By Associated Press
Knoxville, TN – The lowest paid employees of the University of Tennessee are getting a salary increase. The university is increasing its minimum starting pay for workers to $8.50 an hour. That's one dollar higher than the current starting wage. University officials say the increase was recommended by UT's Compensation Advisory Board and is part of a long-term strategy to address wages for school employees. The pay increase will begin after July 1. Officials say about 270 current full- and part-time employees working on UT campuses across the state will benefit from the increase.