UH Students Against Sweatshops held a rally for University custodian and food service workers’ rights on Wednesday.
Students Against Sweatshops member and mechanical engineering senior Alejandro Cubria said the workers receive sub-par wages and benefits.
"Every human being must be treated equally, and UH is not doing that with its workers," Cubria said.
Eric Gerber, director of University Communication, said the University offers workers competitive wages within a pay grade and according to individuals’ qualifications.
"Generally speaking, Human Resources uses a local survey for local jobs and a national survey for professional jobs to set competitive rates," Gerber said.
Compensation for food service workers is not decided by UH, Gerber said.
"Food service is handled through a master contract with (food service provider) Aramark, and they determine compensation, not UH," he said.
University employee wages are divided into various grades that, according to the Human Resources Web site, are designed to establish the upper and lower limits of pay for jobs and divide those jobs into varying levels based on their demands.
Minimum wage increased to $6.55 from $5.85 on July 26 for the 12 states, including Texas, that operate off of the federal minimum wage standards.
Custodians employed at the University are in pay grade 52. The minimum pay for jobs within that grade is $6.27 hourly and $13,041.60 annually. The maximum is $11.97 hourly and $24,897.60 annually.
The minimum pay for grade 53 is $6.37 per hour and $13,249.60 annually. The maximum is $12.15 per hour and $25,272 annually.
Officials could not immediately say whether any UH employees are hired at the University’s minimum pay or are paid below minimum wage.
According to the University’s Compensation Guidelines, employers may pay workers a higher wage upon hire, up until the midpoint wage. The midpoint wage is $8.30 per hour and $17,264.00 annually for pay grade 52. For grade 53, it is $8.63 per hour and $17,950.40 annually. The Human Resources Department must approve the hiring of employees at a wage above the midpoint.
The guidelines also state that, in most cases, the standard hiring wage for new employees is between the minimum and the first quartile range. The first quartile pay for grade 52 is $7.29 per hour and $15,163.20 annually, and $7.50 per hour and $15,600.00 for grade 53.
The salary structure UH currently uses was effective Sept. 1, 2005, at which time the federal minimum wage was $5.15 per hour. In 2007, a bill was passed to increase the wage to $7.25 per hour over a period of 26 months. The first increase came in 2007, bringing the minimum to $5.85 per hour. The second increase occurred this year, and the third and final increase under the bill will bring the wage to $7.25 per hour on July 24, 2009.
Gerber said Human Resources said it will implement new pay scales and a new pay-grade chart by the end of this calendar year.
The University complies with state regulations regarding automatic benefits. These include sick leave, paid holidays and retirement programs. Optional benefits are available to full-time and part-time employees, with costs varying depending on the package selected.
For full-time employees the state pays 100 percent of their medical premium and 50 percent of the dependent premium, according to the University’s Human Resources Web site. For part-time employees it pays 50 percent of their medical premium and 25 percent of the dependent premium.
Dental plans, life insurance, disability insurance and other retirement programs are available at additional costs.
At the rally, which took place at the M.D. Anderson Library, the student organization also accused the University of buying apparel from vendors that use sweatshop labor.
"We stand on the fact that the University does nothing to stop the labor abuses of food service, custodians and apparel workers," said Timothy O’Brien, doctoral candidate in history. "Joining the Fair Labor Association, which the University recently did, is a slap in the face to workers because it is a phony front group for corporations."
The group restated its request for UH to join the Worker’s Rights Consortium, which aims to protect the rights of apparel workers by combating the use of sweatshop labor for merchandise sold in the United States.
The University created an Apparel Task Force in March to address the request. In July, the task force issued a report to UH President and UH System Chancellor Renu Khator, recommending, among other things, that UH affiliate with the WRC. At that time, Khator asked the General Counsel to consult with the Texas Attorney General to see if there was a legal reason UH should not join.
On Wednesday, Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs Donna Hamilton Cornell issued a statement stating the University would accept the task force’s recommendation and join the WRC.
Additional reporting by Christina Hildebrand
