UW-Madison student employees and graduate assistants will receive pay increases starting next school year, according to Chancellor Rebecca Blank’s official blog.
This Sept. 1, the university’s minimum student hourly wage will increase from $7.25 to $9.00, Blank wrote. She says the increase represents UW-Madison’s commitment to its student workers “despite a difficult budget.”
“Many of our students face difficulty with balancing classwork, studying and finding the time to work enough to pay for their expenses,” Blank said. “[The raise] will help to reduce their reliance on loans.”
Generally, the UW pay scale has corresponded with the federal minimum wage. However, Blank said because the federal minimum has remained stagnant for a number of years, a change was in order.
Additionally, effective July 1, most graduate assistants will receive a pay raise of 2 percent.
“The university is committed to paying competitive wages to graduate assistants … to make sure UW-Madison can compete for and reward top graduate students,” Blank said.
Members of campus workers’ rights organizations celebrated the news of the pay increase, according to an Associated Students of Madison press release.
“I’m thrilled to see administration responding to the amazing organizing work of students,” said former ASM representative and worker justice organizer Megan Phillips.
However, ASM representative Leland Pan says the change in graduate assistant salary is not truly a raise, it is “just enough to keep up with inflation.”
“There’s still progress to be made,” Pan said in the release. “The raise is appreciated, though it’s not enough.”
