State employee committee to meet on pay plan

The legislature’s Joint Committee on Employment Relations (JCOER) will meet on Dec. 18 to vote on a proposed 2 percent pay increase for state workers, including UW System employees.

In May, the Joint Committee on Finance approved the 2 percent increases, originally proposed by Governor Tony Evers in his budget bill. The budget was adopted by the legislature in June and signed by Evers in July; the plan must also be approved by JCOER, which is made up of legislative leaders from both parties.

If approved, the first increase is scheduled to take effect in the beginning of January and the second a year later.

To be eligible to receive the pay increases, individuals must have been employed in their current positions on Nov. 24, 2019 (for employees paid hourly) or Dec. 1, 2019, (for employees paid monthly). Employees must also have completed UW–Madison’s sexual harassment prevention training and must have met performance expectations as identified in their last performance evaluation. Supervisors are required to complete performance evaluations for the employees they supervise.

The committee is also scheduled to vote on two pending collective bargaining agreements for the UW–Madison Trades employees. If approved by JCOER, the contracts will need to go to the full legislature and governor for approval.