Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.21
Liaison Dave Barbier
Submission Date June 3, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
PA-9: Employee Compensation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Shelly Janowski
Sustainability Coordinator
Facility Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Number of employees:
1,274

Number of staff and faculty covered by sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies; and/or collective bargaining agreements:
1,274

Does the institution have employees of contractors working on-site as part of regular and ongoing campus operations?:
No

Number of employees of contractors working on campus:
---

Number of employees of contractors covered by sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies and/or collective bargaining agreements:
---

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

The Office of State Employment Relations (OSER) is charged with developing all compensation provisions for State of WI and UW System classified employees.
http://oser.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=7653

The University of WI System has guidelines, laws, rules, policies and practices pertaining to salary setting and adjustments for limited term, appointees, faculty and academic staff.
http://www.uwsa.edu/ohrwd/policies/upg4.pdf

The Division of Compensation and Labor Relations (DCLR) of the Wisconsin State Office of Employment Relations maintains a labor market survey research program that investigates external market comparable data.


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

Number of staff and faculty that receive sustainable compensation:
1,274

Number of employees of contractors that receive sustainable compensation:
0

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

The UW-Stevens Point "Living Wage" Task Force used the Poverty In America Living Wage Calculator for Portage County WI. The Living Wage for one adult is $8.81. The Task Force estimated the Living Wage necessary for UWSP employees to be within the range of $9.36 to $10.95 depending on the assumptions used in the calculations. Using the single adult reference point it is safe to conclude that UWSP does pay a living wage in Central Wisconsin since the lowest starting wage by the Office of State Employee Relations is $11.40


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

The Office of State Employment Relations (OSER) sets the starting wage for job titles in all state agencies and UW institutions. Beginning July 1, 2013 the lowest starting wage within the system is $11.397 which is greater than all of the estimates for a single adult.
The University contributes towards the cost of health and dental insurance. The Wisconsin Retirement System provides retirement (pension) benefits to UW employees. Upon retirement, layoff or termination with 20+ years of service, employees are eligible to convert unused sick leave hours into a dollar amount to pay State Group Health Insurance premiums. Classified permanent and project employees are eligible to earn paid leave time.
The majority of UW-Stevens Point faculty members are paid less than the national average. UW-Stevens Point has begun addressing the shortfall in faculty salaries using revenue garnered from improving efficiencies, increasing student retention and, where necessary, reducing or eliminating existing programming.


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

The Office of State Employment Relations (OSER) sets the starting wage for job titles in all state agencies and UW institutions. Beginning July 1, 2013 the lowest starting wage within the system is $11.397 which is greater than all of the estimates for a single adult.
The University contributes towards the cost of health and dental insurance. The Wisconsin Retirement System provides retirement (pension) benefits to UW employees.
Employees working below 50% time pay 50% of the entire premium for their health plan.
Classified permanent and project employees are eligible to earn paid leave time prorated based on appointment percentage.


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

Hourly pay rates for Limited Term Employees (LTEs) normally range from $8.00 to $12.00 per hour depending on the responsibilities of the job.
The University contributes towards the cost of health and dental insurance; LTEs with one appointment must pay 50% of the entire premium for their health plan. LTE's are not eligible to earn paid leave.


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

Group health insurance is offered to short-term Academic Staff (includes Visiting Faculty) if they are expected to work at least 21% for at least six months (12-month employees) or 28% for at least one semester (9-month employees). Temporary faculty are eligible for paid leave.

You are eligible for paid leave if you are enrolled in the Wisconsin Retirement System or are expected to work at least 21% in an annual appointment or 28% in an academic year appointment for at least one year. If you are less than 100% time, your leave hours will be pro-rated based on your appointment percentage. Paid leave is allocated on a fiscal year basis - the fiscal year runs from July 1 - June 30. Academic year employees are not eligible for Vacation and Personal Holiday.


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

Campus (Federal) minimum wage for student employees is $7.25/hour. Many student employment classifications pay higher. Federal Work Study is available for students with demonstrated financial need. For the most part, on-campus positions may use eligible Work Study students. Additionally, off-campus, non-profit agencies may submit a request for Work Study students to work at their place of employment. Compensation for Grad student employees could take the form of wages, or a combination of wages and other considerations such as tuition assistance.

Student Assistants and Employees-in-Training are eligible for group health insurance if they work at least 33% time for at least six months (12-month employees) or one semester (9-month employees).


The local legal minimum hourly wage for regular employees:
7.25 US/Canadian $

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?:
Yes

Does the institution offer a socially responsible investment option for retirement plans?:
No

The website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable compensation policies and practices is available:
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.