Vandy Workers See Pay Hike
The union representing workers at Vanderbilt University says the base pay for workers is now above the poverty line.
Vanderbilt is Middle Tennessee’s largest private employer. Wages for its lowest-paid workers have steadily increased since unions and social justice groups started pressuring the school five years ago. Last week, starting pay moved up to nearly $11 an hour, according to WPLN-FM That works out to just above $23,000 a year.
Nearly three dozen universities had campus-wide pushes for higher pay going simultaneously. But Vanderbilt attracted national attention, primarily because it’s chancellor at the time was one of the highest paid in the country, with $1.2 million in compensation.
Vanderbilt said in a statement that wages are competitive and fair and that the university provides health coverage and retirement.
