Pay increases: Who receives funds under proposed budgets

WSU Today recently asked Karl Boehmke, the university’s executive director of planning and budget, what the three state proposed budgets — from Gov. Christine Gregoire, the House and Senate — provided for funding in regards to salary increases.

Boehmke outlined the proposed salary funding as follows (please note, this might change in the final state operating budget):

* Faculty, administrative/professional and graduate employees:
Salary increases averaging 3.2% on July 1, 2005 and 1.6% on July 1, 2006 are provided. These increases are at the same levels in the House, Senate, Gregoire and Locke budgets.

* Nonrepresented classified employees:
Salary increases of 3.2% on July 1, 2005 and 1.6% on July 1, 2006 are provided for classified employees who are in classifications that are not represented in collective bargaining under the personnel system reform act of 2002. These increases are at the same levels in the House, Senate, Gregoire and Locke budgets.

* Represented classified employees – Police, Bargaining Unit #4:
Salary increases of 3.2% on July 1, 2005 and a 2.9% lump sum payment on July 1, 2006 are provided for employees in Bargaining Unit #4, representing police positions. These increases are at the same levels in the House, Senate, Gregoire and Locke budgets.

* Represented classified employees – Bargaining Units #1 and #11:
Salary increases of 3.2% on July 1, 2005 and a 2% lump sum payment on July 1, 2006 are provided for employees covered by collective bargaining in unit 1, research and extension units west of the Cascades, and bargaining unit 11, intercollegiate college of nursing, under the personnel system reform act of 2002. These increases are at the same levels in the House, Senate, and Gregoire budgets.  They had not been included in the Locke budget.

* Represented classified employees – Bargaining Unit #5:
Salary increases of 3.2% on July 1, 2005 and a 2% lump sum payment on July 1, 2006 are provided for employees covered by collective bargaining in bargaining unit 5, library, under the personnel system reform act of 2002. These increases are at the same levels in the House and Senate budgets.  They had not been included in the Locke and Gregoire budgets.

* Represented classified employees – Other Bargaining Units:
No salary increases are provided in these budgets for classified employees covered by collective bargaining under the personnel system reform act of 2002 in units other than 1, 5 and 11. 

(Editor’s note: How salary increases regarding classified employees under the Washington Federation of State Employees-Washington State University union contract — mentioned in the last three items above — will be implemented is unknown. Several factors causing that uncertainty include:

* The proposed WFSE-WSU contract, in three elections last fall, was not approved by a majority vote of all WFSE bargaining unit employees. Whether bargaining units can be treated individually under the WFSE-WSU contract is unknown.

* On March 16, five WFSE bargaining units petitioned the Public Employee Relations Council (PERC) to be decertified. Whether PERC will approve the petitions and what the outcome of a possible election might be is unknown.

* The WFSE filed an unfair labor practice charge against WSU last fall. The hearing for the ULP is slated for Sept. 28-29.)