The 1 percent: WI employees receive slight raise, first in years

By Ryan Ekvall | Wisconsin Reporter

MADISON – Wisconsin state employees and University of Wisconsin staff will take home a little bit more in their paychecks over the next two years, thanks to a slight pay increase that has received the support of Gov. Scott Walker.

A union leader, however, complains the 1 percent raise will be swallowed up by Walker’s collective bargaining reforms that require most public employees contribute more toward their taxpayer-funded benefits.

The increase, the first general wage adjustment in five years, will cost $142.6 million over the next two years, according to the Office of State Employment Relations.