St. Paul private colleges fret over $15 minimum wage for work-study students

Private colleges and universities may have to raise tuition to pay students higher wages.


Students who work on campus at St. Paul’s private colleges and universities could get a hefty raise if the City Council passes a $15 minimum wage this year. But school leaders may make them pay more in tuition as a result.

As the council and Mayor Melvin Carter craft a minimum wage ordinance — which will almost certainly mandate a $15 hourly wage — the five private, nonprofit colleges and universities in the capital city want more time to phase it in for work-study students.

Depending on time of year, a total of up to 6,000 undergraduates may be employed part-time at Concordia University, Hamline University, the University of St. Thomas, St. Catherine University and Macalester College.

Students employed in work-study jobs work about 7.5 hours a week and earn an average wage of about $10.40 an hour, according to a recent report on the wage issue by the Citizens League. “Colleges recognize the benefit that would accrue to student workers from an increase in the minimum wage,” the five schools said in a joint statement included in the Citizens League report. “However, the implications of an increase in the minimum wage in the context of work-study employment are complex.”

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/st-paul-private-colleges-fret-over-15-minimum-wage-for-work-study-students/492989191/