Arizona's
minimum-wage hike leaves 11,200 college students behind
While many
are applauding or criticizing Arizona's new minimum wage, one group has been
largely left out of the conversation: thousands of students at the three state
universities.
About
11,200 students from Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and
University of Arizona are now making less money to work for their schools than
if they got a job right off campus.
That's
because when Proposition 206 raised the Arizona minimum wage from $8.05 an hour
to $10 on Jan. 1, benefiting an estimated 800,000 people, it exempted employees
who work for the state, including universities.
The vast
majority of those left behind are public-university students. Less than 200
state-agency employees were affected. Community colleges were also required to
comply.
It means a
student who works 10 hours a week for minimum wage is missing out on $312 this
semester. One who works 20 hours a week for two semesters will sacrifice $1,250
this year.
“When the
(state minimum-wage) raise hit but we didn't see the effects, we felt like we
were left out to dry by our school.”
Lucas
Dickey, an NAU junior in political science who works for the university grounds
crew
"I'm
being paid $2 less than a McDonald’s worker for performing absolutely essential
tasks for everyday campus upkeep," said Lucas Dickey, an NAU junior in
political science who works for the grounds crew.
"I
can’t believe this doesn’t apply to us. We all assumed it would," said
Megan Sopa, an ASU junior who works as a grader for the math department and a
community ambassador in her off-campus apartment.
"It
wouldn’t have been a massive increase in my wages but every little bit
counts," she said. "The thing that’s most bothersome is that it
doesn’t seem fair."
So far, the
inequality has sparked varied responses from the universities.
UA plans to
spend about $6.6 million to raise all employees to $10 an hour in July. That
same month, a Flagstaff law takes effect that will leave some NAU employees
making almost $4 less per hour than their off-campus equals.
RELATED:
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Higher minimum wage might mean less money for schools, lawmakers say |
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