Late hours, little pay: incentivizing change and moving forward with a student employment union

Student employees are the lifeblood of this institution, and it would be hard to find someone at any level of administration who wouldn’t remise the essentialness of student employees. Us employees work late hours, possess little pay and have little incentive to voice concern.

After all, most of us will leave in a few years, and most believe it isn’t worth the effort to advocate for better treatment, even if the outcome would lead to a more equal and fair campus.

Consider the following: this university owes you more than what you believe you are worth, and there are many reasons why you should push for change within the workplace. I am tired of students admitting to me the little power they possess when they could become one of the strongest forces for good on this campus.

Over the last three months, I have spoken with many people across the campus. I’ve spoken with teachers and faculty, and rarely have I heard disapproval facing a student union. The issues student employees face are known to almost everyone on campus and the ideas I am pushing are not radical.

However, there is no incentive for change to take place, especially where the financial and employment offices are concerned.

Individually, I doubt anyone wants the students to not get paid more, but we cannot rely on these people to push our message because it is the wider organizations which are willing to restrict the amount we get for the sake of frivolous spending or profit. Ironically, we are the ones operating their offices and paying for the school’s operation. If we want to change how things are done, we have an invested interest in advocating for positive pursuits.

The university has no incentive to pay you more. Nothing will change unless we enact the change. I call out SJU because I think it could do better; I am not saying this because I hate SJU. I chose to come here, and I am grandly happy with my choice. My future lies within this school, but I will not be here forever, nor will any of you.

Still, just because our time is finite, it does not mean we have no stake in how it’s operated. We owe it to ourselves and the people who come after us to protect our rights as workers. We must demand better wages and better treatment.

The school depends on its workers too much for us not to get more from this experience. It is too easy for a student to get an off-campus job and get paid $5 more. If they want to keep students working under the umbrella of this university, SJU must act to incentivize students to work on campus.

If you are apprehensive about the legality of unions within the state of Minnesota, keep in mind the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and its protections. You are 100% free and able to form, assist and join unions at your will. The school cannot restrict your membership because doing so is against the law. Unions are— and should remain—an American expression of workplace cooperation and bargaining. A voice alone is a whisper while a group is a chorus. Our power is exponentially stronger and more stable when we act together to perform change. Do not doubt your ability. The more doubt you have, the more likely your efforts will result in failure.

Over the next few months, I fully plan on making my dream a reality. Keep your ears open for more information as it arrives. Come the spring of 2022, this union will be realized, but it requires you to aid in its development. Remember your strength.

If you want to do something about student employment, you are not on an island. Dozens if not hundreds of likeminded people are willing to stand with you, but you must have your voice heard. Alone, we cannot move mountains. Only in working together as a community can we enact change.