ASUW passed nearly unanimously the Supplemental Request for a 2 to 3 percent teacher salary raise at Tuesday’s meeting.
While the decision for any salary raise lies in the hands of Gov. Matt Mead and the rest of the legislature, ASUW’s support publicly voices UW students’ opinions on the matter.
The discussion for the Supplemental Request with the administration and the Board of Trustees began last July. It has been about four years since UW faculty and staff have seen a significant raise. Because the state legislature typically does not consider budget requests during non-budget session years, this request is a special case.
“Last year we were hugely successful in helping the university secure funds for Half Acre. That was our primary objective for 2012,” Joel Defebaugh, ASUW President, said. “We act, I wouldn’t say quite as lobbyists, but when the students on campus voice their opinion legislatures like to listen to that. We think that this is important enough for students to help the state legislature see that it impacts students on campus.”
When raises are not given out, the university starts to slip in the marketplace percentile. UW is in the 80th percentile for faculty and staff salary, a relatively lower pay rate compared to higher education institutions across the nation. As a result, teachers could be encouraged to take higher paying job opportunities at other universities.
According to Defebaugh, the prospects of working at UW are a little uneasy right now because there are no guarantees when it comes to salary increases. If there was a guaranteed increase every few years, employment at UW could be more appealing to current and potential faculty.
An increase in salary would be merit based, meaning that the professors who have been at UW longest will receive the most immediate benefits. Still, a three percent raise for UW faculty will cost about $4 million.
In an effort to alleviate faculty and staff while compromising with Mead and the legislature, bonuses are also being looked into as a potential alternative to the raises.
