University of Washington Human Resources

January 1, 2017 Minimum Wage Increase

Last updated: December 21, 2016.

DATE:

December 9, 2016

TO:

Payroll Coordinators

FROM:

UW Human Resources Compensation

SUBJ:

January 1, 2017 Minimum Wage Increase

Please make note of the following items:

• The minimum wage increase goes into effect for hours earned beginning 1/1/2017.
• The increase up to the new minimums will be automatic and implemented centrally for hourly-paid employees a few days after the 12/31/2016 payroll has been calculated.
• All hourly-paid employees making $15.00 or less will be automatically updated for the pay period ending 1/15/2017. Note the exception for job code 0888-Student Assistant-UWT included below.
• Minimum step value changes for employees in classified staff classifications below the 1/1/2017 $2,600 per month minimum wage rate are provided on the 1/1/2017 Minimum Step Values with Monthly and Hourly Rates list.
• The following job classes, currently residing on ranges where all steps values are below the upcoming $15.00 per hour minimum wage change, will receive the following range adjustments as negotiated effective 1/1/2017: job codes 8504 and 8636-Check Stand Operator, will be adjusted from BI-23 to BI-25; job code 7176-Sports Equipment Attendant 1, will be adjusted from B4-18 to B4-24; job code 7177-Sports Equipment Attendant 2, will be adjusted from B4-19 to B4-25.
• Please note that all students assigned to job codes 0875-Student Assistant (Seattle & Bothell campuses) and 1836-Student Assistant-Non-UW Student after 1/1/2017 will need to be paid at least the new 1/1/2017 minimum wage rate of $15.00 per hour.
• All UW-Tacoma students assigned to job code 0888-Student Assistant-UWT (Tacoma campus) after 1/1/2017 will need to be paid at least the City of Tacoma $11.15 per hour minimum for this job class.
• Hourly workers in job codes 0886-Reader/Grader, 0887-Tutor, 0868-Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, and 0869-Undergraduate Research Assistant will also be going to the $15.00 per hour rate, as negotiated with UAW, and will be updated centrally.
• After the payroll calculation for PPE 1/15/2017 there will be a post-audit check to find any employees paid below the new minimums.

Washington State Minimum Wage. On November 8, 2016, Initiative 1433 Minimum passed, amending the Washington State Minimum Wage to go up in four stages:

• January 1, 2017 $11.00 per hour
• January 1, 2018 $11.50 per hour
• January 1, 2019 $12.00 per hour
• January 1, 2020 $13.50 per hour

Because the minimum wage at the University of Washington has been tracking with the City of Seattle minimum wage ordinance, the UW minimum will be higher than the new state minimums passed on Nov 8, 2016. There is one exception: UW Tacoma will follow the City of Tacoma minimum wage ordinance for student hourlies in job code 0888, which will go up in the following stages:

• January 1, 2017 $11.15 per hour
• January 1, 2018 $12.00 per hour
• January 1, 2019 – adjusted annually by the rate of inflation
• January 1, 2020 – if the City of Tacoma minimum will be less than $13.50 it will adjust to the state minimum of $13.50

Please make sure you carefully read all details included below.

Minimum Step Value Changes for Classified Staff

Minimum step value changes for classified staff classifications below the 1/1/2017 $2,600 per month minimum wage rate are provided on the 1/1/2017 Minimum Step Values with Monthly and Hourly Rates list.

Payscales and Other Details

As indicated in the message below, the minimum wage for students and temporary workers at UW-Seattle and UW-Bothell will increase on January 1, 2017, from $13.00 per hour to $15.00 per hour; the UW-Tacoma minimum wage for students and temporary workers will go up to $11.15 per hour in accordance with the City of Tacoma minimum wage ordinance.

The Student Employee Pay Schedule will be updated to reflect this change:

Student Employee Pay Schedule (Effective 1/1/16 – 12/31/16)

Revised Student Employee Pay Schedule (Effective 1/1/17)