISA filing requirements.  Below are a few reminders which may help lead to more predictability in operation of a deferred compensation arrangement and reporting requirements.  READ MORE

US employers plan more modest compensation increases in 2024

Today, Mercer, a global leader in redefining the world of work, reshaping retirement and investment outcomes, and unlocking real health and well-being, and a business of Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC), released the results of its August 2023 Mercer QuickPulse™ US Compensation Planning Survey. According to the survey, employers in the US plan to raise their compensation budgets by 3.5% for merit increases for 2024 and 3.9% for their total salary increase budgets for non-unionized employees. This compares to actual merit increases of 3.8% and 4.1% for total salary increase budgets for non-unionized employees in 2023.i

“While preliminary compensation budgets for 2024 are showing a slight decline, they remain well above pre-pandemic levels, reflecting the ongoing tightness of the labor market and low levels of unemployment. However, if the labor market continues to stabilize and inflation cools further as we move towards the end of the year, compensation pressures are likely to continue to decline. This could prompt further reductions in 2024 compensation increase budgets, as employers adjust their strategies to reflect the changing economic landscape,” said Lauren Mason, Senior Principal, Career, Mercer. READ MORE

Indeed says half of its US job postings now feature pay transparency

Half of U.S. job postings listed on Indeed in August included at least some employer-provided salary information, which is the highest percentage recorded on the site so far, according to a Sept. 14 report from Indeed’s Hiring Lab.

In New York, 61% of August job postings featured some type of pay transparency, nearly double the 31% from the year before. The percentage is expected to increase since new salary disclosure rules took effect on Sept. 17. READ MORE

As UAW, Detroit 3 fight over wages, here's a look at autoworker pay, CEO compensation

Wages have been a big point of contention in ongoing UAW talks, with the union initially seeking a 40% pay increase and the automakers offering about half that percentage over the life of the next contract in their most recent proposals.

The union has said the wage request is tied to the percentage increase in CEO compensation over the last four years. The union has also pointed to the big increase in inflation, saying autoworker wages haven’t come close to keeping pace. READ MORE

Smart Employees Use Their Vacation Time: Third Circuit Holds PTO Is Not Part Of Exempt Employees’ Salaries Under the FLSA

In a boon for employers with exempt employees, the Third Circuit held earlier this year as an issue of first impression that paid time off (PTO) is not part of an exempt employee’s salary under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Thus, although PTO arguably has a monetary value, employers will not be liable under the FLSA for deducting from a salaried employee’s PTO time. READ MORE

6 In 10 US Workers Are Jealous Of UPS Employees' 6-Figure Salary Increase

Unionized delivery workers came to an agreement with UPS that resulted in raising annual pay for drivers’ that sits at around $170,000 within five years. Other workers across various industries have strong thoughts about this.

According to a new report from routing software company Circuit shows that nearly 6 in 10 Americans (57%) are envious of the UPS salary increase, with those in education (72%), manufacturing/engineering (67%), and professional services (61%) being the most envious. READ MORE

UAW justifies wage demands by pointing to CEO pay raises. So how high were they?

It’s been a central argument for the United Auto Workers union: If Detroit’s three automakers raised CEO pay by 40% over the past four years, workers should get similar raises.

UAW President Shawn Fain has repeatedly cited the figure, contrasting it with the 6% pay raises autoworkers have received since their last contract in 2019. He opened negotiations with a demand for a similar 40% wage increase over four years, along with the return of pensions and cost of living increases. The UAW has since lowered its demand to a 36% wage increase but the two sides remain far apart in contract talks, triggering a strike. READ MORE

Deadline Coming for Clawback Provisions in Executive Pay Policies

Public companies have until Dec. 1 to update or add new clawback provisions to their executive pay policies in order to comply with regulations the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) finalized last year.

