Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 77.43
Liaison Daimon Eklund
Submission Date Oct. 14, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Washington, Seattle
PA-9: Employee Compensation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Mindy Kornberg
Vice President
Human Resources
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Number of employees:
32,647

Number of staff and faculty covered by sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies; and/or collective bargaining agreements:
32,647

Does the institution have employees of contractors working on-site as part of regular and ongoing campus operations?:
No

Number of employees of contractors working on campus:
---

Number of employees of contractors covered by sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies and/or collective bargaining agreements:
---

A brief description of the sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies; and/or collective bargaining agreements covering staff, faculty and/or employees of contractors:

The University of Washington seeks to provide wages and benefits that are sufficient to meet the basic economic, physical, and social needs of employees and their dependents. In addition, The University negotiated a minimum wage of $12.00 per hour that was effective July 1, 2015 for employees in our classified staff union positions.


Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (assessing employee compensation)?:
Yes

Number of staff and faculty that receive sustainable compensation:
32,647

Number of employees of contractors that receive sustainable compensation:
---

A brief description of the standard(s) against which compensation was assessed:

UW Human Resources participates in multiple surveys to gauge the competitiveness of the UW’s salaries. The fiftieth percentile (the median) is set as a target for total cash compensation for our classified and professional staff employees.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid regular, full-time employees:

The University of Washington ensures that its lowest-paid workers receive sustainable compensation by:

• Minimum Wage is Set above Living Wage Rate: The living wage for one adult in Seattle is
$11.19 per hour according to the Poverty in America Living Wage research by Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier and Pennsylvania State University (www.livingwage.mit.edu). The UW establishes and maintains salary ranges that meet or exceed this calculated living wage rate for all staff with regular appointments.

Washington state minimum wage is currently set at $9.47 per hour and is the highest state-mandated minimum wage rate in the United States. The federal minimum wage for contractors is $10.10, and the City of Seattle minimum wage is $11/hour. As of July 1, 2015, the UW pays all regular full-time classified and professional staff a minimum of $12.00. We also pay the Washington state prevailing wage for contractors.

• Comprehensive Benefits, including Affordable Family Health Care: Maintaining affordable family health care is a key priority at the UW. In addition, the UW health care package supports wellness by providing full first-dollar coverage of preventive health care as defined by the CDC when an in-network provider is used. This kind of plan design, including mental health parity with other illnesses, provides excellent support for faculty and staff wellness by removing barriers to health care access.

The UW will offer three new plan options in the Puget Sound area, starting January 1, 2016. These plans are designed to promote higher quality health care services through enhanced care coordination. The new plans offer providers who are accountable for and paid based on quality (rather than quantity) of services. Providers’ accountability includes meeting specific quality measures that maintain or improve their patients’ health. Employees benefit by paying premiums that are approximately 30% below other health plans, plus lower deductibles and out of pocket costs.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid regular, part-time employees:

The living wage for one adult in Seattle is $11.19 per hour according to the Poverty in America Living Wage research by Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier and Pennsylvania State University (www.livingwage.mit.edu). The UW establishes and maintains salary ranges that meet or exceed this calculated living wage rate for all staff with regular appointments.

Washington state minimum wage is currently set at $9.47 per hour and is the highest state-mandated minimum wage rate in the United States. The federal minimum wage for contractors is $10.10, and the City of Seattle minimum wage is $11/hour. As of July 1, 2015, the UW pays all regular full-time classified and professional staff a minimum of $12.00. We also pay the Washington state prevailing wage for contractors.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid temporary (non-regular) staff:

The living wage for one adult in Seattle is $11.19 per hour according to the Poverty in America Living Wage research by Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier and Pennsylvania State University (www.livingwage.mit.edu). The UW establishes and maintains salary ranges that meet or exceed this calculated living wage rate for all staff with regular appointments.

Washington state minimum wage is currently set at $9.47 per hour and is the highest state-mandated minimum wage rate in the United States. The federal minimum wage for contractors is $10.10, and the City of Seattle minimum wage is $11/hour. As of July 1, 2015, the UW pays all regular full-time classified and professional staff a minimum of $12.00. We also pay the Washington state prevailing wage for contractors.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid temporary (non-regular, adjunct or contingent) faculty:

The living wage for one adult in Seattle is $11.19 per hour according to the Poverty in America Living Wage research by Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier and Pennsylvania State University (www.livingwage.mit.edu). The UW establishes and maintains salary ranges that meet or exceed this calculated living wage rate for all staff with regular appointments.

Washington state minimum wage is currently set at $9.47 per hour and is the highest state-mandated minimum wage rate in the United States. The federal minimum wage for contractors is $10.10, and the City of Seattle minimum wage is $11/hour. As of July 1, 2015, the UW pays all regular full-time classified and professional staff a minimum of $12.00. We also pay the Washington state prevailing wage for contractors.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid student employees (graduate and/or undergraduate, as applicable):

The living wage for one adult in Seattle is $11.19 per hour according to the Poverty in America Living Wage research by Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier and Pennsylvania State University (www.livingwage.mit.edu). The UW establishes and maintains salary ranges that meet or exceed this calculated living wage rate for all staff with regular appointments.

Washington state minimum wage is currently set at $9.47 per hour and is the highest state-mandated minimum wage rate in the United States. The federal minimum wage for contractors is $10.10, and the City of Seattle minimum wage is $11/hour. As of July 1, 2015, the UW pays all regular full-time classified and professional staff a minimum of $12.00. We also pay the Washington state prevailing wage for contractors.


The local legal minimum hourly wage for regular employees:
9.47 US/Canadian $

Does the institution have an on-site child care facility, partner with a local facility, and/or provide subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of faculty and staff?:
Yes

Does the institution offer a socially responsible investment option for retirement plans?:
Yes

The website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable compensation policies and practices is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.