UNC employees get a raise

The minimum salary for full-time University employees will rise to $25,000 starting in November.

About 290 employees making less than the new salary were sent a letter Monday from Chancellor Holden Thorp detailing the pay raise.

“We are committed to doing all we can to keep your compensation competitive with salaries paid in Orange County and the surrounding Triangle area,” Thorp stated in the letter. “You deserve this raise, and it reflects the hard work you do for the University.”

The state’s minimum annual salary rate for the University is $20,112.

Some part-time employees will receive prorated increases based on the new minimum.

Thorp stated in the letter that he will continue to advocate for higher salaries and better benefits to the N.C. General Assembly.

Brenda Malone, associate vice chancellor for human resources, said the increase in salary resulted largely from a desire to be competitive with other businesses.

“We looked at the local market, and we tried to come up with a number that was driven by looking at local competitors,” Malone said. “A number that we could do with the funds we had available.”

Money for the pay increase came from a central pool called the pay improvement fund, Malone said.

Employees said the pay increase demonstrates a continued commitment from Thorp to advocate on their behalf.

“All I can say for the chancellor is ‘Hip, hip, hooray,’” said Brenda Denzler, vice chairwoman of the Employee Forum. “The man just keeps doing great things, so let’s hope he keeps this up.”

Alan Moran, chairman of the forum’s compensation and wages committee, said the pay increase couldn’t come at a better time for employees making the smallest salaries — groundskeepers, housekeepers and mail services workers, among others.

“The real significance of this is that we can see an economic crunch coming,” Moran said. “Our lowest paid employees incur a higher percent of the cost for food and fuel.”

Moran said the pay increase relates to a long-time discussion of the forum regarding employee salaries.

“This is a great step forward,” he said.



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.