UM Students, Professors Join Fight for $15 Minimum Wage as Costs Rise
The Detroit News • By Hani Barghouthi • April 20, 2022
“Hasna Kazi, 26, co-vice chair of the university's chapter Payment for Placements, said the organization worked to call on universities across the country to pay social work students stipends for the 912 hours of field work they are required to do as part of their training.
Kazi said she and other social-work students end up with a 100-hour work week when they have to hold down one or two jobs to make ends meet, in addition to their course loads and the required field work. As few as 12% of students get paid for the placements, organizers said.
The School of Social Work did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Recognizing the value of labor connected all three organizations [the university's chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, Payment for Placements, and One Fair Wage] at the rally Sunday, Kazi said.
‘All of us are fighting for people to get recognized for the work that they do,’ said Kazi. ‘Our organizations could not survive without our labor.’”
