University employees voice complaints:
Wages and benefits —too low, too little
Battalion
Classified
Call 845-2611
THE BATTALION Page 9
WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 1978
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By JEANNE LOPEZ
Texas A&M University employs
more than 1,500 clerical and se
cretarial workers. Although their ti
tles, duties, responsibilities and
salaries differ, their complaints are
the same: the salaries are not
enough, some of the employee ben
efits are not desirable and merit
raises are too few.
“It gets pretty depressing when I
think Hey, I’ve got a college degree
and I’m working for $3.02 an hour,”’
said Ann, a secretary who holds a
Bachelor of Science degree. Her
husband attends the University.
“All employees must start their
jobs at the first step of pay for their
title regardless of past experience,”
said Wayne Terrell, wage and salary
classification manager for Texas
A&M.
Nancy, a senior secretary, ex
plained her resentment for this pol
icy. “I came here five years ago from
the Detroit, Mich., area where I
made $3.90 an hour. I had profit-
sharing and my insurance was fully
paid. I had to start here at $2.47 an
hour despite my past working exeri-
ence.
“Now, five years later, I am being
paid $3.95 an hour. I pay $33.10 a
“It gets pretty depressing
when I think ‘Hey, I’ve got a
college degree and I’m work
ing here for $3.02 an hour’.”
— Ann, secretary at Texas
A&M University.
month for group medical insurance
while the University pays $15 to
ward the insurance,” she said.
Like so many others, Nancy’s
husband is employed by the Uni
versity, so she continues to stay. But
she is quick to add that she likes her
job. The department head she
works for is appreciative of her work
and the people around her are nice,
she said. “If it weren’t for them, I
would have quit long ago,” Nancy
said.
Texas A&M determines wage
rates based on the local job market
in College Station and Bryan.
“We’re not concerned with what
other universities pay their em
ployees, but we want to match the
salaries the local businesses pay,”
Terrel said. “There have been com
plaints that we pay less, and others
say they can’t keep up with us.”
Several local businesses refused
to release salary and benefit infor
mation, but a spokesman for the
Texas Employment Commission
said that the salaries of the Univer
sity and local businesses average
about the same.
“It wouldn’t be fair just to com
pare our salaries with anyone out
side the University without looking
at the total package of benefits we
offer,” Terrell said.
Benefits offered by the University
include vacations for first-year em
ployees, maternity leave and sick
leave. Medical hospitalization and
long-term disability insurance are
offered at low group rates to em
ployees. The University requires
that all employees be covered by life
insurance. The state of Texas will
pay up to $15 toward all insurance
except the mandatory life insurance.
Also included in the benefit pack
age is mandatory participation in the
Teacher Retirement System of
Texas, a state agency for retirement
benefits. Five dollars is put into the
fund each year for the employee’s
membership in the retirement sys
tem. Also, 6.65 percent of his gross
monthly salary is deducted for re
tirement.
“The state puts 7.5 percent into
each person’s retirement,” said Tom
Goss, employee benefits represen
tative for Texas A&M. “If an em
ployee decided to leave the Univer
sity and not go to another educa
tional agency, he can get the money
back with 5 percent interest.”
Several secretaries are not happy
with the retirement fund system.
“J resent being forced to partici
pate in a retirement fund that pays
less than a savings and loan,” Nancy
said. “I especially resent being
forced to participate in a teachers’
program when I’m not a teacher.”
The retirement fund pays 5 per
cent a year. Savings and loan com
panies pay up to 5.25 percent a year
on ordinary savings deposits.
Another senior secretary, Paula,
attends evening classes at the Uni
versity, and her husband also is a
student.
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“Though I’ll be getting the money
back when I leave, we really could
use it now,” she said. “Most stu
dents need all they can get.”
The University provides for a
standard wage pay raise at the first
of the year, Terrell said. It is re
warded regardless of the quality of
work done. Merit raises on the basis
“Z resent being forced to par
ticipate in a retirement fund
that pays less than a savings
and loan. I especially resent
being forced to participate in
a teachers’ program when I’m
not a teacher.” — Nancy,
secretary at Texas A&M Uni
versity.
operating fund,” Nancy said. “The
University does not put any money
in just for merit raises.”
One department head explained
that purchases for the department
deplete funds that might go to se
cretarial and clerical raises. He said
that “Money seems to be tight
everywhere.”
One secretary said that it seemed
that supervisors were closing their
eye to good work because they
can’t afford to raise the pay.”
“I’ve worked in two different de
partments, and in neither one has
there been praise for good work,”
Paula said.
Nancy said, “Many of the people
here at the University are here only
because they have to be. Either
work for these wages or don’t work
at all.”
Ann’s comments were the same.
“When you get to mumbling and
grumbling about it, you’ve got to
think about it, there’s not much you
can do in a college town.“
Wage Rates
Clerk typist I
Clerk I
Clerk II
Clerk III
Clerk Typist II
Secretary
Bilingual Secretary
Senior Secretary
k qui
it ha
tent if it has the money, he added.
“I had one merit raise and that
was taken out of the deartmental
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