Noting that it’s been more than three years since employees last saw a pay hike, the University of Wyoming board of trustees has approved a supplemental budget request to resolve that situation.
Trustees unanimously approved a request of more than five million dollars to allow U-W to provide merit-based pay hikes that would average around three-percent.
The University of Wyoming Trustees have approved a supplemental state budget request to ask for five million dollars for merit based pay increases for U-W faculty and staff. The request comes at a time when most state agencies are making budget reductions. U-W spokesman Chad Baldwin says the University is obviously participating in that, but they also believe this request is important.
“We are in a situation where it’s been 3 years without a pay raise for UW employees and we are starting to see the impacts of that. And that is the increase of the number of faculty members who have left for higher paying jobs elsewhere. And these are some of our top performing faculty members.”
Baldwin says U-W sees this as a modest request.
“This 3 percent raise would not get us back to market. It would close the gap some, but to get where we want to be it would need to be more than that. So this would be a start toward the ultimate goal to get us closer to the national market average.”
U-W is also asking for money to continue upgrading the College of Engineering. Baldwin says both the governor and the legislature were made aware of the request. It will be sent to the governor for his consideration.