By EMMA LAUS
With heightening tuition and the uncertain future of student loan forgiveness, negotiating a wage increase is a priority for the Beloit Student Workers Union, which is in its forming stages.
Student wages at Beloit were last increased in 2022 at the prompting of student activists, however they only rose a dollar from the Wisconsin minimum wage of $7.25. While the students hoped for a larger victory, it was progress nonetheless, and the union hopes to expand on this work in an official and organized manner.
According to Beth Young, the vice president of finance and the budget treasurer, the current student work budget is just under a million, a number which is determined annually along with the rest of the college’s budget. But with budget cuts occurring across departments, would it be possible to actually raise wages again?
Jake Fein, one of the union leaders, mentions two possibilities; “Let’s just say we go to a 50% increase. Theoretically, what the college would have to do is find another $450,000,” says Fein. “The college doesn’t just have $450,000 lying around, and so what that would mean is they would have to cut the budget for something else or take that out somewhere.” However, Fein acknowledges that this option may be unlikely given the college’s financial situation. Assuming this plan is turned down, they offer a second possibility. “You’ll keep the $900,000 the same, just cut hours for students in this proportional rate that you’re increasing. So students make the same amount of money, college spends the same amount of money. Just now, the hour that they work is worth more money, and they have more free time to do school work, relax, play sports, find a job off campus, if that’s something they’re allowed to do,” Fein says. They emphasize that the cutting of hours does not equate to cutting off jobs, rather increasing the worth of the time spent working.
On the Beloit webpage, the college compares itself to 19 other colleges in terms of financial resources. Fein and the other leaders compiled a document of the student wages at these colleges. “[Beloit is] on the very low end. For the 19 colleges we compare ourselves to, [most] schools that pay under what we pay are schools in the South, which is way more restrictive, with way more harsh rules on labor organizing,” they say. There are four schools with lower wages than Beloit: Austin College in Texas, Centre College in Kentucky, Wofford College in South Carolina, and Juniata College in Pennsylvania, all with student wages of $7.25 an hour.
Several of the other schools use a tiered wage system, with different jobs receiving different wages based on the level of involvement required. The union leaders at Beloit hope to implement a similar system at Beloit. Currently, there is only a 50 cent difference between the basic and more involved jobs on campus. “Someone sitting at the desk at the sports center and doing their homework is $8.25 and someone working in DKs or Hamilton’s, actually making food and being on their feet for their entire shift or someone doing office work in admissions, is only 50 cents more,” says Fein; “It’s just not the same, one is actually getting paid to sometimes do work and then be able to do a student aspect, and other is just like no, that’s a job.”
These demands will be discussed with senior administrators if they consent to sign a neutrality agreement. While a pay increase and tiered wage system are an important aspect of the union’s demands, more information on their other goals can be found on the Instagram page @bswunited.
EDITORIAL NOTE: The organizing committee met with senior administrators last Friday to discuss the neutrality agreement, and will be meeting weekly for further discussion. No information about the outcome of the meeting is able to be disclosed as of this writing.
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