Essential Workers Deserve Hazard Pay

University of Colorado Board of Regents & CU Leadership

Essential workers deserve hazard pay when they are working during hazardous conditions.

But, per university policy, no University of Colorado essential worker receives hazard pay due to severe weather.

UCW Colorado demands that CU change their policy and pay essential workers hazard pay for hours worked during campus closures.

CU Boulder, CU Denver, and CU Anschutz Medical Campus are all closed today, Monday, March 15, 2021, with UCCS taking a late start, due to the weekend’s snowstorm. The essential workers required to be on campus keep the university running on days like today.

Who is an essential worker and what are they paid? At CU, full-time custodians’ salaries average $33,431, dining services workers average $31,845, and grounds workers average $40,8061. These are some of the people required to be on campus without hazard pay.

These workers are essential because CU campuses cannot function without their labor. We understand that some custodial, dining, and facilities staff must travel to campus, even under dangerous conditions, to keep our campuses running. What we’re saying is: pay essential workers fairly. Pay them a wage that reflects their importance to the university.

We asked for workers to be paid hazard pay when required to be on campus during the pandemic2 - when university leadership is able to work comfortably from home - but those demands have been met with silence. At the very least, we ought to be able to agree that workers required to be on campus during a major snowstorm should receive hazard pay.

Here’s an example of why: Denver Public Schools, BVSD, Adams 12, and Jeffco schools, as well as most daycares, are closed or remote today.3 That means many essential workers will have children at home. In order to work, they’ll need to secure childcare. Since many essential workers are among the lowest paid workers at CU, just covering childcare costs will take a significant portion of their paycheck. Ultimately, these essential workers will be getting paid less (after childcare costs) than on a normal day when their kids might be at school or daycare.

UCW Colorado demands that CU change their policy and pay essential workers hazard pay for hours worked during campus closures.

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1. University of Colorado. CU Salary Database. https://www.cusys.edu/budget/cusalaries/

2. United Campus Workers Colorado. #COVIDCatharsisCU - Demands. https://www.ucwcolorado.org/covid-campus/#demands

3. If you’re saying, “Well, the schools have been remote a lot lately!” - Exactly. That’s part of why essential workers should have been getting hazard pay throughout the pandemic.


To: University of Colorado Board of Regents & CU Leadership
From: [Your Name]

Essential workers deserve hazard pay when they are working during hazardous conditions.

But, per university policy, no University of Colorado essential worker receives hazard pay due to severe weather.

CU Boulder, CU Denver, and CU Anschutz Medical Campus are all closed today, with UCCS taking a late start, due to the weekend’s snowstorm. The essential workers required to be on campus keep the university running on days like today.

Who is an essential worker and what are they paid? At CU, full-time custodians’ salaries average $33,431, dining services workers average $31,845, and grounds workers average $40,806.(1) These are some of the people required to be on campus without hazard pay.

These workers are essential because CU campuses cannot function without their labor. We understand that some custodial, dining, and facilities staff must travel to campus, even under dangerous conditions, to keep our campuses running. What we’re saying is: pay essential workers fairly. Pay them a wage that reflects their importance to the university.

We asked for workers to be paid hazard pay when required to be on campus during the pandemic(2) - when university leadership is able to work comfortably from home - but those demands have been met with silence. At the very least, we ought to be able to agree that workers required to be on campus during a major snowstorm should receive hazard pay.

Here’s an example of why: Denver Public Schools, BVSD, Adams 12, and Jeffco schools, as well as most daycares, are closed or remote today.(3) That means many essential workers will have children at home. In order to work, they’ll need to secure childcare. Since many essential workers are among the lowest paid workers at CU, just covering childcare costs will take a significant portion of their paycheck. Ultimately, these essential workers will be getting paid less (after childcare costs) than on a normal day when their kids might be at school or daycare.

UCW Colorado demands that CU change their policy and pay essential workers hazard pay for hours worked during campus closures.

-------

1. University of Colorado. CU Salary Database. https://www.cusys.edu/budget/cusalaries/ ​
2. United Campus Workers Colorado. #COVIDCatharsisCU - Demands. https://www.ucwcolorado.org/covid-campus/#demands ​
3. If you’re saying, “Well, the schools have been remote a lot lately!” - Exactly. That’s part of why essential workers should have been getting hazard pay throughout the pandemic.