Regents OK 3 percent pay hikes for UW System employees

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — Regents have approved a plan to increase pay for employees of the University of Wisconsin System by 3 percent each of the next two fiscal years.

The Board of Regents unanimously approved the pay plan at a meeting in La Crosse Thursday. Regents also backed an identical pay plan for UW-Madison.

The proposal calls for full state funding of the general wage increase, and comes after six years of tuition freezes. The state typically provides about 70 percent of the UW System pay increase with the rest funded by tuition.

System officials say pay raises have trailed inflation in recent years, and that faculty salaries continue to lag behind peer institutions.

The proposal needs legislative approval and would start July 1. The UW System has about 39,000 employees statewide.