Duquesne U. to raise employee wages to $16
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Duquesne University is increasing its employee minimum wage to $16 an hour, slightly more than twice the state and federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported university officials also agreed to a 0.5 percent raise for all employees earning less than $34,000 a year. Under the new budget, the school will contribute $500 to employee dependent care flex funds.
University Spokeswoman Rose Ravasio said the new wage floor, effective July 1, affects 168 Duquesne employees who earn between $15 and $15.99 an hour.
Officials said the increase means total compensation for the lowest paid full-time employees is equivalent to $22 per hour when adding the value of benefits.
University President Charles Dougherty said the wage increase benefits full-time employees by helping them with added expenses.
The announcements were made Tuesday as more members of the private sector boost their minimum wages.
Walmart recently announced it will increase its minimum wage to $9 an hour, and McDonald’s agreed to raise wages in its company-owned restaurants by $1 per hour.
Charles McCollester, retired director of the Labor Center at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, said weakening opposition to minimum-wage increases in the private sector could pave the way for action by Congress, which has refused to heed the Obama administration’s call for a $10.10-an-hour minimum wage.
McCollester said it’s ironic that Duquesne is raising its minimum wage as the university battles its part-time faculty’s vote to form a collective bargaining unit.
The Pittsburgh office of the National Labor Relations Board heard arguments in the dispute last month and is expected to rule soon.