University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
PA-9: Employee Compensation

DINING SERVICES CONTRACTOR Our wages are based upon a regional wage scale survey based on regional averages. Salaried positions are based upon pay-grade and adjusted for the marked in which they are based (e.g. in metropolitan areas with a higher cost of living, the same position may be paid slightly higher than in a rural area).

For institutions that elect to assess compensation against a poverty guideline, threshold or low-income cut-off, sustainable compensation is defined as wages equivalent to 120 percent of the poverty guideline for a family of four. An institution may offset up to 20 percent of the wage criteria with employer-paid benefits that address basic needs (e.g. healthcare and retirement contributions). In Walworth County for 2 adults, 2 children, the living wage rate is $19.18/hour. 120% of the Poverty Wage ($10.60) is $12.72, which is the minimum standard used to measure compensation on campus.

The lowest paid permanent employees make $11.51/hour, but are eligible for a benefits package that makes their total compensation exceed the calculated living wage for Walworth County of $12.72/hour. Employees needs to have at least a 54% FTE to be eligible for WRS and benefits unless they were employed prior to ACT 10. Using the Total Compensation Estimator: $11.51 * 2080 hours/year = $23,940.80, the total compensation is $35,234.92. When I divide $35234.92/2080 = $16.94/hour This would mean that no permanent employees are under the $12.72 except for those that are temporary employees such as LTEs or students. Therefore, all permanent employees at the university receive a living wage. https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/totalcomp/ DINING SERVICES CONTRACTOR Our full time union associates are members of the Chicago Midwest Regional Joint Board (CMRJB) Local 122. Wages for union members are agreed upon in the labor agreement, while non-union supervisors are at comparable rates. Based on the labor agreement, our average union full time position pays $14.70, with annual increases to $15.65 by 2017.

Project and Limited Term Employment appointments tend to be the only part-time staff at the university. These positions must meet a minimum threshold of hours worked to be eligible for benefits. The lowest paid of these employees make $11.51/hour, which falls below the calculated living wage for Walworth County of $12.72/hour. Out of the 25 LTES, only 4 are under the $12.72/hour threshold.

Temporary staff are generally paid in a lump-sum arrangement. The compensation for these employees is not factored into an equivalent hourly wage.

Adjunct, or temporary, faculty are generally paid in a lump-sum arrangement. The compensation for these employees is not factored into an equivalent hourly wage.

Many student employees on campus are paid the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hour.

http://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/55127 The State of Wisconsin Compensation Plan for all state employee classifications is found here: http://oser.state.wi.us/subcategory.asp?linksubcatid=1296&linkcatid=697&linkid=29 The State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) is responsible for managing the assets of the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) trust fund. The individual accounts and benefits of WRS are managed by the Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF). http://www.swib.state.wi.us/WRS.aspx The UW System offers a Tax-Sheltered Annuity Program, UW 403(b), as a supplemental retirement savings program. The Deferred Compensation Program allows employees to invest pre-tax earnings into a variety of investment options offered by the program. The annual maximum for 2014 is $17,500. There are 21 investment options currently offered by the plan, plus a self-directed brokerage option that provides more than 2,000 mutual fund choices, available through the Schwab Personal Choice Retirement Account. https://wisconsin.gwrs.com/login.do Investment options include a wide array of mutual funds and fixed and variable annuities managed by six authorized investment companies; Dreyfus Retirement Services, Fidelity Investments, T. Rowe Price, TIAA-CREF, RiverSource Life Insurance Company, and Lincoln National Life Insurance Company. Investment options provided by these companies include: TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund (Mutual) and CREF Social Choice Fund (TIAA-CREF currently considers constituents of the MSCI USA IMI ESG and MSCI World ex-US ESG Index as meeting the Fund’s ESG criteria); LVIP Delaware Social Awareness (not available to new participants); and Neuberger Berman Advisers Management Trust Socially Responsive Portfolio (S Class). In addition, the UW System provides a link to TIAA-CREF’s Socially Responsible Investing Report at: http://www.tiaa-cref.org/ucm/groups/content/@ap_ucm_p_tcp/documents/document/tiaa01007775.pdf While many employees are paid a sustainable compensation, this does not qualify as a "sustainable compensation standard/guideline/policy." Collective bargaining rights for state employees were terminated by Wisconsin Act 10 in 2011.