From: Ben Speight (vsulivingwage@yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Oct 23 2002 - 13:31:32 EDT
From The VSU Worker- newletter of the Valdosta State
University Living Wage Campagin
FYI: The South is home to more than 40 percent of all
the nation's poor, and it accounted for more than half
of the national increase in the number of poor last
year.
Valdosta Living Wage:
(single adult) $7.19/hr. *
(parent and child) $10.37/hr.*
Valdosta State's min. wage:$5.72/hr.
University of Georgia's min. wage: $7.21/hr.
Federal min. wage: $5.15/hr
* information provided by the Self-Sufficiency
Standard for Georgia 2002
WORKER’S TESTIMONIES
The purpose of this section is to give VSU workers a
direct voice to express their concerns and views about
working at Valdosta State. In this issue a young
African-American Student Worker shares with us her
experience working campus.
VSU Worker: What kind of work do you do?
Student: I work in a department office answering
phones, making copies, helping students and
professors, delivering messages. I also work in the
computer lab making sure the computers and printers
are all working.
VSU Worker: How long have you been working here?
Student: I started this summer working about 10hrs a
week at minimum wage, $5.15hr.
VSU Worker: How do you like your work?
Student: I like my co-workers. They’re all female. I
work with about 8 different women, most are on
work-study and one full-time secretary.
VSU Worker: What’s your response to someone who says
“student assistant’s job’s aren’t real jobs”?
Student: You want to spend a day in my life? I’ve
helped clean classrooms for faculty. Picking up boxes
and moving stuff around while the professor is no
where in site. They take taxes out of my check, so it
IS a “real” job! We actually work! I don’t care if you
have the words “student assistant” in front of your
name or something else, we are doing a job and I take
my work seriously.
VSU Worker: Why do you work on campus as opposed to
somewhere else?
Student: Well its convenient b/c I live on campus and
don’t have a car.
VSU Worker: Do you feel like min. wage is a fair wage
for the job responsibilities you have?
Student: I think $5.15 is below what the min. wage
should be. I mean I work in the office and in the
computer labs. I do a bunch of little stuff that’s not
in my job description. I got to work extra hours b/c
they take taxes out. I think we deserve to get paid
more.
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