UW-Madison launches student-wage review

University of Wisconsin–Madison Chancellor John D. Wiley will appoint a committee of students, faculty and staff to review and, if warranted, recommend market-based increases to student hourly wage scales.

“I support fair wages for all employees, including students, faculty and staff,” Wiley says. “In particular, in a time of rising tuition and difficult economic conditions, I care about student employees and believe in paying them as much as we are able.”

The wage committee, to be chaired by Academic Personnel Office director Stephen Lund, will conduct an examination of the three major student categories — basic, intermediate and advanced — to examine whether current rates are consistent with local market rates.

If the university’s wage structure lags behind the local job market, the student wage scale will be adjusted accordingly, Wiley says. Students appointed by the Associated Students of Madison (ASM) will be invited to participate, along with faculty and staff members.

As part of fall ASM elections, students recently passed an advisory referendum directing units receiving nonallocable segregated fees, (including the Wisconsin Union, University Health Services and the Division of Recreational Sports) to increase student hourly wages to the “living wage,” designed for a full-time worker to be able to earn enough money to support a family and defined by the city of Madison as $10.23 per hour.

Wiley, who ultimately shares approval over nonallocable budgets with the Board of Regents, recently enacted a “living wage” plan for limited-term employees (LTE). Through the increase, employees in LTE appointments, who often use the LTE position as their primary employment, would have additional means to support themselves and their families.

However, Wiley says there is an important set of distinctions between LTE and student hourly positions.

“Students in part-time positions are primarily engaged in pursuing an education, not serving as a full-time support for a family,” he says. “The living wage concept was never intended to be applied to student employees. Fair, market-based wages for part-time student employees will continue to be our standard.”

Currently, UW–Madison employs more than 7,000 student hourly workers. The current wage scale has a minimum of $6.95 per hour and a maximum of $19.05, with an average hourly rate of $9.03. Eighty-five percent of hourly employees are undergraduate students.

As outlined in UW System Financial Policy G18, student hourly rates must “reflect local student help job market conditions,” comply with applicable state and federal laws and not exceed the minimum of the salary range for classified employees with similar duties.

In addition, Wiley noted that hourly jobs are often used as a component of university financial aid programs, along with grants, loans and assistantships. Often the jobs are closely related to the educational pursuits of the student.

The university continues to identify jobs within the university environment that can be performed by students. Further effort is made to offer work schedules that are flexible to accommodate the limitations imposed by class schedules.

“Through the employment of students, we try to maximize financial assistance to students, while also realizing the benefit of the services performed by an employee,” he adds.

Wiley says that the committee’s review of student wage scales will apply to all student hourly employees, not just those in University Health Services, the Wisconsin Union and the Division of Recreational Sports.