Salary Recommendations for Clergy and Staff of Local Congregations
Effective January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007
Salary Recommendations for 2006
The UUA salary ranges are recommendations intended to guide
congregational decisions; these are not mandates.
While grounded in the UUA compensation survey data, the 2004 salary recommendations,
that are effective through December 31, 2005, also take into account
the prevailing wages paid to executive, administrative, and educational staffs
of non-profit organizations in the US as researched and reported by the Abbot-Langer
Co. This data helped clarify salary ranges appropriate for personnel of religious
organizations, even where there is no exact congruence of responsibilities and
tasks, or requirements such as ordination.
Salaries for clergy and staff of local congregations are structured
in ranges from Minimum to Midpoint to Maximum. The Minimum is usually
the amount offered to a new qualified employee. The Midpoint should
be the level at which most staff working in this job would find
themselves after a reasonable time in the position. The Maximum
is the amount generally considered a reasonable goal for that position,
but there will be situations where long-term or exceptional staff
members are paid at levels above the Maximum.
Note: These ranges represent the base salary only,
plus a clergy housing allowance in the case of ordained ministers.
The figures do not include other payroll costs such as insurance
premiums, retirement contributions, and, for ministers, an adjustment
“in lieu of employer’s FICA.” Nor do the salary
ranges include a professional expense allowance.
Benefits
Of equal importance to fair salary ranges are the employer-paid
benefits provided to eligible employees. In 1995, the delegates
to the UUA General Assembly unanimously approved compensation guidelines
calling on congregations to provide health insurance protection
for all staff working half-time or more. The cost of this insurance
is usually borne by the employer/congregations, although health
insurance premiums may be split 80/20 or 75/25 in some instances.
Congregations are expected to enroll their eligible staff in the
UUA Retirement Plan managed by Fidelity Investments, and to contribute
an amount equivalent to ten percent of the wages paid to the minister(s)
or other employees. Employees may make additional voluntary pre-tax
contributions once the employer has contributed ten percent, up
to the limits of US federal law. Unlike in typical 401(k) plans,
the basic contribution is by the employer, not the employee.
Participation in the UU sponsored dental, term life, and long-term
disability insurance program with MetLife is available to staff
who work half time or more. Usually, the premiums are paid by the
congregations as benefits, although the premiums may be paid by
the employees on a salary reduction basis.
The Capsule Job Descriptions should be used as guides to determine the appropriate
match for the church staff positions in your congregation. The descriptions
will, in all probability, not exactly match those of your congregation, but
will serve as standardized guides.
These salary ranges are designed to be used in conjunction with
the appropriate Geo Index for the community or city in which the
congregation is located. The Geo Index information is the work of
an independent economic research organization that ranks cities
in the US based on cost-of-living and wage rate data. In the UUA
salary recommendations, Geo Index 3 represents the national average.
Geo Index 1 is twelve percent below the average, and Geo Index 2
is six percent below the average. Geo Index 4 is six percent above
the average, and Geo Index 5 is twelve percent above.
Fair Compensation Congregations
Many UU congregations have achieved the salary and benefit recommendations
made in prior years, or are working toward doing so. Congregations
that have accomplished the recommendations may designate themselves
as Fair Compensation Congregations – Practicing;
those with plans in place to achieve the goal within five years
are designated Fair Compensation Congregations – Committed.
Additional information is nearby from the volunteer Compensation
Consultants in each UUA District. These persons are identified on
the roster at www.uua.org/programs/ministry/finances.
Further information is also available from Rev. Ralph Mero or Joyce
Stewart at the UUA Office of Church Staff Finances; 617/948-6421,
rmero@uua.org, or jstewart@uua.org.
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