By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – Activists at Washington University say there is still room for improvement in the way the school compensates its service workers.
A year ago, protestors occupied the Wash-U admissions office for nearly three weeks.
As a result, the university raised its entry level wage for custodial and other support staff to $8.25 an hour and improved some of its benefits.
However, the Reverend Michael Vosler with the Workers Rights Board says many employees are still having a tough time getting by.
"We're celebrating progress. And that needs to be a key theme. It's just that there's a ways to go in order for a signal university to play its role in the economic picture."
Most of the support staff work for subcontractors, and not the university directly.
Wash-U says in a statement that its wages are higher than average for the St. Louis area, and that it deals with contractors who respect fair labor practices