Minimum wage increases in Missouri, but not much will change for UMKC student employees

 Although a minimum wage increase took effect in Missouri on Jan. 1, UMKC can continue to pay student employees less than minimum wage.

  As a public employer, UMKC and other public universities are exempt from the law change and are not required to adhere to state minimum wage.

  The current minimum hourly wage for non-exempt student positions is $10.30 per hour, according to the UMKC Human Resources department. The minimum for graduate student assistantships is $1,600 per month ($20 per hour) for a half-time assistantship.

  Senior computer science major Sumaiya Mohamud works part-time in the School of Education building alongside working as a cashier off-campus.

  “I feel like I need to work two jobs to be able to cover my bills and student expenses,” said Mohamud. “It’s really hard to balance both sometimes, but the pay of my student job isn’t enough to financially support me on its own.”

  Mohamud enjoys the flexibility that comes with her campus job and the ability to work on her coursework while on the clock, but struggles with the limited hours she can work.

  “I want to work more hours to increase the pay but I’m not allowed to work more than what is set,” said Mohamud. “If school is closed, or the building I work in is closed, I don’t get to work and the unpredictability of that can be frustrating.”

  Chemistry student Claudia Perez makes $12.20 an hour at the Miller Nichols Library, but has a limited schedule.

  Perez pointed out that since she is a work-study student, if her hours exceed the amount of money awarded, her pay gets reduced to the average wage of a student worker.

  “If I work too much then sooner or later, I will begin to be paid less,” said Perez. “I am lucky enough to be supported by my brother in terms of housing, but I depend on this job to help me pay for gas, food, and everyday purchases.”

  Veda Nataraj is a graduate student who works as a clerk at the UMKC Bookstore for $12.50 an hour. 

  Although Nataraj could use more hours, since she can only work up to 20 hours a week and this is her primary source of income, the opportunities she gets for communication with students is something she enjoys.  

  “I’m an international student, so I get to build my English speaking skills with this job,” said Nataraj.

  The UMKC Human Resources department claimed that the university is committed to review all compensation annually, in collaboration with the University of Missouri (UM) System.

  “The University of Missouri-Kansas City and other UM System universities strive to keep pace with the state minimum wage but might lag behind by a year or two due to financial cycles and budget,” according to Human Resources.

kmskn6@umsystem.edu

mnptnv@umkc.edu