The Living Wage Campaign may add Student Council to its list of supporters, pending a resolution vote next week.
In the fall, a Council committee began investigating the issue of living wage at the University following a petition signed by 2000 concerned students. The committee concluded its research Feb. 18, proposing a resolution urging the administration to pay all direct and contract workers a living wage of $8.65 per hour, plus health benefits.
A letter of support signed by leaders of 13 student groups was delivered to Council at the same time, affirming student support for the Living Wage Campaign.
The campaign, based on the belief that no one working full time should be living in poverty, has been working for years to ensure that all University workers are paid a living wage, said Lily Whitesell, third-year College student and co-president of United Students Against Sweatshops at the University.
In 2000, the University agreed to pay direct employees wages over $8. However, workers subcontracted by private companies, who may work side-by-side with direct employees, continue to be paid below living wage, said Jan Cornell, member of the Staff Union at the University of Virginia.
Members of the campaign said, while independent efforts to discuss living wage with administrators have been made, they believe a Council resolution will be more effective in bringing forth results.
"The University administration has not been very proactive about meeting with students about living wage," Whitesell said. "We hope that a Student Council resolution will show that student support is there for living wage and sort of force the administration to address the issue."
Nicholas Graber-Grace, fourth-year College student and campaign member, said because Council represents the broad student body and because it has an established relationship with the administration, its support is key.
"The Board of Visitors and the administration have been recalcitrant to negotiate with representatives of the Living Wage Campaign, and we hope this Student Council resolution will open doors for us," Graber-Grace said. "With the help of Student Council we hope to be a strong voice for the workers who serve our community, showing them the respect they deserve."
The resolution, sponsored by Council representatives Lela Graham, Ruthie Yow and President Micah Schwartz, asks the University to work with student leadership to ensure that a "decent standard of living" is provided to all employed at the University.
"I think Student Council can help by somehow legitimizing the concerns of the Living Wage campaigners and showing that they are concerns of not just these activists, but the concerns of the entire student body," Schwartz said.
Schwartz said he believes there is a "strong likelihood" the resolution will pass.
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