UW Health is increasing its minimum hourly wage from $15 to $17 in May, a move that affects more than 20% of employees, the organization said Wednesday.
The development comes after Madison-based American Family Insurance said last week it is raising its minimum wage to $23 in July after boosting it from $15 to $20 in early 2020.
UW Health set a minimum wage of $15 five years ago and said the increase to $17 will help attract good employees.
“We are raising the bar again to support the dedicated and talented staff here at UW Health and ensure we can bring in the new, highly skilled and driven staff we need to support our health system and care for our community,” Betsy Clough, UW Health's chief human resources officer, said in a statement.
UW Health is competing for talent with new industries and geographic regions, Clough said. The wage increase applies to more than 200 job titles, including environmental services, medical assistants and nursing assistants.
The minimum hourly wage at SSM Health and UnityPoint Health-Meriter remains $15, spokespersons said.
Exact Sciences has in the last two years raised its $15 an hour minimum wage to $17. Stoughton Trailers in September boosted pay for some workers, including welders, whose minimum hourly rate jumped from $18 to $20.
Meanwhile, UW Health nurses — who typically make much more than minimum wage — continue to try to revive a union lost after former Republican Gov. Scott Walker's Act 10 in 2011 stripped collective bargaining...
CNN is defending its reporting on a statement given by Iranian officials regarding a ceasefire agreement the U.S. and Iran reached just hours before President Trump was set to launch an attack on ...