The Budget Planning Council decided to delay a vote Friday on recommending a university-wide raise freeze for next year.
The proposed recommendation would keep all Ohio University employees, including administrators, from getting a raise next year to help ease budget problems.
The council decided to delay the vote until after the announcement of Gov. Ted Strickland's next two-year budget period and a clearer idea of potential changes to health care benefits, said Pete Wickman, president of Graduate Student Senate and a member of the BPC.
If the university went without a 3 percent raise while exempting bargaining-unit employees, it could save $4.5 million, said Sally Linder, a university spokeswoman. The university could save an additional $1.2 million by foregoing a Vision Ohio investment in faculty compensation.
She stressed that these numbers are an estimate used for planning and that details concerning which employees would be included in the freeze would most likely change.
There's still lots of information to gather
lots of studies lots of numbers to be crunched and discussions before any decisions are made Linder said.
An OU committee is looking into possible changes to employee health benefits that include increases to premiums and co-payments. The BPC wants a more complete picture of employee total compensation before making a recommendation to freeze pay raises, Wickman said. Changes to health benefits most likely will not be made until after the state announces its budget for next year.
Strickland's budget is expected to be announced in early February. The state and Ohio schools are also waiting to hear from Washington, D.C., Wickman said.
Everyone at the state is watching D.C. about the possibility of aid for the states
he said.
The Graduate Student Senate last week proposed that any employees making less than $30,000 be exempt from the pay freeze.
The council's recommendation would go to President Roderick McDavis and would require approval from the OU Board of Trustees.
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Jackie Best
