CU Boulder employees gather at the University Memorial Center to protest low wages and demand cost-of-living adjustments on Sept. 14, 2023. Credit: Chloe Anderson
Unionized employees at the University of Colorado Boulder, represented by United Campus Workers of Colorado (UCW), staged a walkout and rally on Thursday afternoon. About 50 people attended the 45-minute protest, driven by concerns over “untenable wages and salaries” for graduate students, non-tenure track faculty and university staff.
The workers said they’re seeking an immediate 20% cost-of-living increase, minimum per-class rates of $14,000 for non-tenured faculty, and a $10,000 raise for each promotion from assistant to associate to full professor positions. Additionally, they want an annual 6% cost-of-living adjustment, citing the impact of inflation in Boulder and beyond.
“The professional contributions of instructional and university staff are worth much more than the university is paying them in return,” the UCW wrote in a press release. “CU salaries and wages are not competitive,” leaving many “to work multiple jobs or teach on multiple campuses to make ends meet,” it said.
At the walkout, Jade Kelly, a CU staff member who is also president of the Communication Workers of America Local 7799, a coalition of several unions across CU campuses and the state, said some employees are forced to rely on the Buff Pantry, the university’s on-campus food pantry, for food.
“I can’t afford to eat,” Shayna Khachadoorian, an academic advisor in the psychology and neuroscience departments, said at the rally. “I use the Buff Pantry and the Community Food Share. I’ve only been here for eight months, and I still can’t afford to survive.”
Jade Kelly, president of the Communication Workers of America Local 7799 and a CU Boulder employee, speaks at a walkout of unionized CU Boulder workers on Sept. 14, 2023. “We have been forced to beg for our humanity alone every year,” Kelly said. Credit: Chloe AndersonCU Boulder employees gather at the University Memorial Center on Sept. 14, 2023 to protest low wages and demand cost-of-living adjustments. Credit: Chloe AndersonCU Boulder employees gather at the University Memorial Center on Sept. 14, 2023 to protest low wages and demand cost-of-living adjustments. Credit: Chloe AndersonFrom left to right: First-year Ph.D. students Antoinette Kendrick, Connor McHale and Tara Coughlin joined the Sept. 14, 2023 union rally in solidarity. “Even though we just got here, people who’ve been here longer than us are telling us they need our help,” McHale said. Credit: Chloe Anderson CU Boulder employees gather at the University Memorial Center on Sept. 14, 2023 to protest low wages and demand cost-of-living adjustments. Credit: Chloe AndersonNicole Speer, Boulder City Councilmember, mayoral candidate and director of operations at CU Boulder’s Institute for Cognitive Science, speaks to rally attendees. She said the university tells her to keep costs low while asking her to take on higher workloads. “It is fine and good to tell us we’re valuable and to give us an extra day off here and there,” Speer said. “But we also need to start recognizing the harm that we’re doing to our staff by pushing us to offer more and more with less and less.” Credit: Chloe Anderson
Chloe Anderson, a contributor to Boulder Reporting Lab, is an award-winning freelance photojournalist based in Boulder. She’s had photos and articles published in The Colorado Sun, Colorado Newsline, Climbing magazine, Sharp End Publishing and more. You can check out more of her work at this link: https://www.chloeandersonphotography.com/#1.
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