Morgan State Raises Its Minimum Wage, Makes Contractual Workers Full-Time
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Morgan State University will raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour for hourly workers, university President David Wilson announced Tuesday.
University regents also approved the conversion of all eligible contractual employees to full-time employees and an increase in adjunct faculty pay.
"Our employees deserve to earn a living wage and have access to benefits that will enhance their quality of life; it's the moral thing to do," Wilson said in a statement. "Coming from the apex of the pandemic, when many of our contractual employees were still showing up to work and serving on the front line to keep things going despite COVID's impact on their own families, the workforce inequities were made clear, including those on our own campus. For Morgan to ascend to the next level of national prominence, our first order of business must be to make our Morgan family whole."
Morgan State has used contractual employees to address its workforce needs for more than 20 years. Now, 60 employees are in line to be eligible for benefits. Another 70 employees will see bigger paychecks.
The wage increase is effective Wednesday. The conversions of contractual employees began Wednesday and should be complete by the end of the fiscal year.
"We've worked with Morgan State to address long-standing inequities in pay and benefits for our members. Under President Wilson's leadership our partnership is taking a giant step forward," said Patrick Moran, president of AFSCME Council 3, the union for Morgan State employees. "This Board of Regents action recognizes the hard work of frontline staff at Morgan State and is a testament to collaboration and visionary leadership."
