Labor union petitions for living wages for MSU campus employees
MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. (WCBI) – There’s a student union of a different sort on the campus of Mississippi State University.
The United Campus Workers is a labor union affiliated with universities across the Southeast.
The organization is open to anyone who is employed by a university, from student workers to graduate assistants to tenure-track faculty to support staff workers.
Members at Mississippi State University have been circulating a petition this semester, requesting, among other things a living wage for campus employees, changes in the time covered by graduate assistant stipends, and that wages keep up with inflation.
Members surpassed their goal of 500 signatures, and today, they were going to present the petition to MSU President Dr. Mark Keenum.
Local members say many workers are simply being priced out of the area.
“We’re seeing a rise in the cost of living across Starkville, particularly. And, so a lot of the workers, and the students that are maybe on the lower end of pay, are starting to get basically run out of their housing, and having to deal with rising food costs and other costs of living, and so, they’re having to decide between taking loans and continuing their education, or trying to find another job, and that’s very disheartening,” said Zach Dykema, UCW of Mississippi.
United Campus Workers members at Ole Miss and the University of Southern Mississippi were joining the MSU chapter in presenting their petitions today, since May First, or May Day, is International Workers Day.
