Hundreds of hard-working employees at Tennessee's public colleges and universities don't make a living wage. In his State of the State address, Governor Bill Haslam proposed a 2.5 percent pay raise for higher education workers this year.

While this is a good start, a percentage raise won't do much for workers who earn poverty wages. For example, a typical custodian at the University of Memphis would get a $425 annual raise under the Governor's proposal, while the University's President would receive a $7,600 raise.

A much more fair solution that would bring many workers up to a living wage is a $1 an hour pay raise for all higher education workers. While top administrators don't need huge raises, ordinary workers will use this pay raise to meet their families' basic needs.

State legislators will only consider this fair pay raise proposal if they hear from people like you.