Letter from Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Andrew Gordon

Dear Colleagues,

On Nov. 22, a federal judge in Texas issued a nationwide temporary restraining order prohibiting the implementation of the U.S. Department of Labor’s new Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations. The regulations were scheduled to go into effect on Dec. 1.

The University has been working to comply with the new regulations since they were announced in May and ensure that standards are applied consistently and equitably to all employees in a fair and responsible manner. We announced that, effective Dec. 1, we would (1) provide pay increases to some exempt employees who qualify under the new regulations; and (2) provide some employees who qualify with overtime pay in addition to their current salaries and benefits.

Although some other universities have halted implementation of the new regulations in light of last week’s court ruling, Chancellor Kent Syverud and the leadership team at Syracuse University have decided to proceed with the plan as previously announced. We believe this approach is the right thing to do for our employees who are critical to carrying out the mission of the University.

Employees impacted by these changes have already been notified. Those who have immediate questions about these changes are encouraged to contact the Office of Human Resources at 315.443.4042 or via email at hrservic@syr.edu. To learn more about the FLSA, please visit the Office of Human Resources website.

Sincerely,

Andrew Gordon
Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer