UNC employees petition for free parking, higher wages

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- UNC Housekeepers delivered a petition Wednesday to the Advisory Committee on Transportation and Parking. The petition calls for on-campus parking to be free for university employees in the lower pay brackets.

"All we're asking is for them to let the individuals that are making less than $50,000 a year to not have to pay," UNC Housekeeper Tracy Harter said.

Employees must pay for on-campus parking and rates vary based on the lot and the employees' salary, according to UNC.

For Robin Lee, who's also a housekeeper, that means having to pay $26 out of every paycheck. That price tag actually doubled two weeks ago.

"They forgot to take the parking out of our paycheck, so when we got paid that next two weeks, they took more money out our paycheck. And I think that was unfair," Lee said.

The demand comes as UNC Housekeepers have been fighting for a pay raise since Oct. 2022. In December, they received a 90-cent raise, but that still did not get them up to the $20 hourly wage they requested.

Lee said if the parking demand is met, it would save a lot of money for hundreds of workers who commute to Chapel Hill.

"I never had to pay to come to work and I think that's unfair for the employees to come to the university and get to pay to come to work," Lee said.

ABC11 reached out to UNC and is waiting for comment on the dispute.