Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Living Wage Referendum

A referendum on the ballot for the ASM elections to take place March 28-30 would require units of campus that receive segregated fees be required to pay all workers a living wage as a condition of receiving seg fees. A living wage is defined as 110% of the federal poverty rate for a family of four, currently $10.28 an hour.

There are 500 Limited Term Employees on campus paid less than $10.28 an hour. (Figures are from the LTE Collaboration Group, chaired by Vice Chancellor Darrell Brazzell. They are presented in bar graphs, so numbers are rounded). The Athletic Department employs 190 of these workers, 130 of them work at the Wisconsin Union.
Since both these units receive seg fees, they’d be required to pay a living wage as a condition of receiving seg fees.

Whether this referendum passes or not, LTE’s will receive substantially less compensation that classified civil service employees receive. Civil service employees receive health insurance – worth as much as $10,000 a year – a pension, paid vacation and sick leave. LTE’s receive none of this. Passing the Living Wage Referendum will make life a little bit easier for some of the poorest working people in Madison. If the Athletic Department can afford the Kohl Center and the Wisconsin Union can ask for $230 million in seg fees, then the janitors and the food service workers can ask you to vote for the Living Wage Referendum.

Poverty is violence. Do something concrete for the poor, and vote for the Living Wage.

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