Dine College issued the following announcement on Aug. 30.
Diné College joins the trend in increasing their minimum wage to $15 an hour regular full-time employees as of August 26, 2021, which positively impacted more than two thirds of the College’s workforce. Diné College has 276 employees.
Currently, the federal and Navajo Nation minimum wage remains at $7.25 an hour. The State of Arizona increased their minimum wage to $12.15 an hour and the State of New Mexico to $10.50 an hour.
Diné College President, Charles “Monty” Roessel said, how could we ask an employee to work during a pandemic and earn less than $10 per hour. “At the beginning of this year, the administration vowed to do something about it. We committed to raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour.”
In order to practice our mission and philosophy, we must start with honoring the employees that make this College, said Roessel. With the increase in minimum wage, the College will also have increased expectations for employees that will include updating job descriptions and re-envisioning performance evaluations that align with the College’s four Core Institutional Values to achieve the mission and vision of the College. These are:
- T’áá hó ájít’éego: Excellence and self-initiative in problem-solving, compassion, setting clear goals, and establishing positive working relationships.
- Ahił na’anish: Cooperating and helping one another, keeping all employees well informed, using proper language for communication, respecting one another on equal terms, and honoring K’é.
- Ił ídlí: Respecting the cultural, racial, and gender diversity of the Diné People, maintaining safe, courteous, respectful, and positive learning environments, and valuing inclusiveness.
- Ił ééhózin: Understanding, thoughtfulness, competence, confidence, conscientiousness, and reflectivity for serving the needs of the Diné People.
“Diné College is in the process of transforming who we are and what we offer. I want all of you to know that we are excited to meet this new future together and with the mutual respect needed to meet our aspirations,” said President Roessel.
Original source can be found here.
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