Oakland University prides itself on being an inclusive and safe community, one which takes care of its members. While this sentiment can be felt in presence, it is not felt within the wallets of its workers and students. From full time on-campus students, to part time commuters, many have an interest in working at the university, for the sake of financial stability and convenience. For many students— especially those lacking consistent personal transportation, working on campus is just about the only option. The area is constantly developing and students already receive a multitude of services, but this front of benevolence fades away when looking at the wages of workers.

We keep the institution running, yet wage increases aren’t considered without intense pressure. The $9.87 campus minimum wage, increasing tuition, and absurd textbook prices show an acute lack of interest in the welfare of the community. If the issue is budgetary it shows a mismanagement of funds, not a lack of resources. If Oakland University can afford to pay President Ora Pescovitz a salary of $483,171 per year, they can afford to pay students a living wage.

Students and workers should come first. For those reasons, we are calling on the Board of Trustees to establish a campus-wide minimum wage of $15 an hour.

As the Board of Trustees, you have a commitment to bettering our community and should recognize that this campus is becoming increasingly unaffordable to students. Tuition and cost of living are rising, yet our $9.87 minimum wage stays the same. This system favors those with the ability to pay staggering rates and forces out low-income students from marginalized backgrounds who don’t have that privilege. In this way, Oakland University perpetuates systemic racism, classism, and other forms of marginalization that our community will not tolerate. Across sectors of the economy, labor shortages are revealing an increased need to improve pay: this is no different among student employees.

We stand united as students, workers, and community members to demand that the Board of Trustees use its authority to ensure that a universal $15 minimum wage for all campus workers is included in the next budget.

Sincerely,

Oakland University Young Democratic Socialists of America (OU YDSA)

ydsofou@gmail.com