Case Western Reserve University is boosting employees’ minimum wage to $16 an hour.
That hourly rate previously clocked in at $15. Part- and full-time workers at the University Circle institution are eligible for this new increase.
Case Western Reserve is one of the city’s largest employers. Officials said about 25% of its 2,700 staff employees – roughly 675 people – will see their earnings rise. The university also employs nearly 1,200 full-time faculty members, according to its most recent annual report.
They added that “most” employees already earn a minimum of $16 an hour. Officials didn’t respond to Signal Cleveland’s question on whether the increase would go into effect for any outside independent contractors the university may employ.
“Since his arrival, President Eric W. Kaler has committed to increasing salaries of the university’s faculty and staff, and this minimum wage increase is the most recent outcome,” a university spokesperson recently told Signal Cleveland.
First Case Western Reserve wage change since 2021
This change at Case Western Reserve took effect July 1. The university last boosted its minimum wage three years ago.
It comes as advocate groups across Ohio are pushing to boost the state’s current hourly minimum wage of $10.45.
Advocates for one of those initiatives recently hit a snag by failing to collect enough signatures to get a constitutional amendment on November’s ballot.
They are continuing to collect signatures with the goal of getting on the ballot in 2025.
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