Raise Wages for Student Workers!

Texas State University System Board of Regents, Texas State University President Dr. Kelly R. Damphousse

Student workers at Texas State desperately need a raise.

Undergraduate student workers at Texas State University currently earn poverty wages as low as $7.25/hr. They rely on assistance programs like SNAP and food pantries to survive. Student workers at Texas State are overwhelmingly housing-insecure, food-insecure, and simply cannot make ends meet. With the cost of living rapidly rising, student workers desperately need a raise to at least $15/hr. Texas State should be putting the workers who make it work first, not last.

We've worked together with student workers from across the university to create a Student Worker Bill of Rights— a cumulative list of the demands student workers have to meet their needs and improve their quality of life. Take a look and sign your name to tell Texas State to adopt the Student Worker Bill of Rights!

Student Worker Bill of Rights

  1. Immediate raises to at least $15.00/hr for all undergraduate student workers and temporary employees.
  2. Yearly cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) indexed to inflation.
  3. Raise the cap on hours workers are allowed from 25 to 30.
  4. 7 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) per year.
  5. 7 days of Paid Sick Leave per year.
  6. Fully public & transparent listing of wages and salaries for all positions.
  7. Freedom to discuss wages, salaries, and compensation without retaliation, as required by law.
  8. End wage theft, i.e. cease classifying student workers' labor as "volunteer hours" to avoid paying them for their labor.

Community Sponsors

Labor unions:
  • Texas Faculty Association - TSTA/NEA
  • Restaurant Workers United
Student organizations:
  • Mano Amiga TXST
  • Filipino Student Association at TXST
  • TXST Climbing Club
  • Sociology Club at TXST
  • The Echoes A Capella at TXST
  • The Biochemistry Society at TXST
  • University of Central Florida YDSA
  • East Tennessee State University YDSA
  • Raise the Wage University of North Texas
community organizations:
  • San Marcos Democratic Socialists of America


To: Texas State University System Board of Regents, Texas State University President Dr. Kelly R. Damphousse
From: [Your Name]

Undergraduate student workers at Texas State University currently earn poverty wages as low as $7.25/hr. They rely on assistance programs like SNAP and food pantries to survive. The vast majority of undergraduate student workers are experiencing housing insecurity, food insecurity, and simply cannot afford to make ends meet. With the cost of living rapidly rising, student workers desperately need a a raise to at least $15/hr. Texas State brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue every year. Texas State should be putting the workers who make it work first, not last. I demand that the Texas State University System Board of Regents adopt the Student Worker Bill of Rights in-full:

​Immediate raises to at least $15.00/hr for all undergraduate student workers and temporary employees.
Yearly cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) indexed to inflation.
Raise the cap on hours workers are allowed from 25 to 30.
7 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) per year.
7 days of Paid Sick Leave per year.
Fully public & transparent listing of wages and salaries for all positions.
Freedom to discuss wages, salaries, and compensation without retaliation, as required by law.
End wage theft, i.e. cease classifying student worker's labor as "volunteer hours" to avoid paying them for their labor.