Washington State University is asking the state to fund pay raises worth 7% over the next two years.
WSU has submitted its budget request for the state’s next two year biennial spending plan. The administration is asking the legislature for 34.5 million dollars to fund the pay hikes. The proposal would pay for a 4% raise for WSU faculty and staff in the first year of the budget followed by a 3% increase in the second year. WSU is also requesting that the state fully pay for raises for civil service employees to keep them in line with the wages earned by other state workers. WSU staff received a 3.25% raise this summer. Faculty, administrative professionals and graduate students received a 2.5% raise this month.
WSU’s top construction budget request asks for 40 million dollars from the state to pay for half of the new Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture building in Pullman. The project has already received 20 million dollars from Ed and Beatriz Schweitzer and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories based in Pullman.
The Washington Legislature will craft the state’s next two year budget during their upcoming session which starts in January in Olympia.