The Board of Trustees needs to approve the following bill proposed by Student Senate:
GVSU Board of Trustees
1. Increase the student wages budget per department
2. Remove the wage rate classification system
3. Have a labor market analysis determine floor of student wages
Grand Valley must raise the Student Wages budget, as it currently takes up only 3% of the General Fund Expenditure Budget. This is compared to the 73% taken up by the Faculty and Staff budgets. The discrepancy is unacceptable considering that Grand Valley employs more than 4,000 student employees, and only 3,810 faculty and staff members. To make up more than half of the employees on campus and still receive so little is unacceptable.
In addition, the student wage rate classification system needs to be removed and be replaced with freedom for employers to pay students reasonable wages, rather than a chart that remains behind inflation. The chart accounts for at most 2.3% in raises from 2022-2023, despite the fact that inflation for 2022 alone has risen to around 8%. This freedom would then be backed by an analysis of the labor market around Grand Valley, to ensure wages are at least current market value.
The Board of Trustees must respect the will of the students and make sure those students employed by the university will be paid appropriately for their essential work.
Petition by
To:
GVSU Board of Trustees
From:
[Your Name]
I am a member of the GVSU community advocating the following the Board of Trustees pass the following Student Senate legislation:
1. Increase the student wages budget per department
2. Remove the wage rate classification system
3. Have a labor market analysis determine floor of student wages
Grand Valley must raise the Student Wages budget, as it currently takes up only 3% of the General Fund Expenditure Budget. This is compared to the 73% taken up by the Faculty and Staff budgets. The discrepancy is unacceptable considering that Grand Valley employs more than 4,000 student employees, and only 3,810 faculty and staff members. To make up more than half of the employees on campus and still receive so little is unacceptable.
In addition, the student wage rate classification system needs to be removed and be replaced with freedom for employers to pay students reasonable wages, rather than a chart that remains behind inflation. The chart accounts for at most 2.3% in raises from 2022-2023, despite the fact that inflation for 2022 alone has risen to around 8%. This freedom would then be backed by an analysis of the labor market around Grand Valley, to ensure wages are at least current market value.
The Board of Trustees must respect the will of the students and make sure those students employed by the university will be paid appropriately for their essential work.