GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Faculty and staff on college campuses across Wisconsin continue to wait on pay raises after Republican lawmakers made the decision last week to withhold the raises, which Governor Tony Evers signed off on this summer.
The two-year state budget passed this summer included a 4% raise for state employees this year, with another 2% increase next year.
However, last week, a Republican-controlled committee decided to hold the raises for employees of the Universities of Wisconsin.
Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman tells FOX 11 negotiations continue with legislators about the pay raises.
“We’re continuing our discussions, but the fact of the matter is those monies are being withheld.”
Professionally, faculty and staff of UW-Green Bay have been dealing with tighter resources at their jobs for years as the state legislature has consistently provided lower funding than requested at budget time.
They say it’s now getting personal with last week’s decision to withhold the previously approved pay raises.
“There’s not really anything that we’re doing to keep morale up,” said Michael Draney, a biology professor and UW-Green Bay’s Secretary of the Faculty and Staff. “I think morale is quite low right now.”
Draney says everyone remains focused on the task at hand of educating students, but he says wage uncertainty is affecting some more than others.
“I’m tempted to explain how it’s unethical to hold people’s compensation for ransom when these people can’t do anything about the situation,” said Draney.
36,392 full time educators and support staff are affected by this across the state, which is about half of the state-employed workforce.
“That is impacting this region,” said Rothman. “It’s impacting people’s ability to pay rent, ability to put food on the table. That is unfair. It is wrong.”
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said last week he’s hopeful middle ground can be found, but says spending within the UW system has been out of control the past six years with 1,400 new positions created.
He says the focus on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are largely to blame.
“It seems like the university is so dug in and so ideologically driven by their desire to indoctrinate kids all across the UW system that they might reject our offer,” said Vos during a news conference on October 17th.
“Big picture, people who are doing these things are trying to discourage people from working in the University of Wisconsin system,” said Draney.
Draney says sometimes good employees leave out of frustration, but also acknowledges better higher education opportunities can be difficult to find.
The battle over diversity efforts has been ongoing. Republicans cut 188 diversity and inclusion related jobs and $32 million from UW’s budget this summer. Governor Evers vetoed the job cuts, but the funding cut remained.
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