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harvard students & workers demand living wage
On May 8, 40 students ended their 21-day occupation of the offices of Harvard University president Neil L. Rudenstein. The students, organized as the Progressive Student Labor Movement, were demanding that the board of trustees pass a provision for a “living wage” of $10.25 per hour for all university employees and employees of private contractors who do business with the university.
The students have been campaigning for the university to adopt the living wage provision for the past two years with little response from university officials.
Over 400 employees of Harvard make less then $10.25, and many earn less then $7 per hour.
Most low-wage workers are janitors or cafeteria workers. Several hundred more workers employed by subcontractors and temp agencies also make less than $10.25 per hour.
Workers and students are infuriated that the elite university pays its workers so little despite Harvard’s immense resources. Harvard freshman Madeline Elfenbein said, “Harvard is a multibillion-dollar corporation that has been masquerading as an institution that serves humanity.”
A Harvard custodian said, “How does Harvard justify paying a person $8.50 an hour with the kind of money they have?”
The students ended the office occupation after three weeks, when the university agreed to set up a committee composed of workers, students, faculty and administration. The administration also agreed to re-open contracts with two unions, SEIU Local 254 and HERE Local 26, which represent low-wage workers.
The administration has agreed to wage increases but they have not agreed to the $10.25 per hour rate advocated by workers and students. Whether the workers actually gain significant increases still depends on pressure from workers and students.
Although the campaign is far from over, the students and workers have won a victory in having built a broad movement in support of Harvard workers.
They have received support from several lawmakers, the City of Cambridge, over 100 Harvard faculty members, alumni, and the AFL-CIO.
The article above was written by YSAer David Bernt.