Clawback provisions are an increasingly common feature of executive compensation packages, according to Anne Tyler Hall, an attorney with Hall Benefits Law in Atlanta. Their purpose is to enable companies to recover incentive pay if an executive's decisions turn out to be ethically and legally questionable, thus imposing financial and reputational liabilities on the company. READ MORE

Proposed DOL Overtime Threshold Increase Could Stretch Some Industries

Businesses are concerned that the federally proposed $20,000 increase in salaried workers' eligibility for overtime is a large-enough jump that they will struggle to comply. 

The increase would mean that most salaried employees making less than $55,068 would be eligible for overtime. The current threshold, $35,568, was put into place in 2020, an increase from the previous threshold of $23,660, which had been in place since 2004.  READ MORE

Salaries falling for senior high-tech roles

There has been a steady decrease in salaries for senior employee or B-level roles in tech as well as an increased job search duration in the last year, according to data shared with CTech by Israeli recruitment firm Ethosia. This is consistent with earlier data reported regarding junior roles, although the drop in salary and increased job search time is not as extreme.

According to the data, collected from August 2022 to August 2023, the salary for senior roles (positions that require at least eight years of experience) has decreased almost across the board. Although it has slightly decreased, devops engineers report the highest salary at 32,000-35,000 NIS ($8,366-9,150). READ MORE

New York employers must include pay rates in job ads under new state law

Help-wanted advertisements in New York will have to disclose proposed pay rates after a statewide salary transparency law goes into effect on Sunday, part of growing state and city efforts to give women and people of color a tool to advocate for equal pay for equal work.

Employers with at least four workers will be required to disclose salary ranges for any job advertised externally to the public or internally to workers interested in a promotion or transfer. READ MORE

How leaders can address the CEO-to-worker pay gap

The CEO-to-worker pay gap is growing—and gaining attention. Fortunately, there are steps leaders can take to address inequality. 

For instance, Taylor Swift’s move to give generous bonuses to her team as her massive Eras Tour came to a close has made headlines. Swift reportedly gave every one of her employees, including truck drivers, catering staff, sound technicians, riggers, dancers, and more, bonuses totaling over $55 million. Her tour is predicted to gross $2.2 billion in ticket sales in North America, and poised to become the highest grossing tour of all time. According to the Wall Street Journal, Swift herself is believed to make between $6 million to $13 million per show.  READ MORE

UAW justifies wage demands by pointing to CEO pay raises. So how high were they?

It’s been a central argument for the United Auto Workers union: If Detroit's three automakers raised CEO pay by 40% over the past four years, workers should get similar raises.

UAW President Shawn Fain has repeatedly cited the figure, contrasting it with the 6% pay raises autoworkers have received since their last contract in 2019. He opened negotiations with a demand for a similar 40% wage increase over four years, along with the return of pensions and cost of living increases. The UAW has since lowered its demand to a 36% wage increase but the two sides remain far apart in contract talks, triggering a strike. READ MORE

Growth in Total Compensation Cost Slows for Employers

Employers spent more on employees' overall compensation from March to June this year, according to figures released today, but the pace at which they are hiking total compensation is slowing.

According to the latest Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report, released September 12 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employers spent just 0.59 percent more on wages and benefits in June 2023 compared to March 2023. READ MORE

Striking autoworkers want to end a system that pays different wages for the same job

Striking autoworkers want to be paid more. They also want to be paid more equally.

One of the top goals of the United Auto Workers, which began striking at three plants early Friday, is to eliminate “tiered” compensation at the Big Three U.S. carmakers — General Motors, Ford and Chrysler-maker Stellantis. The union says the arrangements leave many employees with steeper climbs up the wage-and-benefits ladder than some of their colleagues. READ MORE

A GM worker with median pay would have to work 362 years to make the CEO’s annual compensation

It’s been a central argument for the United Auto Workers union: If Detroit’s three automakers raised CEO pay by 40% over the past four years, workers should get similar raises.

UAW President Shawn Fain has repeatedly cited the figure, contrasting it with the 6% pay raises autoworkers have received since their last contract in 2019. He opened negotiations with a demand for a similar 40% wage increase over four years, along with the return of pensions and cost of living increases. The UAW has since lowered its demand to a 36% wage increase but the two sides remain far apart in contract talks, triggering a strike. READ MORE