Unions are built by and for their members. In that vein, the leadership team of BSWU strongly believes in consistent and transparent communication to maintain a membership-guided union. All of that said, here are some updates we have received about the state of student work on campus we would like to share.
For the pay period paid on Oct. 15, there were 319 student workers in nearly 500 positions across campus. The average pay for these students was $10.63, which places the average hourly pay below $10.68, which is the second of the four tiers outlined in the union’s contract with the college — a system where the pay of campus jobs increases from the base pay depending on the job. . For the 26-27 fiscal year, Beloit College budgeted $1.02 million for student employment. That is a 5% increase from the budget for the 25-26 and 24-25 fiscal years (there was no real increase in the budget between 24-25 and 25-26). The average tier level pay has gone up about 29% over two years, while the college has only increased its student employment budget by about 5% in that same time. This 24% gap represents the college designating jobs at unfair rates, as well as cutting total hours.
When it comes to the unfair rates, we have already put some motions into play. Over the last few weeks, we have received a large cache of job descriptions for student workers to review if their current tier level matches what the tier levels should be. The tiers are as follows: tier 1 is no prior experience or skills, tier 2 is some skills and/or experience, tier 3 is specific training and/or experience, and tier 4 is supervisory or management responsibilities. After reviewing over 100 documents, we flagged at least 20 positions underpaying student workers, and are confident that those positions will see a $0.50 or even a $1 increase in their hourly pay. If you think you are being underpaid for your job, you can reach out to BSWU, and we will take a look at it. When it comes to the gap in the student employment budget and the pay increase for student workers, this will be addressed in contract negotiations over the summer.
Vote Nov. 3:
If you are able, we encourage all of you to vote in the upcoming election. There are many issues at stake, and if Democrats win the trifecta (legislature, senate, and governor), we can start seeing real improvements in Wisconsin. Two important issues we are watching are reducing the cost of living and repealing right-to-work, an anti-union law allowing people to receive the benefits of unions without actually contributing to the collective efforts. You can vote early until Oct. 30, and then vote at First Congregational Church, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Nov. 3 if you live on campus.
Joining the Union:
We currently have about 100 official members, and are looking to increase those numbers going into our contract year. Anyone who is currently working on campus, or considering working on campus, can join using the link on our Instagram or by scanning QR codes across campus. Becoming a member of BSWU gives people access to many benefits — from having voting power in our elections, endorsements, and union actions, to merch, fun events, lost time compensation (paid) engagement opportunities, and more. Most importantly, joining BSWU shows the college that we are united, meaning we can win more pay, benefits, and protections in our contract negotiations this summer. Members have 2.2% (about $0.20 an hour) deducted from their paychecks to support our continued advocacy for all of you; over two years, student workers got a roughly 29% increase in their hourly pay because of our contract, so your support helps us push for more money in your pocket! Joining the union is also a way of showcasing the power we have!
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