Hunger Strike on the Hilltop

[Hilltopper]

In support of a "living wage" for University employees.

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52340-2005Mar20.html

[hoyahoyasaxa]

Will it be more or less successful than the Iraq war protest? If I recall correctly, they said they'd stay in Red Square until all US troops were out of Iraq.

[Bando]

Ah, yes, the cause du jour kids. I'm particularly appalled by the methods resorted to by this group of "activists" because I feel it's wildly improportional to any resistance they're getting from the university.

It's my understanding that the administration came to the LWC with a compromise proposal that phased in the salary hikes, but since it was proposed a minute or so past the LWC's arbitrary deadline and didn't raise wages immediately (which would cost a few million), they went straight to extreme self-righteousness.

I feel what characterizes these kids is a passionate need to be raging against something so that they can think of themselves as "activists," i.e. they're concerned for others, but only for the purpose of stroking their own egos. They need to stereotype other groups to fit into their closed view of things. Thus, there's the big bad university administration who is tightfisted, hates its workers, and is uncompromising; fiercely opposing them are the valiant group of students courageously speaking out for what is right without a care to the consequences that might befall them (in this case, um, DEATH). Obviously, this isn't wholly the case.

Just to clarify, I support the LWC's goal and I think the university should take steps to raise the wages of its lowest-paid workers. But posturing and grandstanding while being hostile to compromise actually hurts these workers, because in the end nothing is being done. Apparently for the LWC, nothing is better than something, as long as they get media attention for themselves. If the LWC was more serious about a living wage and less serious about it's own image, I feel there would already have been a deal made to improve the lives of workers at Georgetown.

[Jack]

I am pretty sure the permanent revolution gang won't be among those packing McDonough tomorrow night. These kids make me ashamed to be a liberal.

[Hilltopper2000]

Here's a proposal: Figure out how much per student in a tuition hike this would cost and allow the student body to vote on it. If a majority are willing to have their tuition raised by $500 or $1000 to pay for it, then the administration should add it as a fee next semester. That way these students can petition their classmates instead of administrators at GU where balancing the budget while maintaining an excellent university is often like passing a camel through the eye of a needle. If GU had the finances of Harvard, I could understand this. The university is in big fiscal trouble, though. I don't think the students appreciate that at all.

[TBird41]

Guest-Hilltopper2000 said:

Here's a proposal: Figure out how much per student in a tuition hike this would cost and allow the student body to vote on it. If a majority are willing to have their tuition raised by $500 or $1000 to pay for it, then the administration should add it as a fee next semester. That way these students can petition their classmates instead of administrators at GU where balancing the budget while maintaining an excellent university is often like passing a camel through the eye of a needle. If GU had the finances of Harvard, I could understand this. The university is in big fiscal trouble, though. I don't think the students appreciate that at all.

The activists would never agree to this for a very simple reason: It wouldn't pass. No kid is going to vote to raise his tuition--I know I wouldn't. My parents would kill me. A voluntary fee might work though--it would allow for the people that cared (and were able to afford it) to help pay for the living wage, while keeping others from having to pay another tuition hike.

And yeah, I think this whole hunger strike is ridiculous. The University came back with a pretty good deal and the living wage people rejected them. From what I hear, they've been inspired by / worked with the living wage coalition at Yale, which got all their demands met. Then again, the living wage in New Haven is lower than it is in DC and Yale is rolling in dough. Of course, realities like that can't penetrate these people's skulls.

[tgo]

"Living Wage" what a joke.

have any of these kids heard of capitalism before.

Out of curiousity, does anyone know what part of the GU budget these protesters want to be cut in order to raise the salaries they have targeted?

[Bando]

Here's that blog mentioned in the Hoya article. Unlike the author, I'm not so much opposed to the LWC's goal as their tactics, which I view as self-righteous grandstanding. Check it out!

