Editorial: UNM’s circular reality of minimum wage hike

It’s one consequence voters likely didn’t consider when they approved increasing Albuquerque’s minimum wage: University of New Mexico students likely will be asked to pay higher fees to help cover the cost of the student employees who staff the three swimming pools, racquetball courts and cardio and weight rooms in UNM’s Johnson center.

So much for getting those wealthy employers and giants of industry to pony up an extra $1 an hour.

In fact, UNM will have to come up with an estimated extra $585,000 a year to cover the increase from $7.50 an hour to $8.50 an hour for many of its 834 student employees; 150 work in recreational services. Then there’s that automatic cost of living hike each year.

Andrew Cullen, UNM’s associate vice president for planning, budget and analysis, says the university doesn’t plan to cut student employees but each department will have to figure out how to scrape up the extra payroll. And while it’s reassuring to hear the administration understands student jobs and work/study positions are “an important component of our workforce as well as an important/critical tool for many students to stay enrolled in school,” at the end of the pay period somebody has to make sure those bigger checks clear the bank.

And an easy way to do that moving forward is to have fewer of them.

Or keep asking minimum-wage students to pay higher fees to cover the minimum-wage increases for student employees.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.