Nicola White and Claire Edwards

Living wage draws mixed reactions

As the University's Living Wage Campaign continues to simmer, similar campaigns nationwide have been making strides and receiving mixed reactions. From social welfare advocates to conservative economists, the national campaign has evoked much thought - and produced two different ways of looking at the issue of a minimum wage for lower skilled workers. The origins The national Living Wage Campaign was a product of the 1990s and the brainchild of the grassroots, New York City-based New Party in conjunction with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. The Campaign won its first major victory in 1994 in Baltimore, when employers with Baltimore service contracts were required to provide a "living wage" of $6.10 an hour to their employees.