Month: June 2014

Minimum Wage Increase

The Michigan legislature has passed a bill increasing the state’s minimum wage from $7.40 to $9.25 per hour by 2018.  The first stage will begin this year with the minimum wage increasing to $8.15 per hour effective September 1st, 2014. Therefore, all hourly rates that fall below this rate will be increased on August 31, 2014. This will have an impact on departments that hire students and temporary employees currently paid less than this amount.  For jobs starting after August 31, 2014 please use the minimum wage of $8.15/hour.

Additional increases in the minimum wage are scheduled to take effect in the future, namely an increase to $8.50 per hour effective January 1, 2016, $8.90 in 2017, and an increase to $9.25 per hour effective January 1, 2018.

The Michigan legislature has passed a bill increasing the state’s minimum wage from $7.40 to $9.25 per hour by 2018.  The first stage will begin this year with the minimum wage increasing to $8.15 per hour effective September 1st, 2014. Therefore, all hourly rates that fall below this rate will be increased on August 31, 2014. This will have an impact on departments that hire students and temporary employees currently paid less than this amount.  For jobs starting after August 31, 2014 please use the minimum wage of $8.15/hour.

Additional increases in the minimum wage are scheduled to take effect in the future, namely an increase to $8.50 per hour effective January 1, 2016, $8.90 in 2017, and an increase to $9.25 per hour effective January 1, 2018.

MICUP Internship

NamGiao Tran just ended her six week internship with Human Resources.  Nam was a MICUP student visiting Michigan Tech from Grand Rapids Community College.

Nam’s internship project in Human Resources focused on making improvements to the internal flow of work related to a staff hiring.  Her first week began with learning about Lean philosophy and focusing on the concept of standardized work. She began by working with department staff to understand the hiring process and creating a swim lane process map.  The exercise of creating the process map identified specific improvement areas which Nam worked on for the remainder of her stay.  Her work supported the creation of standardized tools, forms, and checklists that will be implemented to improve the process flow.

Nam is pictured below with her poster that captures the work she did.  The photo was taken at the MICUP Poster Presentation on June 19, 2014.

Nam plans to transfer to Michigan Tech next fall to study Accounting.

Team Up for an Amazing Challange

Team registration is now open for the HuskyPAW Amazing Challenge, which will be held on Saturday, August 2, 2014 at 9:00 a.m.

If you’re not familiar with Amazing Challenge, it’s loosely based on the TV show, The Amazing Race. Teams complete a series of challenges while they race toward the finish line. Challenges are a mix of physical activity and mental challenges or puzzles. Each challenge needs to be completed in order to receive a clue to move forward.  While this can be a competitive race for many teams; this can also be a fun family event completed at your own pace.
Teams are limited to four adults, although for those teams made up of families with young children, we do allow more than four members. Contact the Benefits office if you have more than four team members
The winning team gets bragging rights as the Amazing Challenge winner. HuskyPAW members receive bonus points for participating. Contact Benefit Services at benefits@mtu.edu with questions.

Retirement Supplemental Voluntary Program (RSVP) Enrollment Period Begins

The Retirement Supplemental Voluntary Program (RSVP) is a voluntary retirement program offered to eligible Michigan Tech employees. While employees are not constrained to retire at any particular age, arrangements for retirement are a natural part of an employee’s personal and professional planning. This program provides information and, in some cases, incentives, that should make retirement planning easier.

The window period for which an employee may sign their RSVP election is between July 1 and October 31, 2014. Employees electing the monetary Retirement Option must retire on or before June 30, 2015. Prior to electing RSVP, employees must meet with the Benefits Office for a confidential meeting to verify eligibility. The RSVP policy can be found online at http://www.mtu.edu/hr/benefits/retirement/.

The RSVP cap on the monetary benefit is adjusted periodically based on the percentage increase in the contribution and benefit base amount established by the Social Security’s Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program. The cap was increased on May 21, 2014 to $68,905.

Questions can be directed to Benefit Services at 487-2517 or benefits@mtu.edu.