Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 53.85
Liaison Ruairi O'Mahony
Submission Date May 1, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Massachusetts Lowell
PA-9: Employee Compensation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.74 / 3.00 Kimberley Casey
Director of Compensation & Benefits
Human Resources and Equal Opportunity and Outreach
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Number of employees:
2,755
+ Date Revised: July 20, 2015

Number of staff and faculty covered by sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies; and/or collective bargaining agreements:
2,417
+ Date Revised: July 20, 2015

Does the institution have employees of contractors working on-site as part of regular and ongoing campus operations?:
Yes

Number of employees of contractors working on campus:
198
+ Date Revised: July 20, 2015

Number of employees of contractors covered by sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies and/or collective bargaining agreements:
17
+ Date Revised: July 20, 2015

A brief description of the sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies; and/or collective bargaining agreements covering staff, faculty and/or employees of contractors:

Approximately 2,185 employees are members of labor unions including:
• The Massachusetts Society of Professors - All Faculty/Librarians
• International Teamsters Union Local 25 - All University Police
• SEIU Local 888 - All Professional Administrative Unit
• MTA Classified/Technical - All Classified and Technical Staff
• MTA Maintenance & Trades - All Maintenance and Trades Staff
• MTA - Projects/Grants - All personell under Grants & Contracts
• Local 1596 UAW - Teaching Assistants & Research Assistants (This covers all graduate employees)
• Union of Adjunct Faculty, Local 1596, UAW - All Adjunct Faculty
http://www.uml.edu/HR/Labor-Relations/default.aspx

Approximately 570 employees are non-unit and covered by a Staff Compensation Policy.

We did not include undergraduate employees.

+ Date Revised: July 20, 2015

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (assessing employee compensation)?:
Yes

Number of staff and faculty that receive sustainable compensation:
2,755
+ Date Revised: July 20, 2015

Number of employees of contractors that receive sustainable compensation:
198
+ Date Revised: July 20, 2015

A brief description of the standard(s) against which compensation was assessed:

In 2012, UMass Lowell completed an extensive compensation and classification project. This included advisory committee meetings with volunteers from all of the unions and some non-unit employees. Job descriptions were developed as well as grades/ranges for all the professional positions. Positions in all the unions and non-units were benchmarked to the market and continue to be reviewed on an on-going basis.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid regular, full-time employees:

Benefited employees (both full-time and part-time) receive benefits available through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Group Insurance Commission for their health, life and disability insurance. Retirement benefits are available through the State Employees Retirement System. There is also a choice of another retirement plan known as the Optional Retirement Program for all benefited employees (with the exception of those in the 3 classified unions –Teamsters, Maintenance & Trades and Clerical, as well as the Post Doctoral Research Associates).

In addition, benefited employees are eligible for paid time off benefits such as holidays, sick, vacation and personal days (with the exception of most faculty who are eligible only for sick time but do not work summers). Dental benefits are available through the union or by a non-union welfare trust. As for wages, UMass Lowell complies with the minimum wage in Massachusetts which is currently $9/hour although the lowest paid worker in this category is our Maintainer (housekeeper) making $14.20/hour who is given the opportunity to move up to another grade after 6 months.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid regular, part-time employees:

Benefited employees (both full-time and part-time) receive benefits available through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Group Insurance Commission for their health, life and disability insurance. Retirement benefits are available through the State Employees Retirement System. There is also a choice of another retirement plan known as the Optional Retirement Program for all benefited employees (with the exception of those in the 3 classified unions –Teamsters, Maintenance & Trades and Clerical, as well as the Post Doctoral Research Associates).

In addition, benefited employees are eligible for paid time off benefits such as holidays, sick, vacation and personal days (with the exception of most faculty who are eligible only for sick time but do not work summers). Dental benefits are available through the union or by a non-union welfare trust. As for wages, UMass Lowell complies with the minimum wage in Massachusetts which is currently $9/hour although the lowest paid worker in this category is our Maintainer (housekeeper) making $14.20/hour who is given the opportunity to move up to another grade after 6 months.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid temporary (non-regular) staff:

Temporary staff contribute 7.5% to an alternate retirement plan (OBRA) (which is a 457(b) plan) since Massachusetts state employees do not contribute to Social Security. They may also participate in a voluntary 403(b) plan and contribution additional funds to the 457(b) plan. UMass Lowell complies with Massachusetts minimum wage law.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid temporary (non-regular, adjunct or contingent) faculty:

Temporary faculty receive all the benefits of temporary non-regular staff. In addition, adjunct faculty may enroll in UMass Lowell's tuition reimbursement program for one class per calendar year at the UMass Lowell campus only. Their union contract also addresses possible leave provisions and one paid sick day.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid student employees (graduate and/or undergraduate, as applicable):

During the academic year, students who are enrolled for six credits and working on campus are exempt from the OBRA retirement contributions (as well as the FICA/Medicare deductions). During the summer, these deductions are withheld except for those students who meet specific summer enrollment criteria. UMass Lowell complies with Massachusetts minimum wage law and the minimum for work study students is $10/hour. Separate provisions for the TA/RA/GA union are addressed in their contract.


The local legal minimum hourly wage for regular employees:
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Does the institution have an on-site child care facility, partner with a local facility, and/or provide subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of faculty and staff?:
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Does the institution offer a socially responsible investment option for retirement plans?:
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The website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable compensation policies and practices is available:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.