Bowdoin raises its minimum wage to $17 an hour, starting Monday
Courtesy / Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College, which has an enrollment of about 1,800 students, is increasing the minimum hourly wage for benefits-eligible workers from $15.50 to $17.
Some workers at Bowdoin College will receive a pay raise on Monday, as the Brunswick school hikes its minimum hourly wage from $15.50 to $17.
Other compensation increases will also go into effect for virtually all of its more than 330 benefit-eligible support staff, the college said in a news release Wednesday.
The 10% bump in pay comes 10 months ahead of wage increases Bowdoin had already scheduled. Under a plan released in October 2019, the college increased its minimum to $14 in July 2020, then to $15.50 last month. The $17 wage to take effect in July 2022.
Nearly two years ago, when Bowdoin drew up the wage schedule, the college’s minimum wage was $12.65 an hour and the state-mandated minimum was $11 an hour.
The state’s minimum wage stands today at $12.15 an hour.
“This accelerated timetable for increasing Bowdoin’s minimum hiring rate to $17 reflects rapidly changing labor conditions in Maine and Bowdoin’s commitment to remaining a leader in wages and benefits in Maine,” said Matt Orlando, Bowdoin’s senior vice president for finance and administration and treasurer.
Many workers across Maine have chosen to exit the workforce since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The worker shortage is affecting businesses and organizations across the state, including at Bowdoin, where vacancies for hourly positions are running well above normal levels. Most of the support positions are in dining and facility operations for the 1,800-student school, according to the college.
Orlando said the raises are meant to both attract new workers and to reward those who have remained during the pandemic.
“When combined with a benefits package that is among the very best in Maine, the higher hourly rates are expected to draw more interest from job seekers in the region,” he added.
“The higher rates also recognize the essential work performed by the support staff who are here with us now. This is an investment in these individuals and the skills and experience each of them brings to campus every day.”
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