Missouri Law Raises Student Worker Pay to State Minimum Wage

Strategic Insights -

Student workers at Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) can expect a significant boost in their hourly wages, thanks to a new Missouri law. The law, signed by Governor Mike Kehoe, raises the minimum wage for student workers from $10.50 to at least $13.75 per hour, starting August 28th. This increase is expected to bring in an additional $130 per week for students working 20 hours a week, before taxes. By 2026, the minimum wage will increase to $15 per hour.

Key Takeaways:

  • The new law, House Bill 567, requires public and private employers to pay student workers the state-regulated minimum wage, effectively ending SEMO's lower student wage policy.
  • Student workers will see their hourly wage increase from $10.50 to at least $13.75 per hour, starting August 28th, with further increases expected in 2026.
  • The wage hike is expected to bring in an additional $130 per week for students working 20 hours a week, before taxes.
  • Some student workers feel that the minimum wage remains too low and advocate for higher pay to ensure a livable wage.
  • SEMO's Director of Human Resources, Holly Bauwens, states that individual managers will need to assess their budgets to determine whether the pay increase will result in fewer job opportunities on campus.
  • Student painter Brayden Mulins and politics student Camilla Ricaurte express concerns that the minimum wage is still not sufficient for students to make a livable wage.

Statistics:

  • The current minimum wage for student workers at SEMO is $10.50 per hour.
  • The new law raises the minimum wage to at least $13.75 per hour, starting August 28th.
  • By 2026, the minimum wage will increase to $15 per hour.
  • Each week, a student working 20 hours a week will earn an estimated $550 before taxes, compared to $420 before taxes under the previous minimum wage.
  • 85% of the state minimum wage was the threshold for universities to hire students at a lower wage before the law change.

Sources:

  • United States Department of Labor
  • House Bill 567, Missouri General Assembly
  • Southeast Missouri State University's Director of Human Resources, Holly Bauwens, quoted in the article.