A small group, primarily of WSU employees, handed out banana stickers to people at Wichita State’s student center on Tuesday, telling recipients to wear them the following day. The bright yellow symbols were intended to show support for facilities and housing staff.

“It’s bananas what they pay us,” Logan Mueller, who works as facilities staff overnight at WSU, said, explaining why bananas were chosen as a symbol to advocate for better pay.

Mueller also serves as the treasurer for WSU Local 6405, the Wichita State division of the American Federation of Teachers, representing facilities and housing staff.

AFT, founded in 1916, has expanded over the decades to represent a variety of employees of educational institutions, not just teachers.

Each year, 6405 negotiates to increase pay for those they represent, a process that started on Wednesday. According to its website, WSU Local 6405 represents 131 employees but declined to say how many are members of the union.

Lainie Mazzullo-Hart, WSU’s director of strategic communication, said the university’s goal is to reach an agreement that “balances the needs and well-being of our employees with the fiscal responsibilities and operational priorities of the institution.”

Amy Jensen is the Kansas director of member services for the union. She said that its goal is to get market-based compensation for the employees it represents. This would mean that, on average, their pay aligns with that of other individuals with similar jobs and skills.

Market-based compensation has been discussed among universities represented by the Kansas Board of Regents — the body that oversees public higher education in the state, including WSU, for several years. WSU’s goal is to raise compensation gradually, prioritizing some groups of faculty and staff to get closer to market-based pay.

According to a KBOR report from January, facilities and housing staff, aside from facilities management, are not WSU’s priority when it comes to achieving market-based compensation.

Wichita State is also expecting a $4-5 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2026, a challenge that President Richard Muma has said will not dull its commitment to its market-based compensation plan.

Jensen said, however, that the university can increase pay if it commits to doing so.

“In order to bring everybody up to market-based pay, it’s going to cost them money, but Wichita State has a $794 million budget,” Jensen said. “There’s money in reserves. They have money (that) they can move, if necessary.”

In 2025, WSU raised employee pay by 1% across all staff and faculty.

“1% is 15 cents (for employees making around $15 an hour),” Jensen said. “If you’re making $15 that’s not going to increase your ability to pay your rent, buy groceries — buy a dozen eggs, for example — put gas in your car, buy your tennis shoes.”

Mueller said that starting pay for custodial and maintenance staff is currently just over $15 an hour. After working for WSU for 10 years, he said he makes around $18.25.

According to MIT’s Liveable Wage Calculator, the hourly wage a full-time employee in Kansas would need to make in order to support themselves is $21.06.

Mueller said many WSU staff work multiple jobs to support themselves; he drives for Lyft and said colleagues work at grocery stores or factories.

“A bump in pay will help them,” he said. “You know, maybe they won’t have to work a second job.”

Stephanie Martin, a custodial supervisor who’s been working at WSU since 2021, said she also knows staff who work multiple jobs to support families.

“They’re hard-working individuals,” she said. “I believe that their pay should increase every year with their productivity and how hard they work.”

Jensen said an increase in pay would also mean more people staying at WSU.

“There is a little bit of a shortage of employees,” he said. “There’s definitely a shortage of custodial (staff). If we give them more pay, maybe that’d get more people to apply here.”

Emily Patterson, executive director of facilities planning, and David Miller, senior vice president for administration, operations and finance, did not respond to attempts to contact them, but Mazzullo-Hart provided a statement on the university’s behalf.

“We understand that advocacy is a key component of union activity, and we respect the rights of our employees to organize and express their views,” Mazzullo-Hart wrote. “Throughout this process, the university will continue to prioritize transparency, open communication and a commitment to fostering a positive and supportive working environment for all staff.”

Mazzullo-Hart said out of respect for the bargaining process, the university will not be commenting on specific proposals.