COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina (UofSC) campus workers gathered at the heart of the campus, demanding a change in their wages.
"That means grad students, that means adjunct faculties, that means student workers, and most crucially that means all those contracted by the university to clean the facilities, to cook the meals, to fix the plumbing, the electricity, the computer systems, without which the university would cease to run," says Russell Facemire from the School of Visual Arts & Design.
Bobbie Kitts works in the parking service and has been with the USC for almost 31 years and was here before the union that organized this event. She said she believes these workers, including herself, deserve to be paid their worth.
"If you in a job for 31 years that speaks volumes, that speaks you know what you doing, that speaks you've got character, that speaks you've got integrity," says Kitts.
The United Campus Workers Union of South Carolina demands a minimum wage of $20 an hour for all hourly employees, $40,000 a year for salaried workers, and a minimum annual stipend of $20,000 for graduate workers this semester.
This comes after USC raised the minimum rate salary to $15 per hour in July of 2023.
We reached out to The University of South Carolina, and a spokesperson responded by saying:
"The University of South Carolina values all employees and has engaged in a concerted, sustained effort to attract and retain staff through broad-based salary adjustments for our lowest-paid workers. These efforts are ongoing, and we welcome the continued input from organizations across our campus, including our staff senate."
In just the last two years alone, here are a few steps USC has taken to improve wages and other benefits for university faculty and staff:
- The University of South Carolina raised the minimum hourly rate across the entire system for approximately 600 full-time staff earning less than $14 per hour. This year, we raised the minimum hourly rate to $15 per hour, effective July 2023.
- The university raised the minimum hourly wage for graduate students and the annual minimum stipend for Ph.D. students working on an assistantship of 20 hours per week. Graduate students now have a minimum hourly salary of $15, while the annual minimum stipend for PhD students is up to $20,000.
- South Carolina began offering fully subsidized health insurance to full-time PhD students and students with graduate assistantships in 2021.
- State employees received a 5 percent salary increase—or a $2,500 raise if higher—beginning July 1.
- USC's Division of Human Resources completed a classification and compensation study in 2022 with the goal of better aligning the university's pay structure with salaries in the market and developing an exhaustive plan to stay competitive for talent. Implementation of the study's results is about $4.3 million.
Kitts said she doesn't want to leave the place she loves but rather to be paid her worth.
"The university is a great place to work, I just want more, I deserve more," Kitts adds.
The organizers invited the President of USC, but they said he did not attend due to a scheduling conflict.