North Seattle College
PAE-11: Sustainable Compensation

North Seattle Community College pays all its employee’s at least living wage for an individual, as determined by the living wage calculator developed by Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier of The Pennsylvania State University. A living wage for a single person living in Seattle, Washington in 2013 is $9.64 and hour, or a yearly salary of $19.762. In reality, the lowest paid staff are being paid between $11 and $15 per hour. PT faculty at Seattle Colleges are among the high paid PT faculty in the state, along with the FT faculty, who make a minimum for $49k per year. The district is currently looking at its compensation policies and are preparing a number of suggested changes to be made available in October of 2013, changes that aim to better define sustainable and living wages as they pertain to our workers, however at this time, all workers make a living wage as noted above. Our contract workers are generally limited to construction workers, as most every other position is staffed by the school or district. The companies are chosen by law through a public bid process, ensuring that the decision is fair, economically feasible, and reflective of the needs of the project. This includes making sure the wages of the workers are compliant with A) the state minimum wage, and B) the state's policies for payment for contract workers working with a state entity.