UW-Madison employees could get an across-the-board four percent pay increase, including those making less than $15 an hour.
If approved, 70 percent of the cost will be covered by the state budget while the remaining amount would come from the hike in tuition for out-of-state students, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
UW-Madison professor Chad Goldberg, president of United Faculty and Academic Staff, said the measure is “overdue and very welcome,” particularly for those earning less than $15 an hour.
According to university spokesperson Greg Bump, faculty and staff would be eligible unless any of the following apply:
1. Employees who have documented unsatisfactory performance
2. Employees hired after Jan. 8, 2018 (Would not receive either phase of the plan)
3. Those in temporary positions with a rate established for the duration (Ex: interim director)
4. Employees who haven’t finished required sexual harassment prevention training
5. Supervisors who not current on their employee performance evaluations
Last summer, the state’s Joint Finance Committee approved the four percent pay increase for all state employees. That vote came after UW-Madison struggled to retain faculty due to a loss of tenure rights from state statute and a $250 million cut to the UW System in the last budget. UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank acknowledged these issues in her statement on the JFC vote.“Providing this increase will help us attract and retain the best and brightest instructors, researchers and staff,” Blank said.
An annual retention report from fall 2016 showed that more faculty were being recruited than in 2015, a rise of about 40 percent. Bump said that compared to other Big Ten schools, the university still trails behind in salaries for faculty, but the increase would close the gap.
The next step for the pay increase to take effect is for the Joint Committee on Employment Relations to give its approval. While Goldberg said he hopes that this will happen, he added that the raises shouldn’t come at the cost of employee benefit changes like increased health insurance premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
“These raises don’t make up for the legislature’s elimination of collective bargaining rights and the weakening of tenure and shared governance,” Goldberg said. “The most effective way to foster loyalty to the University of Wisconsin is to give employees a voice in their workplace and a share in the institution’s power.”
