The Professional and Scientific Council is recommending a salary increase next year that at least outstrips inflation.
At its meeting Jan. 9, the council approved its recommendation and accompanying report on compensation and benefits, a nonbinding proposal it annually produces for administrators to consider as they set next year's budget.
The recommendations call for fiscal year 2021 salary increases of at least 0.5% above inflation for P&S staff who are meeting performance expectations and 1.5-2% increases above inflation for those exceeding expectations. Annual inflation has been around 2% for the past three years, based on the federal Consumer Price Index, making the council's recommendation roughly 2.5-4%.
Iowa State should make salary increases "a priority in budget preparations with the same effort in which new construction and initiatives around campus are championed," the council's recommendation states.
The FY21 proposal also calls for offering more professional development training, find new revenue sources, improving annual performance reviews as suggested last year, maintaining employee benefits and implementing the results of the P&S classification and compensation review.
This year's version of the report tried to use more forceful language, following three years of minimum raises that fell below annual inflation.
"You will note the tone of the document is a bit more aggressive than in years past. That was done deliberately. I don't know if it will work, but it's worth a try," said Barry McCroskey, the council's vice president for university planning and budget.
