United Campus Workers of Arizona Demand a Dignified Wage for ALL Workers at Arizona State University
Dr. Michael M. Crow - ASU President, Nancy Gonzales - Executive Vice President and Provost, ASU Executive Team, and All members of the Arizona Board of Regents
Dear Arizona State University community,
We need your support to ensure dignified jobs and fair wages. UCWAZ believes that all workers must be paid thriving wages in Arizona. This goes hand-in-hand with Arizona State University’s Charter as a:
“comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed…[while also] assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.”
Across our communities, we have seen how the housing market, gas prices, and food expenses have increased. Inflation is over 10% in Arizona, outpacing the national average, and workers' wages are not increasing to meet the costs of living in the area. Rents shot up almost 30% in the Phoenix area last year, more than double the U.S. increase. In Glendale (ASU West), the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,220. In Mesa (future ASU campus) the median rent is $1,300. In Phoenix (ASU Downtown), the median rent is $1,230. In Chandler (ASU Polytechnic), the median rent is $1,540. When people don’t make enough money to meet basic needs there are countless negative consequences on their quality of work, their families, their credit scores, their mental health, and their physical health. Underpaid ASU workers keep the lights on, keep campuses beautiful, support research output, and so much more. We deserve better. The current cost of living does not include any medical emergencies or unexpected expenses.
According to the university's own salary data, at least 33% of the workforce at ASU is making less than $25 per hour. That means that at least 4,000 employees in our university are not making enough to survive in our communities. We are instructors, we are lecturers, we are library workers and support staff, we are custodians, we are graduate and undergraduate students, we are research specialists, we are administrative assistants, and we are coordinators. We are the backbone of our university and make the university run. We are ready for the administration to take responsibility by allocating resources to establish a thriving wage for all workers without department cuts, layoffs, non-renewals, third-party contracts, or increased workloads.
By increasing the wage floor for campus workers to $25 per hour, we know that at least 4,000 families at ASU will have enough money to meet their needs. Raising the wage floor at the universities aligns with the recent pay raises for other Arizona state employees that was passed in the 2023 state budget.
Sign our petition to demand that Arizona State Arizona pay an hourly wage of at least $25 by 2025.
If you are a campus worker and would like to learn more about this campaign, visit ucwarizona.org and join us to build power and solidarity!
Sponsored by
To:
Dr. Michael M. Crow - ASU President, Nancy Gonzales - Executive Vice President and Provost, ASU Executive Team, and All members of the Arizona Board of Regents
From:
[Your Name]
I urge every single individual targeted in this letter to increase wages for campus workers and to meet the demand of $25 an hour by the year 2025 that UCWArizona is bringing forward.
UCWAZ believes that all workers must be paid thriving wages in Arizona. This goes hand-in-hand with Arizona State University’s Charter as a:
“comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed…[while also] assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.”
Across our communities, we have seen how the housing market, gas prices, and food expenses have increased. Inflation is over 10% in Arizona, outpacing the national average, and workers' wages are not increasing to meet the costs of living in the area. Rents shot up almost 30% in the Phoenix area last year, more than double the U.S. increase. In Glendale (ASU West), the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,220. In Mesa (future ASU campus) the median rent is $1,300. In Phoenix (ASU Downtown), the median rent is $1,230. In Chandler (ASU Polytechnic), the median rent is $1,540. When people don’t make enough money to meet basic needs there are countless negative consequences on their quality of work, their families, their credit scores, their mental health, and their physical health. Underpaid ASU workers keep the lights on, keep campuses beautiful, support research output, and so much more. We deserve better. The current cost of living does not include any medical emergencies or unexpected expenses.
According to the university's own salary data, at least 33% of the workforce at ASU is making less than $25 per hour. That means that at least 4,000 employees in our university are not making enough to survive in our communities. We are instructors, we are lecturers, we are library workers and support staff, we are custodians, we are graduate and undergraduate students, we are research specialists, we are administrative assistants, and we are coordinators. We are the backbone of our university and make the university run. We are ready for the administration to take responsibility by allocating resources to establish a thriving wage for all workers without department cuts, layoffs, non-renewals, third-party contracts, or increased workloads.
By increasing the wage floor for campus workers to $25 per hour, we know that at least 4,000 families at ASU will have enough money to meet their needs. Raising the wage floor at the university aligns with the recent pay raises for other Arizona state employees that was passed in the 2023 state budget.