Urban Unrest

24 April 2007 | Politics | Ernesto Aguilar

welve students at the University of Vermont are forgoing food until the Administration takes action and signs an agreement to implement a livable wage for its workers. Members of the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) stepped up their campaign Friday after President Daniel Mark Fogel rejected the proposed livable wage measures. Starting Monday, students are refusing food until Fogel signs the agreement.

Livable wage is a calculated earning based on the costs of living as determined by the State of Vermont’s Joint Fiscal Office. The Joint Fiscal Office adjusts the livable wage to meet the rising costs of living. The current livable wage for 2007 is set at $13.62 per hour.

The campaign for a livable wage at UVM started in 2005 and has grown considerably. In the spring of 2006, SLAP organizers pressured Fogel into creating the Basic Needs Budget Task Force. The task force prepared recommendations for the President in regards to livable wage.

Their findings were released in a final report in October, 2006. The report cited 250 employees receiving less than adequate compensation in relation to their basic needs. The task force called for the establishment of a “wage floor” based on the needs of a single person household. The report was presented to Fogel who has taken no action to implement the task force’s wage floor policy recommendations.

As Maron added, “a livable wage is about justice, respect, and dignity for the workers that make this school run.”

Students have mobilized petitions, protests and events to highlight the Administration’s failure to address the needs of its employees. Last week, dozens of students braved the elements, camping out on the campus green in the snow, surrounded by signs supporting workers’ rights to a livable wage. The Tent City protest ended when University officials failed to renew their permit for occupation.

Organizers of SLAP say all reasonable means of negotiation and communication have been exhausted and a hunger strike is the last resort. The students participating in the strike have been preparing themselves for the past week and plan to maintain a visible presence outside the President’s office building until Fogel agrees to livable wage compensation for the UVM workers, both directly employed and contracted.

Learn more about the campaign at http://www.uvm.edu/~slap/.

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