IOWA CITY — Data from the University of Iowa shows that more than half of undergraduate student workers at the university were paid less than $10.10 per hour this year.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors set the local minimum wage level at $10.10 for 2017. However, the Iowa Legislature stripped local governments of the ability to set minimum wage higher than the state's level this year.
The state's minimum wage has been $7.25 for the last decade.
University data shows that more than 800 student employees made $8.20, which was the lowest wage listed among the more than 10,000 employees. Almost 350 students made more than $15 an hour.
“It’s really disappointing that the university doesn’t pay over half its student employees $10.10 an hour,” said Brad Pector, a UI senior who requested data from the university. “That’s just barely a living wage in Iowa City.”
The Iowa Policy Project, a research organization, said a person living without insurance in the Iowa City metro area would need to earn $13.19 for a living wage. Almost two-thirds of UI student employees make less than that amount.
“Rising tuition combined with low wages will drive greater increases in the already burdensome debt for students. Equity is a principle that universities must champion, not ignore,” said Mike Owen, the organization’s executive director.
County officials have been urging university officials to raise compensation levels.
“We hear over and over again people talk about student loan debt and how terrible it is for our young people as they move forward saddled with all this debt,” said Rod Sullivan, a member of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. “One easy way to address this is to pay these young people higher wages as they work on campus. They are just not being compensated at a fair level.”
The data doesn’t include graduate teaching and research assistants.