2008 Woodie Awards
18 cents short of a living wage, LIVE faces new challenges
Mike Maio
Issue date: 3/27/07 Section: Opinion
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When the Vanderbilt administration and the employees' union agreed on a contract earlier this month that would raise the lowest base wage from $7.55 to $10 per hour, members of Living Income for Vanderbilt Employees (LIVE) recall friends congratulating them. "You guys did it!" was the general sentiment.
Not so fast, LIVE's members say.
While the wage increase to $10 per hour comes close to the $10.18 that LIVE calculates as the living wage for Nashville, the raise will be phased in over the course of two years. During that time, the $10.18 living wage estimate, which is already two years out of date, will likely climb higher because of inflation. Most important, though, from LIVE's perspective, is the fact that Vanderbilt still has not adopted a formal policy of paying employees a living wage. Ellen McSweeney, a member of LIVE and occasional contributor to Orbis, said that the significance of "committing to the living wage principle is that the living wage becomes secure. It becomes something the employer knows about, believes in and keeps up to date on."
The university has frequently expressed a commitment to being a "fair and progressive employer," in the words of Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Mike Schoenfeld. "The fact that the contract ratified by the union membership on March 2 was almost identical to offer that was presented by the university back in December, with the addition of a one-half percent to guaranteed increase in the second and third years (from 3 to 3.5 percent), demonstrates that both sides were always very close together and had the university's, and the employees', best interests at heart," Schoenfeld said in an e-mail. But LIVE points out that without the guarantee of a living wage, the gains made by workers in the new contract are not necessarily permanent.
The major challenge LIVE will face in the near future is to explain to students why they are not content with the contract and to convince students that demanding a living wage is more than just a quibble over 18 cents. More significantly, LIVE must make the case that a living wage at Vanderbilt is still a cause worth caring about and fighting for. If students don't agree, then the large hike in the base wage will have proved to be a mixed blessing for the living wage movement.
Not so fast, LIVE's members say.
While the wage increase to $10 per hour comes close to the $10.18 that LIVE calculates as the living wage for Nashville, the raise will be phased in over the course of two years. During that time, the $10.18 living wage estimate, which is already two years out of date, will likely climb higher because of inflation. Most important, though, from LIVE's perspective, is the fact that Vanderbilt still has not adopted a formal policy of paying employees a living wage. Ellen McSweeney, a member of LIVE and occasional contributor to Orbis, said that the significance of "committing to the living wage principle is that the living wage becomes secure. It becomes something the employer knows about, believes in and keeps up to date on."
The university has frequently expressed a commitment to being a "fair and progressive employer," in the words of Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Mike Schoenfeld. "The fact that the contract ratified by the union membership on March 2 was almost identical to offer that was presented by the university back in December, with the addition of a one-half percent to guaranteed increase in the second and third years (from 3 to 3.5 percent), demonstrates that both sides were always very close together and had the university's, and the employees', best interests at heart," Schoenfeld said in an e-mail. But LIVE points out that without the guarantee of a living wage, the gains made by workers in the new contract are not necessarily permanent.
The major challenge LIVE will face in the near future is to explain to students why they are not content with the contract and to convince students that demanding a living wage is more than just a quibble over 18 cents. More significantly, LIVE must make the case that a living wage at Vanderbilt is still a cause worth caring about and fighting for. If students don't agree, then the large hike in the base wage will have proved to be a mixed blessing for the living wage movement.
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