Manhattan’s wages are abysmally low. Across most industries, and particularly in food and healthcare services, we have about 20-30% lower wages than the national average. This community is dependent upon the top 2 employers, Fort Riley and Kansas State, which employ over 10,000 people in Manhattan. That is one-fifth of all Manhattan residents. Suffice to say, whatever K-State is paying is extremely impactful on our community. Additionally, our low wages must include the low wages paid to students on this campus as a massive source of exploitable labor.
Since our city and university administration have failed to act, the YDSA at Kansas State has launched a survey of people’s wages in Manhattan. In August, we demanded the administration raise the minimum wage on campus to $15/hr. Their initial response was, “Well, departments can set their own wages.” They did admit that a survey is currently being contracted for Graduate and Faculty pay, but they seemed to conveniently exclude undergraduates, despite them being a larger portion of the workforce. It would not require more resources because graduate students are also paid differently in each department. Additionally, these minimal costs should outweigh the need to attend to the most vulnerable students.
The City of Manhattan has similarly done little to respond to rising commercial and residential rents, including voting to increase property taxes for all residents. With rents continuing to increase for most students and inflation rising, this situation only benefits the rich. We cannot maintain stagnant wage growth where some students report, according to our survey data, that they are being paid $1 above federal minimum wage. These are starvation wages in a time of constricting welfare and austerity politics, which makes them deadly wages.
The University claims to support all students, until they become a source of low-wage labor, then they can be ignored, censored, and exploited. Kansas State University can and should set a $15 minimum wage for all staff, and the City Commission should not approve a budget that functionally raises rents and taxes on the poorest people in the city. We should be a thriving community, not one that constricts its residents at every turn. To do that, we need a release valve that can actually reduce the pressure on our most vulnerable populations.
If you work in Manhattan and would like to respond to our survey, every response helps us fill the gaps and advocate for your needs.
With solidarity,
Daniel Robertson
Co-Chair
YDSA at KSU
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