Washington University Graduate Workers Union organized their first protest of the semester during the Student Activities Fair this past Friday from 4:15 to 5 p.m.

The demonstration marks the organization’s first official action since Washington University announced its plans to raise the minimum wage for regular employees and basic service contractors to $15 an hour by 2021 in June.

Protestors marched around Mudd Field, carrying signs and shouting chants advocating for $15 per hour wages for all campus workers, as well as free childcare—two of WUGWU’s main priorities over the past year. WUGWU leaders hope to continue advocating for both student and non-student workers on campus this semester.

After allowing undergraduate student workers to join the union last spring, WUGWU hopes to expand its presence in the undergraduate population even more this semester.

“This past Friday, the idea of having a rally at the Student Activities fair was specifically to reach out to undergraduate students because our union, starting last spring, is extending membership to all student employees,” co-chair of WUGWU’s executive committee and Ph.D. candidate Grace Ward said. “We already have quite a few undergrads who have joined, so we are hoping to build that part of our network.”

Since the administration’s commitment to $15 wages does not extend to graduate or undergraduate student workers, WUGWU hopes to continue to advocate for living wages for all types of workers on campus.

“I had to work my freshman year,” sophomore and WUGWU member Christina Lee said during the protest. “And while I enjoyed my job, my hourly pay was Missouri minimum wage. That was $8 an hour when I was hired and $8.55 by second semester. I worked as much overtime as I could, but it didn’t matter. I earned almost $1000 less than I was allotted under Federal Work-Study…This year…I am easily working 12 hours a week on top of a full 15 credit course load. It is two weeks into the semester and I am already stressed.”

Lee took up a second job this semester, but maintains that this additional job would not be necessary if the administration extended its $15 commitment to student workers.

“If I earned $15 an hour, I wouldn’t have to work multiple jobs to get by,” Lee said. “My stress, my grades, my social life, would be all the better for it. It is not outrageous or pie in the sky to demand that this University, with all of its wealth, to acknowledge that its student workers are not adequately compensated for their time and labor.”

In addition to continuing the Fight for $15, WUGWU plans to focus on providing free childcare for all workers.

“Childcare for all workers still costs up to $1800 a month,” Kelsey Nordine, Anthropology Ph.D. candidate and co-chair of the WUGWU Allies and Outreach Committee, said. “This is unacceptable. The Brown School reported recently that two of the greatest issues facing working-class families in Missouri are low wages and lack of access to childcare. This institution should take the recommendation of its own researchers seriously.”

Another important goal for WUGWU this semester is advocacy for international students.

“We will also continue to focus on international student rights around policies such as providing distance learning for students who aren’t able to make it back to the country due to travel bans, but then also stuff related to visa advocacy and non-collaboration with ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement], so that is another push that we will be involved with,” Ward said.

WUGWU also plans to create a standing council of all unionized work groups on campus, which includes janitors and adjunct faculty who are organized through Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1, as well as food service workers, who are organized through the United Food and Cafeteria Workers.

“The goal is to present a united front to Wash. U. as an employer on being able to collaborate around actions when different bargaining contracts come up to terms…and also for just building a community on campus that crosses a lot of the class lines that keep faculty and students apart from service workers,” Ward said.

Most importantly, WUGWU will continue to use protests such as Friday’s demonstration to advocate for universal $15 wages, free childcare, international student rights and other issues affecting workers at the University.

“We will continue to have direct actions throughout the year,” Ward said. “The power we have is our ability to turn people out and to put pressure on those in power at the University.”