Workers’ compensation judges have no vested rights in pay increases, the Commonwealth Court has ruled, finding Pennsylvania’s WCJs had no recourse to collect on a rescinded raise.
As management-level employees, the judges were not subject to collective bargaining agreements entered into by other state employees. But the judges would typically receive a “pass on” increase in which they received the same salary increase that was negotiated for in a collective bargaining agreement involving non-management-level employees.
