Elizabeth Vierkant –
The Board of Regents recently voted to increase the annual pay of University of Wisconsin System faculty and staff by three percent. The voting took place on Dec. 6. The new pay policy was passed unanimously.
According to Chancellor Bob’s Blog, for the past six years, payment increases have been less than one percent annually on average. There have been no pay increases in the past five out of eight years.
Other universities around the nation have experienced pay raises. In the 2017-18 school year, there was a three percent pay increase nationwide.
This new policy will take effect on July 1, 2019. Another three percent increase will occur on July 1, 2020. The increase will remain in place through 2021.
In the past, the state has covered 70 percent of UW System pay increases. The rest are normally paid for with tuition. Every campus also used to pay for 30 percent of any raised salary plan.
The current UW System tuition freeze will remain the same throughout the years of 2019-2020. This means that a restricted amount of money is available to pay for the increase.
Unlike in the past, this new pay plan increase will include full coverage from the state.
According to the UW System, these changes were made to reward the hard work of faculty and staff. Currently, they employ over 39,000 people statewide.