> The PI wrote the grant and budgeted for post docs. Meaning that they set the salary for the postdoc in advance at the time that they wrote the grant (most gra

> The PI wrote the grant and budgeted for post docs. Meaning that they set the salary for the postdoc in advance at the time that they wrote the grant (most grant applications I was part of required approval from the University's finance office before submission). They can increase the postdoc salary if they want. This is often not true and the article addresses it: A PI needs the university's approval to increase salary, regardless of how much their funding is. It's usually set by the department. If a postdoc wanted more, they needed to apply for independent funding (e.g. a fellowship). These would have their own stipends defined, and the university could not take it away. Often, they're not even tied to a PI or even the university - if the postdoc decides to change institutions in the middle, he takes the money with him to the new institution.