The minimum hiring rate for University classified salaried and classified wage employees will increase by 3 percent Dec. 22. Chief Human Resource Officer Thomas E. Gausvik made this announcement in a memo distributed to University deans, department heads and other administrative officers Oct. 5.
Classified employees include secretarial staff, lab technicians, technology personnel and custodians.
The current minimum wage rate of $8.37 per hour will be increased to $8.62 per hour, which equates to a yearly salary boost of $17,410 to $17,930.
Although the increase was a University decision, the boost mirrors legislation passed by Gov. Mark R. Warner and the General Assembly that provides a 3 percent increase to the permanent base salary of classified employees in the University academic division, which will go into effect Nov. 25.
All full-time and part-time classified academic employees will be eligible for a 3 percent increase as long as they receive a rating of "contributor" or "extraordinary contributor" on their annual performance reviews.
Medical Center employees will see the same 3 percent minimum hiring rate increase, which will go into effect Jan. 2, said Graham O. Grove, acting compensation director for the University Health System.
"We do this every year, we take a look at market conditions and we increase the minimum hiring rate," University Vice President for Finance Yoke San L. Reynolds said.
Jan Cornell, president of the Staff Union at U.Va., said she has reservations about the minimum-wage increases made by the University.
"This is not an increase, it is only due to the 3 percent raise that every employee is already getting on Nov. 25," Cornell said. "U.Va. is putting a spin on it. They want to make it look like they are taking care of their employees."
One of Cornell's concerns is that the increased yearly salary of $17,930 is still below the poverty level of $18,500. Also she noted that the increase does not affect contract workers at the University.
"The state provided a 3 percent increase for our existing employees that we are implementing, but it's only fair for the entry level positions to be increased," Reynolds said. "The salary increase that we have put in place is an indication of the University's continuing interest in making sure that our employees are paid and compensated in a fair way."
Nevertheless, Cornell acknowledged that the minimum wage increases are a good thing.
"They are going to boost people up," she said.
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