Rebecca Blank: UW employees should get same pay boost in budget as other state workers
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank said Wednesday she will encourage legislators to treat state employees consistently on pay increases in the 2017-2019 budget, meaning increases for UW employees should not be tied to savings from the state moving to a self-insurance model for health insurance.
Gov. Scott Walker’s executive budget calls for 2 percent pay increases for state employees in September 2018 and May 2019. His budget for the UW System, however, recommends funding in 2019 “equal to the wage increase provided to other state employees, less anticipated savings” from switching to self-insurance for health care costs for all state employees.
Walker estimates that the move would save $60 million over two years. But legislators on both sides of the aisle are raising doubts, and a state report on the proposal found that savings in payments to insurers could be eaten up by administrative costs and large medical claims.
Blank, in a blog posted Wednesday, said that with the uncertainty over the self-insurance model, “it could mean the increase for UW employees is not funded. I, along with System leadership, will encourage legislators to treat all state employees consistently for wage increases.”
Read more: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/university/rebecca-blank-uw-employees-should-get-same-pay-boost-in/article_3b5e3519-1898-5dc7-8af9-9c89df0d6164.html
