By Lindsay Whitehurst
The Cincinnati Enquirer

OXFORD - Nearly four months after the end of a labor strike, Miami University officials have announced an increase in the minimum hourly wage for school employees, from $7.32 to $8.80, effective Saturday.

"The (faculty) committee found that what is happening in America as a whole is also happening in Butler County - namely, that higher-income workers are doing well, but the lowest-income workers are not," Miami President James Garland said.

Jobs in Miami are classified into zones by skill level. Each zone's minimum wage will increase, and 36 percent of current hourly workers will get an automatic raise.

Local 209 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, representing Miami's 900 dining hall workers, groundskeepers and janitors, went on strike for 13 days last fall.

Sophomore Clayton Bell, spokesman for Miami Students against Sweatshops, a group with 30 members, said the increase was proof that university officials heard the strikers' message.

"They've realized the people are out there and they are unhappy with the system," Bell said.

A committee of staff, administrators and faculty, appointed last fall, recommended a 5 percent to 15 percent increase in starting wages. With the increase, hourly wages will rise by 8 to 20 percent.

The increase will cost the university about $500,000 annually. Another $500,000 will go to merit and equity increases for hourly employees with at least two years of service.

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E-mail lwhitehurst@enquirer.com