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Why won't Virginia's universities pay employees a living wage?
University presidents show lack of leadership on wage issues
Date published: 3/12/2006
EMORY--John T. Casteen, What do these six people have in common? They are all presidents of universities in Virginia--the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, Christopher Newport University, George Mason University, and Old Dominion University, respectively. What else do they have in common? Their compensation packages provide them with more than $364,000 a year (with Casteen's being $690,000), and the institutions that they head are major employers in the communities in which they are located. And what else? All six have shown a lack of leadership when Based on research from the Virginia Organizing Project, a statewide citizens group that has been working on wage issues for the past eight years, thousands of university workers in Virginia make between $7 and $9 an hour. Since that is hardly enough to meet even basic expenses, taxpayers have to subsidize these poverty wages by paying for subsidized housing, food stamps, and other social services. In addition, university officials often contract with outside companies for food services, housekeeping, landscaping, and other services. These companies are not required by the universities to match the wages they pay their hourly employees. These private employers do not have to report their wage scales, but informal personal surveys conducted by VOP and living wage campaign activists on college campuses throughout the state reveal that wages for these thousands of contract workers fall between $6 and $7 an hour--substantially below the already insufficient wages for university hourly employees. That's why critics refer to this system of contracting with private companies as "exporting poverty." Nobody working full time should live in poverty. A living wage allows for the dignity of workers. If we decide that a job should be done--whether it's cleaning a dorm or mowing the grass--we should be willing to pay a living wage for that work. Unfortunately, this is not the case at the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, Christopher Newport University, George Mason University, and Old Dominion University. Let's think about this for If John Casteen discovers he needs a new pair of glasses, he wouldn't hesitate to go out and buy them.
Date published: 3/12/2006
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