MU Workers Rally for Wage Increase

Campus employees demand $19 per hour 'livable wage' from university

Published on Feb. 7, 2026

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Campus employees at the University of Missouri joined LiUNA Local 955, a union that supports select campus employees, to rally for a wage increase to $19 per hour. Workers chanted slogans like 'Mun Choi is mighty cheap' and 'Poverty wages' as they demanded a 'livable wage' from the university.

Why it matters

The rally highlights the ongoing struggle for fair wages and union representation among campus workers at the University of Missouri. Many employees, including secretarial, clerical, and security staff, are not currently represented by a labor union, leading to concerns about low pay and difficulty making ends meet.

The details

The rally took place in Speakers Circle on the University of Missouri campus, where workers held signs and chanted slogans calling for higher wages and the creation of a union for campus librarians. Kevin Perkins, a recently retired University of Missouri Campus Dining employee, spoke about the difficulty of living on the current wages, saying 'there shouldn't be any job anywhere where you work 40 hours a week and you can't afford to have a decent living.' The union organizer, Luke Fennewald, said they hope to start wage increase negotiations in early April, though the university has historically delayed such discussions.

  • The rally took place on Friday, February 6, 2026.
  • On December 12, 2025, LiUNA Local 955 filed a petition to create a workers' union for librarians.

The players

LiUNA Local 955

A union that supports select campus employees at the University of Missouri.

Kevin Perkins

A recently retired University of Missouri Campus Dining employee who spoke at the rally.

Billy Bascom

An information specialist at Ellis Library who spoke about the difficulty of making ends meet on current wages.

Luke Fennewald

A union organizer at LiUNA Local 955 who discussed plans for wage increase negotiations.

Mun Choi

The University of Missouri president, who was the target of chants criticizing the university's low wages.

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What they’re saying

“We've been fighting for living wages here. It's a difficult fight and we won't give up. It's really, you know, you see folks that are not able to make ends meet sometimes with the wages they get here working 40 hours a week. I mean, there shouldn't be any job anywhere where you work 40 hours a week and you can't afford to have a decent living.”

— Kevin Perkins, Recently retired University of Missouri Campus Dining employee (themaneater.com)

“It's hard to pay rent every month and make means. We just want to be able to live a good life like everyone else does, without, you know, scraping by every month.”

— Billy Bascom, Information specialist at Ellis Library (themaneater.com)

“We are hoping to start (wage increase negotiations) early April, the university's always wanting to delay and delay things.”

— Luke Fennewald, Union organizer at LiUNA Local 955 (themaneater.com)

What’s next

An election date regarding the proposed library union has not been set as of February 7, but the university has expressed willingness to negotiate.

The takeaway

This rally underscores the ongoing struggle for fair wages and union representation among campus workers at the University of Missouri, highlighting the need for the university to address the concerns of its employees and work towards providing a true 'livable wage' for all.