Pay transparency for ASE and student hourly positions
Table of Contents
Pay transparency for open hire graduate student only positions
Last updated: January 18, 2023
Washington state law requires the UW to disclose in each job posting the pay range and a general description of all benefits and other compensation to be offered to the hired applicant.
Job posting
A job posting is an announcement intended to recruit job applicants for a specific available position that includes qualifications for desired applicants. A job posting for an open hire academic student employee (ASE) or student hourly position must include the rate of pay or pay range and a general description of benefits and other compensation to be offered to the hired applicant. This includes jobs posted on Handshake, UWHIRES, departmental websites, through listservs or as hard-copies.
Advertising that links to a job posting is often part of a recruitment strategy. Job advertisements that do not list qualifications or refer to a specific position are not required to include the pay range and benefits and other compensation descriptions.
The following social media examples are not considered a job posting:
- “Tutor jobs available. Apply now online.”
- “My team is hiring a Tutor! Find out more and apply online.”
Pay range
The pay range that is disclosed in a job posting is intended to provide applicants with the most reasonable and genuinely expected range of compensation for the job. An exact rate of pay may be used; otherwise use a range with a minimum to maximum. Open-ended phrases such as “starting at minimum wage” or “up to $30,000 annually” cannot be used.
Updating pay ranges
If the pay rate or range changes after publishing a job posting and the position remains unfilled, the posting must be updated to reflect the changed information. Circumstances for changes may include collective bargaining or minimum wage changes.
General description of all benefits and other compensation
A general description of all benefits should provide the applicant with the most reasonable and genuinely expected benefits to be offered to the hired candidate. This may include health care benefits, number of paid days off, and other benefits that must be reported for federal tax purposes. “Other Compensation” may include forms of compensation that would be offered to the hired applicant in addition to their base pay such as overtime. The total monetary value of benefits and other compensation does not need to be provided.
In electronic job postings, a general description of benefits and other compensation may be used if a link is provided with more detailed information. If the benefits or other compensation changes, the posting must be updated to reflect the changed information.
Pay transparency for open hire graduate student only positions
Open hire TA/RA/SA/Predoctoral instructor ASE positions are positions not used to fulfill a commitment of support made to a student either at the time of admission or under an existing advising relationship with a faculty member(s). The pay rate is determined by:
- Job titles, classifications, and academic qualifications (e.g., premaster, postmaster or equivalent, or candidate),
- The Salary schedule policy (e.g., position FTE percentage, minimum academic credit registration requirements, funding source), and
- The Variable rate compensation policy (e.g., for RA and TA positions and/or if a department will offer a variable rate).
Therefore, a job posting for an open hire must disclose all potential pay rates or ranges that could be offered to the hired candidate.
These requirements do not apply to offers for appointment and reappointment for positions which are not open-hire as these positions are offered to incoming and continuing students and candidates are not recruited through a job posting. For information on what is required to be included in a letter of appointment, see Article 4 – Appointment and Reappointment Notification and Job Description in the current ASE contract.
Pay range posting example
| Scenario | Sample text |
|---|---|
| The Psychology department posts an open hire TA position and does not limit the position to department students and does not require a specific level of academic qualifications. | The monthly pay rate for a TA paid on Schedule 1 or Schedule 3 is $2,779 at the premaster level; $2,779 at the intermediate level; and $2,986 at the candidate level. |
| The Psychology department posts an open hire 50% FTE TA position for one quarter limited to department students at the premaster level. | The monthly pay rate for a TA paid on Schedule 1 is $2,779. |
Additional considerations when using Handshake
When creating a new job posting for a position located in Washington state, Handshake requires you to disclose pay information in order to complete your posting. You should enter a custom range with a minimum and maximum per hour, month, or year. To display an exact amount, use the custom range to enter the same value for the minimum and maximum.
Summary of other compensation
Except as noted below, in most cases, salaried TA/RA/SA/Predoctoral instructors are not eligible for other compensation, meaning a summary is not needed.
When hiring for summer quarter TA and Predoctoral instructor positions, include in the job posting that these positions receive a supplement of 20% of their salary when they teach for two months or less.
For example:
The hired applicant will receive a supplement of 20% of their salary when they teach for two months or less during summer session.
For open-hire TA/RA/SA/Predoctoral instructor positions paid on Schedule 3, additional compensation is provided equivalent to the resident operating fee of the specific tuition tier rate charged to the appointee paid out over the academic quarter. This information can be disclosed in combination with the pay range; the exact amount does not need to be provided.
For example:
The monthly pay rate for a TA paid on Schedule 1 or Schedule 3 is $2,779 at the premaster level; $2,779 at the intermediate level; and $2,986 at the candidate level. If the hired appointee is to be paid on Schedule 3, they will receive additional compensation equivalent to the resident operating fee to be paid out over the academic quarter.
Summary of benefits
Academic student employees receive health insurance through the Graduate Appointee Insurance Program (GAIP). GAIP covers medical, vision, and dental care for teaching assistants, research assistants, tutors, predoctoral researchers, and other ASEs working across the University.
On job postings for TA/RA/SA/Predoctoral instructor positions, post the following summary of benefits:
TA/RA/SA/Predoctoral instructors and their dependents may be eligible to receive UW-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage through the Graduate Appointee Insurance Program (GAIP); may be eligible for one personal holiday and up to 10 paid holidays; and may be awarded up to 28 hours of sick time off (prorated based on FTE).
Student hourly employees and hourly-paid ASEs
In a job posting, disclose either the rate of pay or the pay range for student hourly employees, hourly-paid ASEs, and non-registered graduate students hired as summer quarter ASE Graduate Research Student Assistants. Provide the exact hourly rate or an hourly range with a minimum and maximum:
- For student hourly employee positions, post rates within the minimum and maximum described on the student employee compensation webpage.
- For hourly-paid ASE positions post the rates on departmental webpages as required by the current hourly-pay transparency article of the collective bargaining agreement. If you have questions about your department’s rate for hourly-paid ASE positions, please contact Labor Relations.
For example:
- The pay rate for this position is $20.00 per hour
- The pay range for this position is $17.57 – $21.68 per hour
Additional considerations when using Handshake
When creating a new job posting for a position located in Washington state, Handshake requires you to disclose pay information in order to complete your posting. You should enter a custom range with a minimum and maximum per hour, month, or year. To display an exact amount, use the custom range to enter the same value for the minimum and maximum.
Summary of other compensation
On job postings for student hourly positions and hourly-paid ASEs, include a statement that the position is overtime eligible. Units offering shift incentives for student hourly positions should also list those as applicable.
Summary of benefits
On job postings for student hourly positions and hourly-paid ASEs, include the following statement:
Student hourly employees accrue one hour of sick time off for every 40 hours worked. Accrual begins at the start of employment and is available for use the following month.
Benefits for summer ASE Graduate Research Student assistants can be described as follows:
Students working as summer quarter ASE Graduate Research Student Assistants may be eligible for UW-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage and subsidized covered for their dependents through the Graduate Appointee Insurance Program (GAIP). Eligibility is described at https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/insurance/health/graduate-appointees/gaip-summer-quarter-coverage/. Additionally, hourly-paid ASEs accrue one hour of sick time off for every 40 hours worked. Accrual begins at the start of employment and is available for use the following month.