[DFW HOYA]

Now comes the satire columns...

www.cnsnews.com/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=%5CCommentary%5Carchive%5C200503%5CCOM20050323f.html

[hoyahoyasaxa]

It's over...and I don't even think the university budged from their original increase...

The original demands of the students were to raist the wage from its current level to between $13.95 and $14.93 by July. The university says it will raise it to $14.00 by July 2007.

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62829-2005Mar24.html

GU Student Hunger Strike Ends
The Associated Press
Thursday, March 24, 2005; 11:20 AM


A hunger strike at Georgetown University has ended after the school agreed to give pay raises to contract workers such as janitors and cafeteria workers.

More than 20 student have gone without food since March 15th, taking in just water and juice. They ended their strike last night, after the university sent an all-student e-mail detailing plans to increase wages.

These contract workers now earn eleven-dolllar, 33 cents an hour. The plan calls for them to earn 13 dollars an hour by July first, with a raise to 14 dollars by July 2007. Employees also will get such benefits as use of the Georgetown library and school shuttles.

Students will meet with Georgetown's president and senior vice president later today, presumably to officially announce the end of the hunger strike.

[SFHoya99]

tgo said:

"Living Wage" what a joke.

have any of these kids heard of capitalism before.

Out of curiousity, does anyone know what part of the GU budget these protesters want to be cut in order to raise the salaries they have targeted?

I don't know much about this, but I do know part of capitalism is that the Customer has a right to complain to Supplier.

You may not agree, but since I was basically playing Mario 64 while these kids are trying to help others, I'm not gonna complain.

[showcase]

TBird41 said:

No kid is going to vote to raise his tuition--I know I wouldn't. My parents would kill me. A voluntary fee might work though--it would allow for the people that cared (and were able to afford it) to help pay for the living wage, while keeping others from having to pay another tuition hike.

I got news for you: your tuition was, in all likelihood, going up anyway. College tuition has outpaced inflation by a wide margin for years now.

As for the LWC, I guess I'm the only one who doesn't have a uniformly negative view of them. I have a lot of sympathy for anyone who has to do a crap job for low wages, having had a few of them myself.

On the other hand, I could have made more as a GU janitor than I did in my first job after graduation (thanx, Career "Services"), and I know a lot of law school graduates whose salary is right around what I think $11.33/hr works out to per year (nevermind $14.00/hr). They don't have to live in the Metro area, but still.

[tgo]

SFHoya99 said:

part of capitalism is that the Customer has a right to complain to Supplier.

of course, but if the jobs are so low paying, then the employees should find work elsewhere. Then, if all the talented workers will no longer work for $12 an hour (which is very good for working in a position that requires no previous experience or specialized training. I might be wrong here but I think that at $25k a year that would be about avg pay nationally, and I would consider a janitor a below average job)
then the employer will have to raise their rates to become more competitive in the marketplace. Arbitrarily raising wages to a "living" standard does nothing to change the lot of those employees in the long run, since if we apply this theory across the board, it just raises prices on everything making that wage just as insufficient as it was before. Why not fight to allow GU workers to be able to enroll and take a certain amount of credits per semester free which cost the university pennies per person and actually improve the ability of these workers to get higher paying jobs in the future.

I prefer to let the market determine wages instead of some misguided young Hoyas.
I still want to know what part of the GU budget they wanted to cut to raise the wages since wages dont just fall from the sky. Nice that they ended their strike in time to go home for easter. It seems to have fit neatly in the space between vacations, must have been brutal.

[showcase]

tgo said:

I might be wrong here but I think that at $25k a year that would be about avg pay nationally, and I would consider a janitor a below average job

That's just the point though, isn't it? These people aren't working in the average 'national' market. They work in the Metro area, which is neither cheap or reflective of 'national' norms.

[tgo]

True, I dont know what the average salary is in DC, likely higher than the 23-25k of the nation, but a janitor is not an average job, it is a below average paying line of work.

