Diné College has increased the minimum wage for full-time employees to $15 an hour. There are 276 employees at the college.
Federal and Navajo Nation minimum wage is $7.25. Arizona and New Mexico independently increased their minimum wages to $12.15 an hour and $10.50 an hour, respectively.
Diné College President Dr. Charles “Monty” Roessel, said he wanted to find a way to help employees working hard during the pandemic.
“At the beginning of this year, we vowed to do something about it,” he said.
The increase is just one piece in the overall goal to re-envision performance evaluation and job expectations across the college to better align with the college’s institutional values: excellence, cooperation, respect, and understanding for the Diné people.