Rally calls for extensions of wage increase
By Christine Buurma | November 20, 2000Chanting "No justice, no peace" and "Hey, hey, U.Va., contract workers need more pay" as passing drivers honked their horns and waved, about 40 supporters of the University's Labor Action Group gathered in front of Madison Hall Friday to celebrate the University's new pay scale and to call for further action. LAG held its "Victory Rally" in response to the University's recent decision to raise the minimum wage of some classified employees to $8.19 - an act that University officials said had nothing to do with pressure from labor activists who have been working since 1997 to raise the minimum wage. According to federal guidelines, $8 is the minimum wage needed to bring a family of four up to the poverty line - a fact often cited by LAG activists. The new pay rate does not apply to contracted employees, such as those employed by ARAmark, the University's dining service. Although Colette Sheehy, University vice president for management and budget, has denied that the minimum wage increase was a result of pressure from LAG, speakers at the rally said they believed LAG played a direct role in the University's decision. Sue Herndon, University Hospital patient satisfaction analyst, said employee morale at the hospital was low before the pay scale increase and praised LAG's efforts to pressure the University into adopting an $8 minimum wage for all employees. "I thought there was no way you'd get the hospital to think of the employees before the bottom line.
