I was struck by a comment made by University spokesperson Carol Wood in Thursday’s article (“Living Wage Group meets to discuss salary concerns”, 2/12/2009): “ [when] we look at the market — for these positions that these people are in — we believe that that is a fair and equitable minimum wage given the job and requirements needed to fulfill those jobs.“ Paying ‘”fair and equitable” wages sounds nice, but our University has another standard: honor.
When we think of honor at this University, we often think of “the honor system”. We exhibit honor by not lying, cheating or stealing. But what of treating others honorably, with dignity and respect? And why do we treat honor as if it is something unique to the University? As students of this University, we are bound by the honor system. We should hold our University to the same standard. We are also members of the Charlottesville community, and should treat other members of the community with dignity and respect.
The living wage issue is not just about a number; it is about honor. When the University does not pay its employees wages sufficient to live in the community in which they work and to support their families, they are not treating them with dignity and respect. When the University speaks of the lowest-wage workers as a group beneath (“these positions that these people are in”) they are not treating them with dignity and respect. When we let this happen, we are not treating them with dignity and respect.
Amidst all the quibbling over issues of sanctions, we forget the importance of honor. It is not a system to prevent an individual doing bad things. Rather, honor compels the individual to do good for the community. If we want to talk about the honor of the University, we need to talk about how the University treats its workers. We need to talk about paying workers an honorable, respectful, living wage.
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