The Workers and Students United organization held a forum this Saturday to discuss the living wage campaign and how it pertains to University. A heated debate that has endured for a number of years, the campaign picked up steam during the recent economic downtown. Saturday's meeting was called so that students could reach out to incoming President Teresa A. Sullivan and address the issues currently facing this movement. Although living wage advocates are calling for a pay raise of more than $1 an hour for all University employees, Sullivan's administration also should focus on more comprehensive solutions that establish opportunities for employees' upward mobility at the University.
The debate centers on the accusation that the University's minimum wage for employees - currently $10.14 per hour - is not enough to provide for workers' basic needs: shelter, nourishment and family responsibilities. These calls for action are not new. For years, President John T. Casteen, III has been under pressure to adjust the University's pay scales to the living wage threshold rather than the archaic poverty line. In May 2006, 17 students were arrested after participating in a sit-in at Madison Hall to protest what they perceived to be irresponsibly low wages offered by the University. As students and community members continue to lobby for salary increases for the University's lowest wage earners, they must consider the opportunities and benefits allotted to workers that often are left out of living wage calculations. Fringe benefits such as health care are not included either. During the 2008-09 academic year, employees earned the equivalent of more than $7 an hour in these benefits, bringing their total compensation to $17.22 per hour.
Determining a precise pay rate to aim for is challenging, as well. Factors like inflation and the local community's standard of living must be placed into an equation to determine the appropriate pay grade. Target numbers for the new wage vary among different groups, but $11.44 per hour has emerged as something of a baseline for many advocates. University spokesperson Carol Wood said less than 2 percent (333 out of 20,714) of University academic employees earn between $10.14 and $11.71 per hour. It seems advantageous for Sullivan to consider raising these employees' wages, given the low number of workers who would be affected; it would send a clear message to students and University employees that she takes the living wage issue seriously. Still, with the onslaught of budget cuts stemming from the economy's current slump, priorities must be kept in mind. For example, maintaining a slightly lower pay grade may help to ensure that the University does not have to lay off workers during economic downturns.
With the General Assembly denying employee salary increases for next year, the University has had to compensate by offering other concessions to workers. The University provides several pay-improvement opportunities in addition to annual increases, including market adjustments and job duty adjustment. But the University's training and development opportunities for staff members afford the most chance for a lasting improvement in quality of living standards. Formal training classes are available - in English, supervision and leadership, as well as GED classes - and once completed, employees receive a raise added to their base salaries. They are also given a stipend of $2,000 per year, which may be used toward educational opportunities either at the University or community colleges, Wood added.
With the entry of a new president, now is the ideal time to send a message that the University is genuinely concerned about its employees' quality of life. Although the University offers the second-highest starting pay rate for its employees in the commonwealth, behind George Mason University, Sullivan can spend relatively little of the University's money to meet the living wage demands and show she is not a status quo leader. As the Charlottesville community's major employer and the city's economic backbone, the University significantly affects the area's market pay rate. A pay raise at this institution would provide considerable benefits for local citizens in addition to University employees.
The University's overarching mission is to provide its students with the foundation necessary to improve themselves and better their lives; Sullivan's goal for the University's employees should be parallel.
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