Am I owed back pay?

[Freedom2016]

I am an adjunct lecturer at a private university in Massachusetts. Been teaching there for 8 years.

This year I was offered benefits for the first time, because I was at "half-time effort" which upon inquiry I learned means teaching at least 3 courses per academic year. One of the benefits offered for employees who are eligible for benefits is a 10% salary contribution to my 401(a) account. 10% is more than 5K! Awesome!

Thing is, I have been teaching 3+ courses per year for FOUR YEARS. Which I think means I have been eligible for benefits for four years, not just this year... which makes me wonder if the university owes me 3 years of 10% 401(a) contributions... or around 15K??

I casually asked the program manager why I got benefits this year and not last year and she said it was probably a mistake.

Do I have a case here to ask the university to pay me the back pay? Or does the fact that I signed my reappointment letters without contesting the "you are not eligible for benefits" clause mean I'm screwed? I didn't *know* I was eligible for benefits...!

[Cranky]

You can always ask. Maybe they changed the definition of half time along the way.

[cool7hand]

You might want to ask a local employment lawyer what notice an employer must provide of benefits to the eligible. Or, find a notice requirement in the organization's own policies. Absent some notice requirement, I suspect your employer will argue that you failed to apply for the benefits.

[Runrooster]

Since these are retirement contributions, I imagine they have to be done during the calendar year and reported to the IRS promptly. I don’t think they could triple your contribution this year without causing a huge problem with fairness. It seems like something they have until 4/15 of the following year to settle up.