Emory University to raise minimum wage to $15hr for student workers

Emory University is increasing the minimum wage for student workers to $15 per hour by 2024. 

According to an article in The Emory News Center, the Atlanta university has approved a plan to increase the current minimum wage over the next two years. 

”The minimum hourly pay rate for all student workers will rise to $12 an hour in January 2023. In September 2023, rates will increase to $13.50 and increase again in September 2024 to $15 an hour,” The Emory Center states.  

[RELATED: Student loan freeze cost federal government $197 Billion, report finds] 

Emory University Vice President of Human Resources Theresa Milazzo told The Emory Wheel that the school will cover the costs through its operating budget, partially funded by tuition dollars. The budget “is currently around $2.1 billion annually,” according to the site. 

Emory’s reaction to raise the minimum wage responds to a growing number of students and faculty asking for larger wages and, in some cases, unionization.

Campus Reform, for example, reported on strikes at American University, where faculty demanded higher salaries. 

[RELATED: UPDATED: Graduate student workers extend strike in push for unionization]

At the beginning of the year, students at Columbia University went on strike, demanding increases to stipends, as previously reported.

Graduate student workers also pushed for unionizationat Indiana University in April. 

As of the time of this publication, only fives states are set to have minimum wages higher than $15 per hour: New York, Connecticut, California, Massachusetts, and Washington.

All parties mentioned have been contacted for comment, but have not yet replied. This article will be updated accordingly.