[TBird41]

showcase said:

I got news for you: your tuition was, in all likelihood, going up anyway. College tuition has outpaced inflation by a wide margin for years now.

Don't worry, I already knew that. But I didn't have much of a choice in the matter, did I? My point was simple--almost no students would CHOOSE to have their tuition raised, which is what they would have to do in order to implement Hilltopper's plan.

[showcase]

Well, I always thought of accepting at a private university is like giving the administration a free pass to raid the family fortune. After all, you're basically at their whim during your tenure there. So, in effect, you already agreed to the tuition increase as an exercise of their discretion before you even stepped on campus.


By the way, I noticed on the other thread your mention of the fact that you got waitlisted at U Chicago, and to that, I say: Congrats. I basically grew up on that campus, and you're definitely better off. And I can say that without ever having met you, and knowing nothing about you other than what's on these boards.

[TBird41]

showcase said:

Well, I always thought of accepting at a private university is like giving the administration a free pass to raid the family fortune. After all, you're basically at their whim during your tenure there. So, in effect, you already agreed to the tuition increase as an exercise of their discretion before you even stepped on campus.


By the way, I noticed on the other thread your mention of the fact that you got waitlisted at U Chicago, and to that, I say: Congrats. I basically grew up on that campus, and you're definitely better off. And I can say that without ever having met you, and knowing nothing about you other than what's on these boards.

From everything I've heard about U Chicago, I wholeheartedly agree with you--I'm really happy I didn't end up there. It was more of a safety school anyway (GTown was my first choice all the way)

[SFHoya99]

tgo said:

of course, but if the jobs are so low paying, then the employees should find work elsewhere. Then, if all the talented workers will no longer work for $12 an hour (which is very good for working in a position that requires no previous experience or specialized training. I might be wrong here but I think that at $25k a year that would be about avg pay nationally, and I would consider a janitor a below average job)
then the employer will have to raise their rates to become more competitive in the marketplace. Arbitrarily raising wages to a "living" standard does nothing to change the lot of those employees in the long run, since if we apply this theory across the board, it just raises prices on everything making that wage just as insufficient as it was before. Why not fight to allow GU workers to be able to enroll and take a certain amount of credits per semester free which cost the university pennies per person and actually improve the ability of these workers to get higher paying jobs in the future.

I prefer to let the market determine wages instead of some misguided young Hoyas.
I still want to know what part of the GU budget they wanted to cut to raise the wages since wages dont just fall from the sky. Nice that they ended their strike in time to go home for easter. It seems to have fit neatly in the space between vacations, must have been brutal.

Tgo, letting some young hoyas determine wages is the market.

The customer is demanding a better product; for them, that improved product involves better paid inputs.

If someone wants to advertise "Made in the USA" that's just the same.

This is not a government standard -- just interaction between customer and supplier. And the Supplier will up the price of the product soon enough.

[tgo]

I would be really curious to see the avg salary in DC because a lot of people work for peanuts who could make a killing (or at least a lot better than average)elsewhere in another industry since people who work as staffers make nothing.

Point taken that the consumer protest is a method for the market to work. I would guess, however, that few of the student protestors foot the bill for their now more expensive education or proposed any specific cuts in university services to pay for their demands so they are not pure consumers here, they dont pay the consequences, it is their parents but more so the next generation of hoya applicants who cant come because prices are too high for their family to absorb who have to live with the consequences and that type of decision making process is not in the best interest of the market.

On my previous post i was thinking more about movements to raise the minimum wage or living wage across the board economy wide and the pointless and anti-market nature of these attempts.

Correct me if i am wrong here but it appears to have been a very conveniently placed protest, it started after spring break and ended before easter break, we wouldnt want any of these guys not to get to go home to mom & dad for their vacations, I mean a liquid diet is one thing but trying to tell mom to get a refund on those plan tix she bought for me is another all together. If this is not the case let me know.