Review UI employees’ salaries, benefits

Budgets of colleges and universities across the country have gone up considerably more than inflation for (30 to 40?) years; the University of Iowa was no exception.

Over the years, most of the publicity was focused on what portion the state would pay and what portion would be borne by the students. Unfortunately, unless continual escalation of budgets and spending is addressed, the problem will not go away. Taking the past 10 years as an indicator, the UI budget in 1999 was

$1.5 billion and its 2009 budget was $2.8 billion. This rise is much faster than the general level of inflation during that period.

Fifty percent of the UI budget is for salaries, so it's a natural focal point for review. With 21,000 employees, there could be room for decreased spending in that area.

1. Studies have shown wages of employees at all levels of state-funded universities are well above those for employees in private universities.

2. Fringe benefits are higher than for private sector employees. For example, many UI employees can collect up to 60 days of sick leave on retirement. Sick leave is a valued benefit to protect employees during their working lives and it does. But after the reason for the benefits is past, it should end. The UI should urge the state to bargain it away.

Joe Segreti

Iowa City