The 2 percent increase in faculty and staff salaries Gov. Richardson signed off on Tuesday isn't enough for UNM to remain competitive in retaining top professors or to raise lagging morale among employees, University community members say.
UNM's Board of Regents and President Caldera pushed for a 5 percent increase, even challenging the state's Legislature to find funding for a 10 percent raise.
John Geissman, an Earth and Planetary Sciences professor at UNM, said the 2 percent raise is nothing short of deplorable.
"It's just more of the same," he said, adding that every year UNM is falling farther and farther behind its peer institutions nationally in terms of salary levels. "After taxes, we're looking at more like 1 percent. I challenge anyone to prove me wrong."
According to UNM records, University faculty members on average make $65,000 per year. The University's peer institutions, however, average $72,000 for its professors, a difference Geissman said that is rocking UNM at its core.
"Faculty and staff are the most important facet of this University," he said, adding that years of neglect by state lawmakers have led to a lowered sense of community and a loss of pride by many employees in their jobs.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Geissman said even a 10 percent salary increase would only begin to make UNM's pay rate competitive nationwide.
Last year faculty and staff members' 3 percent salary increase fell well short of their hoped for 6 percent, making this year's point of contention over salary increases even sharper.
The 2 percent increase is part of the state's $4.4 million budget package the state Legislature approved last week. Although that money increases state funding by more than 6 percent, all state employees are left with the 2 percent raise.
"Two percent is better than nothing," said Alan Morgan, president of UNM's Staff Council. "But it's certainly much less than what staff members deserve."
Morgan said with the rising costs of benefits such as health insurance, the 2 percent raise will be quickly consumed.
"For the vast majority of staff members, this raise is relatively insignificant," he said. "A 2 percent raise on a low salary relates to very little money."
None of the members of the Board of Regents or the President of UNM were available for comment Tuesday as they were in Washington, D.C. meeting with New Mexico lobbyists.
Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesman for Gov. Richardson, said the Legislature would have liked to give state employees a larger raise, but because of the state's tight budget it had to tighten its financial belt.
"The governor would have loved to been able to offer more of a raise, but the poor economy left him with his hands tied," Gallegos said.
Gallegos said New Mexico is in an advantageous situation, though, with its economy well above several neighboring states.
"If everything goes as planned and economic situations continue to improve, more raises may be possible for state employees," he said.
Many UNM professors, though, say that is not enough to improve conditions on campus.
Geissman said many faculty members spend half of their years at UNM actually losing money because their income doesn't stand up against their living expenses.
"What kind of message is that sending to the professionals responsible for educating the future leaders of our country?" he asked.
