University leaders have moved up by more than a year the implementation date of the previously announced commitment to raise the minimum wage.
The University of Rochester will raise the minimum wage for all University staff to $15 per hour, effective November 21.
In making this announcement, University leaders have moved up by more than a year the implementation date of the previously announced commitment to raise the minimum wage to $15. This wage increase applies to all union and non-union employees working throughout the University.
“This move to a $15 minimum wage now is the right thing to do,” said University of Rochester President Sarah C. Mangelsdorf. “These hardworking employees are the backbone of our University’s operations and make so many important contributions to our education, research, and patient care missions, as has been especially evident throughout the pandemic. They are among the individuals who most deserve a lift right now, not a year from now.
“We are in a better, more stable financial situation than when we announced our initial commitment and timeframe, so I am very pleased to be able to take this important step in raising the minimum wage for University staff to $15 per hour, starting in the next two weeks.”
Additional implementation details on this minimum wage increase and the associated adjustments for impacted staff will be forthcoming. The minimum wage increase will affect roughly 1,000 full- and part-time University staff across multiple job classifications.
As the region’s largest employer and a member of the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI), the University continues to play a central role in regional anti-poverty efforts, and this announcement additionally supports the commitment to being a partner in addressing the issues facing our community and sharing in the responsibility to create a stronger city and region. The University’s involvement with RMAPI goes back to the initiative’s founding in 2015 as a multi-sector community collaborative with a goal to improve the quality of life for Rochester residents by reducing poverty and increasing self-sufficiency.
The University is a member of RMAPI’s steering committee, and numerous faculty and staff have been involved in RMAPI work groups, committees, and town halls to help develop priorities and recommendations. In 2019, the University joined other community organizations in signing the RMAPI Employer Pledge to combat poverty and structural racism in the community.
