UW-Madison student workers say wage increase not enough

Though the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently announced it would increase the minimum wage for student employees to $9 per hour, campus organizations are calling for an increase to $15, reports the Badger Herald.

Student members of the Student Labor Action Coalition and Working Class Student Union say the current wage increase is not enough to help with basic expenses such as food, books, tuition and housing.

University officials told the student newspaper that funding for a higher minimum wage would have to come from a secondary source, such as increasing the fees students pay to fund student-run organizations.

“The student hourly positions are never meant to pay for someone’s college education,” UW Senior Director of Operations at the Office of Human Resources Mark Walters told the Badger Herald. “As far as being the primary source, it’s supposed to defray the cost of living expenses and tuition and housing.”

Read the full story at the Badger Herald.