Hourly paid non-exempt staff in higher education institutions in the Northeast receive higher salaries than those in other parts of the United States, with skilled craft staff earning a $7,000 lead from the national average, according to a survey published Monday.
The survey, conducted by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, included survey results from more than 180,000 higher education professionals in 808 institutions, covering 148 hourly non-exempt positions such as food servers, sign painters and office receptionists.
CUPA-HR Director of Research Jacqueline Bichsel said the survey is the last of four higher education surveys CUPA-HR conducted this year. The previous three were surveys on administrators’ salary, professionals’ salary and non-exempt staffs’ salary.
The CUPA-HR survey on four-year faculty found that tenured-track faculty members at higher education institutions are the highest paid employees, receiving a 2.2 percent increase in median salary in the past year, The Daily Free Press reported March 31.
Bichsel, who was also the author of the report, said though Boston University has not participated in the survey for a couple years, the conclusion should apply to BU, especially due to the large sample population.
“Our survey[s] are generally brief,” Bichsel said. “We conduct a lot of information on a lot of different people in different positions … The most interesting finding is regional variation in staff salaries.”
BU spokesperson
wrote in an email that some of the survey’s findings reflect the wage and benefits for facility staff at BU.
“[The survey] seem[s] to reflect the competitive marketplace for hiring here in Boston and throughout the region,” Riley wrote. “The average increases appear similar [at BU] as well.”
The survey also found an income gap among non-exempt staff. For example, the average salary for an electrician supervisor in higher education institutions is close to $60,000, whereas an average food server makes less than $30,000 every year.
Several students said their experiences with facilities and management at BU has been a positive one, and they wish to see them treated fairly.
Lavanya Mittal, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said that based on her experiences, BU staff has always been polite and friendly toward students.
“I don’t know if the facility staff are treated fairly, but from the way I see people treating facility staff, they are treated very well,” Mittal said.
Gina Choi, a senior in the College of Communication, said she is glad to hear that staff at BU, along with other universities in the Northeast, gets the highest average hourly wage. Even so, she hopes staff members at all universities are provided a fair compensation for their hard work.
“There are a lot of times where I called 24-hour emergency facility services,” Choi said. “[Facilities] are always saying, ‘Oh yeah, we will help you out.’ They are really nice … and they should be getting paid a good amount.”
Andrew Garcia, a freshman in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said that although students and staff do not interact often, he especially respects those who maintain electrical and plumbing.
“My father is a part of the facility staff at a university back where I live,” Garcia said. “From what I’ve seen, [the facility staff at BU] is respectful, and they mind their own business. We normally do not interact with them as much. Obviously it’s a lot of work and they do a great job with it all, considering if something is broken, it’s always fixed.”
