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Fall 2005: What's up in the world of campus-community solidarity?

This is a list compiled by United Students Against Sweatshops about all the campaigns that fall within the Campus-Community Solidarity Committee (CCSC), which includes living wage campaigns and union solidarity campaigns.

Northeast

Harvard janitors negotiated a new contract, with Student Labor Action Movement supporting them all the way.

Simmons students have been organizing in solidarity with janitorial workers and have their eyes on living wage campaign.

Tufts is working to start a SLAP chapter, and folks are also interested in a WRC affiliation campaign.

Emerson has worked in solidarity with janitors and food service workers for years, has established language-exchange programs, and wrote a play in which workers and students performed.

SUNY Buffalo has been hosting Worker Appreciation Brunches that has built many worker relationships. Let’s hear it for worker breakfasts! Two workers have been fired in response to the increase relationship building. They’re having a worker speak-out this Thursday and are building a broad-based coalition.

Wellesley College has been supporting workers during contract negotiations with IMSEUA, in addition to their famous Sweatshop Simulation work!

Mid-Atlantic

Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr all have eyes on living wages and supporting workers organizing. Students came together with their mid-Atlantic companions and the Living Wage Action Coalition to strategize for workers’ rights!

Ursinus College is thinking living wage as well, and is helping to pull together another Mid-Atlantic meetup this coming Saturday. Yay! [more on Ursinus]

University of Virginia has had an ongoing living wage campaign for years, and it's heating up! A worker was fired recently, read this update from SUUVA, a CWA affiliate union who represent workers at UVA:
http://suuva.org/articles/342/university-fire-charter-critic-the-daily-progress-november-24-2005 [more on Virginia]

Georgetown has been continuing to struggle with living wage implementation, working towards union recognition for subcontracted janitorial workers, and supporting organizing of Allied security guards. [more on Georgetown]

Temple has been working to support Allied Security Guards in Philadelphia and works closely with Philly SLAP.

Moravian College, another group with stalwart worker-appreciation brunch, is also gearing up for living wages and has helped establish cross-campus organizing with Lehigh University around progressive campus activism.

Southeast

UNC Chapel Hill Student Action with Workers/SAS have held an educational occupation in their administration building. We’ve sent an action alert about this, so if you haven’t called their chancellor yet, do that! Food service workers there have been struggling to organize for about a year now. Housekeeping workers are organized as a minority union with UE150, and they’ve been working to educate and struggle against North Carolina’s anti-collective bargaining laws for public workers.

Duke has been working with Durham CAN on a Living Wage campaign, supporting workers at a nearby meat-packing plant (check out http://www.smithfieldjustice.com/)

Hampton students participating in a nationwide anti-war demonstration were repressed by campus police and threatened with expulsion. To support their struggle, check out:
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/hampton

University of Georgia/Athens have also been building a living wage campaign. Check out their site!
http://www.econjustice.org/UGALWN.htm

University of Tennessee at Knoxville continues building for a living wage off of last year’s success, and working to support the union-building process in an anti-union state (a.k.a. “right to work”). They’ve been doing some innovative teach-ins at classes on their campus where students figure for themselves what a living wage would be, and why UTK’s isn’t.

Vanderbilt also continues on the heels of a victory to press for living wages — they succeeded in getting a raise in the wage floor for low-wage workers, but won’t stop until it’s a livable one. [more on Vanderbilt]

University of Miami students have been supporting Unicco janitorial workers in a difficult union struggle. [more on UMiami]

Midwest

Washington University in St. Louis continues their victory with monitoring and enforcing their big living wage win from last Spring. [more on Wash U]

Notre Dame has come on strong with a living wage campaign in the wake of the Taco Bell campaign’s victory.
http://www.campuslaboractionproject.org/

Purdue U students have been supporting a local Justice for Janitors campaign

Western Michigan University has been meeting with their administration, and held a spontaneous call—in day after organizing a conference around progressive organizing with Living Wage Action Coalition! [more on WMich]

Loyola University in Chicago has been building for a simultaneous living wage/sweat-free campaign push. Whew!

U Chicago continues to support efforts for worker democracy on campus

UMKC students are working towards living wages for all workers.

Southwest

Arizona State University students have been working on supporting carpenters’ efforts against union-busting.

California

UCSD builds for a big year of living wages after supporting the successful AFSCME 1-day strike last Spring.

Stanford are supporting Stanford Hospital janitorial workers during contract negotiations, which are at a crucial point this week!,They’ve been supporting a struggle for living wages for years, as well.

Northwest

Lewis & Clark students have been working to support outsourced janitorial workers’ rights to organize.