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Nearly a tenth of West Texas A&M University employees will receive a raise in the new year as the University implements a new base pay rate.
Beginning Jan. 10, no WT employee will earn less than $15 per hour, President Walter V. Wendler announced in a Dec. 20 memo.
“An institution is only as great as those who call it home,” Wendler wrote. “We are thankful to each of you who work at West Texas A&M University. Your daily efforts are deeply appreciated. We provide excellent comprehensive benefits at WT and are working to make them even better.”
To minimize the impact of long-time workers making less than new hires in equivalent positions, an issue known as “wage compression,” paygrades will be increased accordingly in a range of $15 to $17 per hour.
Wendler’s memo also cited the Nov. 15 announcement that all WT employees and their eligible immediate family members will receive 50 percent off tuition and mandatory fees beginning in May.
“Our employees’ future really is our University’s future,” said Randy Rikel, vice president for business and finance. “We are proud to offer a considerable number of competitive benefits, including generous sick and vacation leave; health, dental, vision and long-term disability insurance; free doctoral degrees at any member of The Texas A&M University System; and much more.”
A complete list of benefits and perks for WT employees is available here.
“This change, as well as our full package of benefits and perks, will help us retain quality employees and attract new ones,” Rikel said. “All of our employees, especially those on the front line, play vital roles in educating our students.”
The University currently employs almost 1,000 full- and part-time faculty and staff members.
The new hourly rate will impact more than 70 positions across the University, mostly in entry-level positions, such as cashiers, support staff and administrative assistants, among many others.
This represents a $350,000-plus investment by the University in its employees, Rikel said.
Employees in both full- and part-time positions will benefit. Student workers are not included in the new pay increase; those employees received an increase to between $10 and $12 per hour Sept. 6. Many other salaried employees benefitted from a round of merit increases earlier this year.
Retaining the highest level of faculty and staff is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World. That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the One West campaign has raised more than $85 million.
-West Texas A&M University