2008 Woodie Awards
Student workers adapt to minimum wage increase
Heather Orlando
Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Students working in the Hillsdale College mailroom met a new envelope-stuffing machine designed to take over part of their jobs.
Postal Center Aide Pam Ryan said the recent minimum wage hike made the purchase of the Document Inserting System financially worthwhile.
To partially compensate for the hike, the college's student employment budget went up 15.3% this fiscal year, according to Associate Vice President for Finance Sue Pipper.
Pipper said some employers might have asked for additional funds not associated with the wage change.
Kenneth Cole, vice president for finance and treasurer, said college employers need to be mindful of their budgets and hire accordingly.
"I just told employers they had budgets established and they needed to work within their budgets," Cole said. "They could adjust student workers if necessary."
The Michigan state legislature raised the minimum wage in Michigan 20 cents, from $6.95 to $7.15 an hour. That change went into effect last July. The minimum wage is scheduled to rise another 25 cents next year, to $7.40 an hour.
Junior Dan Miloch, 21, said a friendly rivalry has pervaded the mailroom since the introduction of the machine and that students afraid of losing their jobs have improved their work ethic.
"I think [the prospect of job loss] has upped the ante in the mailroom," Miloch said. "The 'tightened belt' is suiting us well."
"It hasn't affected student labor yet," Ryan said. "There are still a lot of mailings the kids can stuff because the machine can't stuff anything much thicker than regular paper."
Some of the 43 students currently employed in the mailroom are wondering if their jobs are in jeopardy.
Miloch said he was initially afraid of losing "one of the best jobs on campus," but so far the machine has not proved menacing.
"When we heard about the wage hike this past year I think we all shook in our boots a little," Miloch said. "But, for most of us, the work has been even better than last [semester]."
Director of Student Financial Aid Rich Moeggenberg said the new pay increases are "just a matter of adjusting the budget" and were not proving to be an issue for students this semester.
"Initially we were concerned we weren't going to have enough jobs to meet the demand," Moeggenberg said, "But it seems students have found jobs if they need them. I know a student who has two jobs and had to turn down a third, so the jobs are out there. It's just a matter of hitting the pavement and finding them."
Postal Center Aide Pam Ryan said the recent minimum wage hike made the purchase of the Document Inserting System financially worthwhile.
To partially compensate for the hike, the college's student employment budget went up 15.3% this fiscal year, according to Associate Vice President for Finance Sue Pipper.
Pipper said some employers might have asked for additional funds not associated with the wage change.
Kenneth Cole, vice president for finance and treasurer, said college employers need to be mindful of their budgets and hire accordingly.
"I just told employers they had budgets established and they needed to work within their budgets," Cole said. "They could adjust student workers if necessary."
The Michigan state legislature raised the minimum wage in Michigan 20 cents, from $6.95 to $7.15 an hour. That change went into effect last July. The minimum wage is scheduled to rise another 25 cents next year, to $7.40 an hour.
Junior Dan Miloch, 21, said a friendly rivalry has pervaded the mailroom since the introduction of the machine and that students afraid of losing their jobs have improved their work ethic.
"I think [the prospect of job loss] has upped the ante in the mailroom," Miloch said. "The 'tightened belt' is suiting us well."
"It hasn't affected student labor yet," Ryan said. "There are still a lot of mailings the kids can stuff because the machine can't stuff anything much thicker than regular paper."
Some of the 43 students currently employed in the mailroom are wondering if their jobs are in jeopardy.
Miloch said he was initially afraid of losing "one of the best jobs on campus," but so far the machine has not proved menacing.
"When we heard about the wage hike this past year I think we all shook in our boots a little," Miloch said. "But, for most of us, the work has been even better than last [semester]."
Director of Student Financial Aid Rich Moeggenberg said the new pay increases are "just a matter of adjusting the budget" and were not proving to be an issue for students this semester.
"Initially we were concerned we weren't going to have enough jobs to meet the demand," Moeggenberg said, "But it seems students have found jobs if they need them. I know a student who has two jobs and had to turn down a third, so the jobs are out there. It's just a matter of hitting the pavement and finding them."
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