We are student workers at the University of Washington (UW), Tacoma. Recently the UW Seattle and UW Bothell campuses announced that they would increase the minimum wage for student workers to $13/hour on January 1, 2016 and $15/hour on January 1, 2017. However, our Tacoma Chancellor, Mark Pagano, has announced that some of us and our colleagues will not receive the same wage increase, despite doing the same jobs.

Please join us in speaking out for wage equity at UW! Chancellor Pagano claims that costs of living in Tacoma are lower than Seattle and Bothell, but actually the main costs of living for us students - tuition and campus fees - are higher for UW Tacoma students than for UW Seattle and Bothell students. In addition, we often face significant transportation expenses due to the commuter nature of our campus. Chancellor Pagano also claims that a minimum wage increase will result in even higher fees, but UW Seattle and UW Bothell student fees increased by only $1 per quarter to help fund the wage increase.

UW Tacoma students deserve equal treatment. As a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse student body, where many students are first generation students, we study and work on a campus that reflects Tacoma’s unique history. But UW Tacoma’s uniqueness does not justify paying our student workers less. In fact, a lower minimum wage only hurts those of us who already face challenges completing our degrees due to race, gender, language, ethnicity, disability, lack of family support (financial or otherwise), or other socioeconomic factors.

If the Chancellor does not take action soon, Tacoma student minimum wage workers will start falling behind. Student workers from a majority of hiring units at UW Tacoma have already sent an open letter to Chancellor Pagano, stating our support for the higher minimum wage. Please sign this petition to show the Chancellor that you agree: all student workers at the University of Washington – regardless of their campus – should make the same minimum wage!

Johari DuPont
Victoria Olive
Maryam Diriye
Shugri Hussein
Julianna Siemssen