Executive order aligns the government’s non-union GS pay plan with Act No. 8995, which raised the minimum salary for full-time government employees from $27,040 to $35,000
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — Governor Albert Bryan Jr. has signed Executive Order No. 545-2026, implementing a new General Schedule pay plan for non-union classified employees in the Executive Branch of the Government of the Virgin Islands.
The executive order is necessary to bring the government’s non-union classified pay structure into compliance with Act No. 8995, which increased the minimum annual salary for full-time employees of the Government of the Virgin Islands, its semi-autonomous agencies, and independent instrumentalities from $27,040 to $35,000.
Governor Bryan said the executive order reflects his administration’s responsibility to follow the law while implementing the mandate in a structured and fiscally responsible way.
“I have been clear from the beginning that Virgin Islands workers deserve better pay,” Governor Bryan said. “I have also been clear that we cannot govern by hope alone. A pay increase of this magnitude must be implemented with a plan, with accurate data, and with the discipline to make sure we do not weaken the very government services our people depend on. This executive order puts that structure in place for non-union classified employees and ensures that the law is carried out in an orderly and responsible manner.”
Under Executive Order No. 545-2026, all non-union classified employees covered by the order will be placed into the updated GS pay plan beginning October 1, 2026, for Fiscal Year 2027. Employees will not be placed below their current salary and will receive a one-step increase within their assigned pay grade.
The executive order also provides for additional one-step increases in Fiscal Years 2029, 2031, 2033, 2035, and 2037, subject to the structure of the new GS pay plan. Once an employee reaches the final step in a grade, no additional step increase will be granted under that grade.
The Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Proposal submitted to the Legislature includes funding for the initial placement of employees into the new GS pay plan and the first one-step increase. The Office of Management and Budget will include the scheduled future step increases in the appropriate fiscal year budgets.
Governor Bryan said the action is part of the administration’s broader effort to balance fair compensation with the long-term financial stability of the Government of the Virgin Islands.
“Fair pay and fiscal responsibility are not competing goals,” Governor Bryan said. “The right way to support workers is to make sure compensation reform is sustainable, properly funded, and does not create new obligations the government cannot meet. We have spent years restoring financial discipline, paying down old obligations, issuing tax refunds, addressing retroactive wages, and rebuilding public trust. We are not going back to a time when government made promises without a plan to pay for them.”
The executive order applies only to non-union classified employees in the Executive Branch. It does not authorize pay increases for employees represented by a labor organization or employees in the exempt service of the Government of the Virgin Islands.
Executive Order No. 545-2026 takes effect October 1, 2026, and remains in effect unless amended or repealed by a subsequent executive order.
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