Kirkwood faculty to see salary, benefits increase

CEDAR RAPIDS - About 285 full-time faculty members at Kirkwood Community College will see 4 percent increases in their total salary and benefits packages annually for the next three years under a contract approved by the Kirkwood board of trustees.

The three-year contract covering fiscal 2013, 2014 and 2015 is between the college and the Kirkwood Faculty Association bargaining unit, said Bob Freeman, learning and development manager with the college's human resources department.

The total package increase of 4 percent annually includes the value of salary and benefits, which takes into account features like insurance and retirement plans. The increases to salary range from 2 percent to about 2.3 percent annually for the three years of the contract.

The higher expenses in the contract will cost Kirkwood about $2 million a year.