Dear Colleagues,
The administration gave us a response to our wage proposal at the March 23rd bargaining session.
Though we appreciate that there is finally a written counter proposal from admin on the table, we expected better.
Here’s a summary:
- Minimum salary
- Non-Administrative (hourly): $18.00/hour
- Administrative /Professional (hourly): $19.00/hour
- Assistant Coach/Athletic staff: $40,000 annually
- All other bargaining-unit positions:* $43,000 annually
- *Exclusive of residence life
- Longevity Increases
- 1% increase on an employee’s third, sixth, and ninth anniversary.
- Annual increases
- 1% cost of living adjustment per year for 3 years.
It goes without saying we’re unsatisfied with these and will continue to bargain for a living wage for all staff.
Their proposal does not address our equity goals. The rates are simply too low. We know what it’s like trying to raise a family or build retirement savings or pay off student loans on a $40k/year salary. It’s not easy. It leads you to be constantly looking for better opportunities elsewhere. We want to work at Augsburg, but we also want Augsburg to pay us a living wage to work here.
We also take issue with the arbitrary divide between athletics and non-athletics staff and between residence life staff that the administration has created. That’s not the kind of division we want to see in the contract.
Our proposal laid out salary step increases on a 10 year scale. Theirs says 1% per year for just 3 years. That would mean that even that little amount could be taken away next time the contract renews.