2008 Woodie Awards
People would not work more hours for no raise in pay
Michael Tate
Issue date: 12/8/06 Section: Opinion
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"In a world" where Steve Irwin is killed by a typically harmless creature and the Kansas City Chiefs lose to a team that had only won two games, there are certain aspects of the world around us that we can control. Certain ironies and fallacies may be prevented, and it is our job to point them out to those currently in charge.
The issue in question is that of RAs sitting desk starting at 8 o'clock p.m. rather than starting at 10 p.m. as they do now. It is wrong to change to such a policy, and even though this column holds no power to change campus statutes, it strives to get those in charge to at least think twice. Remember, if Michael were monarch, such injustices would, more often than not, be prevented.
To start, let us compare the numbers. An RA normally sits desk 4-5 times per month. Now, add on two hours for each of those shifts and you get an additional eight-ten hours per month. Granted, RAs are not typical hourly-wage work study laborers, but if they have once been asked to sit desk on their regular monthly pay and then been told that they are going to work more and not get any increase in wages, we should not stand idly by and not demand that authorities take note of their unjust policies.
This is wrong in that it creates an unjust policy as compared to that in practice for other workers on campus. Anyone else who works on campus can expect to earn at least 40 more dollars per month for the time that RAs would be putting in. True, work-study people are employed federally and RAs are employed by the school, but that argument is simply given to distract onlookers from the injustice.
In order to avoid such baseness, those in charge have two choices. First, they could pay the RAs more. Now, this would increase spending, so it is not likely that they will want to do this. Since they are not likely to increase RA wages, they can simply stick with the status quo and not change the desk-sitting start time to eight.
The issue in question is that of RAs sitting desk starting at 8 o'clock p.m. rather than starting at 10 p.m. as they do now. It is wrong to change to such a policy, and even though this column holds no power to change campus statutes, it strives to get those in charge to at least think twice. Remember, if Michael were monarch, such injustices would, more often than not, be prevented.
To start, let us compare the numbers. An RA normally sits desk 4-5 times per month. Now, add on two hours for each of those shifts and you get an additional eight-ten hours per month. Granted, RAs are not typical hourly-wage work study laborers, but if they have once been asked to sit desk on their regular monthly pay and then been told that they are going to work more and not get any increase in wages, we should not stand idly by and not demand that authorities take note of their unjust policies.
This is wrong in that it creates an unjust policy as compared to that in practice for other workers on campus. Anyone else who works on campus can expect to earn at least 40 more dollars per month for the time that RAs would be putting in. True, work-study people are employed federally and RAs are employed by the school, but that argument is simply given to distract onlookers from the injustice.
In order to avoid such baseness, those in charge have two choices. First, they could pay the RAs more. Now, this would increase spending, so it is not likely that they will want to do this. Since they are not likely to increase RA wages, they can simply stick with the status quo and not change the desk-sitting start time to eight.
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