The Living Wage Campaign today enters the fourth day of its hunger strike, a protest effort urging the University to establish a $13 minimum wage for all its employees.
Fourteen students, including two who joined the strike yesterday, have pledged to fast until the administration agrees to the campaign’s demands. Living Wage campaigners also demand guaranteed worker job security, safe working conditions and the creation of a Living Wage Oversight Board.
“We definitely wouldn’t be doing it if we hadn’t spent the last 14 years campaigning and petitioning and having meetings with the administration,” campaign spokesperson and Graduate Arts & Sciences student Emily Filler said. “We decided it was time to make it clear to the administration that it’s important to have this issue resolved now.”
In an email sent to the University community the day before the hunger strike began, University President Teresa Sullivan said the University’s resources for the current fiscal year have already been allocated.
“The budget process includes a methodical review of University-wide compensation practices,” Sullivan said. “Changes in the salary structure, however, must be evaluated within the context of all of the University’s priorities and financial needs.”
The campaign invited Dr. Greg Gelburd, a physician observing the health of the strikers, to speak at a rally yesterday afternoon on the Rotunda steps.
The physician said he believed the students would be able to continue the hunger strike for one to two weeks but acknowledged the health risks associated with fasting. He voiced support for the students’ actions despite possible medical consequences.
“These guys are doing the hard work … and I think it shows their commitment,” Gelburd said.
The strikers are drinking fluids, including fruit juices, but have not eaten since the announcement of their effort Saturday 1 p.m..
“The first 24-48 hours are probably the hardest,” first-year College student and striker Jomar Figuera said. Figuera is on the executive board of Queer and Allied Activism, an organization which has lent its support to the campaign.
Despite his support of the campaign, Figuera said he hoped the hunger strike would end soon.
In a Feb. 18 statement released to students involved with the campaign, Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer Pat Lampkin said the administration supported the students’ right to petition but was concerned for the health of the strikers.
“We urge you … not to lose sight of the possible legal, health and academic repercussions for choosing to express your opinions in this manner,” Lampkin said. “A self-imposed illness or an indiscriminate action that breaks the law or the rules of the University could quickly bring unintended consequences … please consider how your actions in the short term could diminish your long-term physical health or set back your long-term academic and career goals.”
Lampkin’s statement also warned against the improper use of University space, the consequences of disregarding regulations and the health risks of fasting.
Filler said the University administration should redirect its concerns to working toward a living wage.
“They have purported to be concerned about the strikers’ health,” Filler said. “In the time they have taken to craft statements to us, they could have been discussing how to implement a living wage.”
‘ “They have purported to be concerned about the strikers’ health,” Filler said. “In the time they have taken to craft statements to us, they could have been discussing how to implement a living wage.” ‘
Maybe they have already discussed this at length, but don’t need to discuss it any more, since Teresa Sullivan’s email pointed out that UVA already pays a “living wage” and since raising it any more would be bad economics, leading to layoffs and disruption of the market in the Cville community.
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Hot debate. What do you think?
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Just what happened to America? If these employees feel they are being underpaid they should find a higher paying job with better benefits, get more edumacated, or start their own business on the side.
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That’s totally cheating. Fruit juice has plenty of sugar calories. Please limit yourself to something like zero cal gatorade if maintaining electrolytes is the goal or you may as well start sneaking fro-yo from newcomb.
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We should hunger strike for the people that will be unemployed if living wage succeeds..
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Irish hunger strikers drank water with salt water mixed into it. That’s it. I hope this doctor knows a thing or two about Nystagmus..
Why not a list of the not-so hunger strikers, and who they are? Are they all students? Wage earners? Faculty? It is a secret?
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Cheers to them starving so we will never have to hear about this again.
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Or an alternative since the administration is so incredibly concerned about the safety risks (in other words, they don’t care about you): Living Wage might consider asking student leaders running for office for some extra cash. I hear at least one of them has 2k to spare.
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Gives a whole new spin on “drank the Kool-Aid.”
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We should hold a hunger strike against the hunger strikers in an effort to stop world hunger.
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If you want to argue with this campaign, try arguing using the narratives of the people who this campaign actually concerns. Why argue with the fruit juice? Who in their right mind cares what you think about the calorie content of fruit juice? The campaigners are trying to be the voice of a narrative, even if they don’t have it perfect. In and of itself, the data point of 27% poverty in a wealthy university town is a narrative of the working environment. If you don’t know the narratives, you have no real grounding to dissuade the student body from support of this movement towards solidarity. There are sides of truth in both economic speculation and a peoples’ story of the present. I invite you to bring some depth and complexity into this argument. Also, to actually consider – what are you doing? How are you promoting equity while you are bashing people who are giving it a shot? Why not direct more positive energy towards the efforts of your own method of seeking justice?
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LJ, to answer your question, I don’t really care one way or another about the living wage campaign. Every year they make the same noise to no avail. A hunger strike seems like a pretty cool idea, especially if students start needing medical attention after not eating for a few weeks, but that will never happen if they keep drinking fruit juice. Let me spell it out for you. Fruit juice having calories ==> fruit juice is a food ==> this is not a hunger strike. If you’re gonna call it a hunger strike, do it right.
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He is right that this is actually NOT a hunger strike. But LJ also needs to think outside his bubble and realize that what UVA is paying it’s entry level employees is NOT what is causing high poverty rates in Charlottesville. There are places all over the country that have lower base wages that have no such poverty. How people spend their money, and how good they are at keeping good jobs are far more important than if they make 11 or 13 bucks an hour. I support the living wage campaign, but I don’t fall for the age old far left fantasies that throwing money at some problem or some people will solve all the problems. Have a look at DC or Detroit if you want to see how that worked out.
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Everyone who thinks the hunger strike is easy – because they drink juice – join them! Lol. I think their sign said they are taking solidarity fasters.
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this is not a hunger strike it’s a cleanse.
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Francis Hughes and Wilmar Villar were hunger strikers.
These largely anonymous good weather campers drinking their meals are not.
Time to end the charade, and give the respect due to those who actually were hunger strikers.
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