We, the United Campus Workers of The University of South Carolina (UofSC), call upon the university to increase the wages for all workers on campus. We demand that all university employees, both full-time and part-time, receive a minimum wage of $15 an hour. We also demand a 15% increase in base stipends for graduate student workers.

The University of South Carolina has the responsibility to pay their workers a living wage. With the rising cost of living in the city of Columbia and the surrounding Richland and Lexington counties, it is unreasonable that staff wages and graduate student stipends have not been adjusted appropriately. Increased graduate stipends will improve UofSC’s competitiveness relative to peer and peer aspirant institutions. As for other workers, it is unreasonable to expect UofSC staff to continue to live on starvation wages. Many workers have received no raises in over a decade. Peer institutions, such as the University of Memphis and University of Kentucky, have recently secured $15 minimum wages for their employees, and we hold the University of South Carolina to equally high standards.