UMass President Marty Meehan cancels pay hikes for hundreds
But don’t worry, he’s still sittin’ pretty
That 1.7 percent raise that hundreds of you UMass employees were promised for the end of this month? Yeah. It’s not happening. Apparently new University President Martin T. Meehan, is more concerned with “making his office more lean.”
Not only this, but he is interested in taking the power of the state to negotiate contracts with unionized UMass employees, which currently sits with the Office of Administration and Finance, and moving it into the hands of the University instead.
Good looks.
The reason for the promised raise was due to a cost-of-living increase, which on January 31st will set in for 289 UMass employees. Meehan has promised to “match such hikes” for non-union workers with hikes in their actual paychecks, but he apparently forgot that part when he canceled the plan in order to save $548,288.
Perhaps $548,288 that will go towards his new office on Beacon Hill that the Herald reported costs $1.5 million a year more in rent than what UMass was paying at its Franklin Street location? I don’t know, just a thought. Not only this, but his decision to move to these new offices came shortly after UMass hit up students for stiff tuition increases of about six to eight percent.
And our Basketball coach’s pay is still topping the $1 million mark.
. . .
Interesting. 87 percent of the workforce at this University is unionized, Meehan. Maybe we should reconsider our priorities.