(MOBILE, Ala.) – Proposed bonuses and pay raises for only half of the University of South Alabama’s employees have prompted backlash from the other half.
In a letter from University President Gordon Moulton to employees outlining the proposal, campus employees would receive a 3% December bonus and 3% salary bump starting October 1, 2012. Employees in the Clinical Division, including nurses and hospital workers, wouldn’t see a dime more.
The Clinical Division fired back with a formal letter to the Board of Trustees, calling the proposal “shameful” and “divisive”, and a case of "ever increasing discriminatory employee benefits."
On Local 15’s website, nurses and hospital workers have vented frustration. One commenter wrote “no raises have been received on the medical side going on six years now.” Another posted “a massive crippling strike is the only way this is going to end.” There were also mentions of a walkout or unionizing.
“What I’ve said to them is I share their disappointment,” Vice President of Health Sciences Dr. Ronald Franks told Local 15 News. “But they need to understand this has nothing to do with their value to the healthcare system.”
Dr. Franks said they could not recommend a pay raise for the because of current financial uncertainty regarding Medicaid and health care reform. Dr. Franks said funding sources for campus and clinical divisions are different.
In their letter, the Clinical Division asked the Board of Trustees to consider, at the very least, a 1.5% pay increase across the board.
The letter said if the proposal goes through as is, it “will drive good employees to seek employment elsewhere” and “reduce morale significantly.”
