On Tuesday, a Republican-controlled legislative committee approved 6% pay raises for roughly 35,000 UW employees, according to the Wisconsin State Journal, after the UW System’s agreement last week to repurpose some diversity positions. A broader deal with lawmakers will secure almost $800 million in state aid.
The raises had already been approved as part of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ state budget, signed in July, but they still needed approval from the Joint Committee on Employment Relations. The committee in October approved 6% pay raises over the next two years for most state workers but withheld increases for university staff, with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos demanding UW first eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) positions.
Last week, the UW Board of Regents agreed on reclassifying a third of its DEI positions as “student success” employees. In exchange, the raises, $740 million in infrastructure spending, and $32 million tied to a workforce development plan held back by the Legislature’s budget committee, would be released.
The authorized raises include a 4% increase this fiscal year, with back pay since July, followed by another 2% next July.
