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Updates from LWAC

SPRING 2006: Students Take Action to Support Campus Workers; Major Victories Across the U.S. May 12, 2006
The good news keeps coming and coming! Campus chapters of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) and the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) have achieved a number of exciting and important victories. Beginning with the Student Labor Week of Action, students carried out all sorts of creative and effective actions to support struggles of campus workers as well as global garment workers, farmworkers who supply McDonald's, and many others — 257 actions and events in total! University administrators have felt the heat and seen the power of students and workers united! Check out some of the highlights... [read more]

LWAC runs around with the UVa Living Wage Campaign Apr 20, 2006 - Here  I am, in the belly of the beast, well at least one of them. I've spent the last week and a half in Charlottesville, Virginia working with the students in the Living Wage Campaign at the University of Virginia. It's been an absolutely incredible experience so far and I feel that there is still so much more to come. The sit-in that happened in the last week has galvanized the campus in a way that people tell me is unprecedented on these "grounds". It's both exhilarating and exhausting. I haven't gotten much sleep but it's not stopping me, I am consistently inspired to keep going by the students here, those involved for a long time as well as those who have just gotten involved in the last week... [read more]

Putting some "moves" into Western Michigan's Living Wage Campaign! Apr 5, 2006 - For the past few days, I have had the pleasure of working with the Living Wage Campaign Coalition at Western Michigan University. Students there have been organizing in solidarity with janitorial and housekeeping staff for the past two years, after WMU's administration subcontracted 60 formerly well paying, union jobs to union-busting and povery wage paying contractor CSM. After several rounds of meetings with their administration, including WMU president Bailey, the LWCC decided it was time to step things up and put a little "movement" back into Living Wage. :) [read more]

Dancin' for livable wages at U of Vermont! Apr 4, 2006 - I've been enjoying the surprisingly-decent weather up here in Burlington, VT, since Wednesday. On Thursday (March 30) I joined students, workers, faculty, union leaders and other members of the community speaking at a press conference organized by UVM's Student Labor Action Project (SLAP). The press conference kicked off SLAP's Week of Action at UVM, which culmintates this Friday (April 7) with a rally for livable wages* outside the administration's building -- quite possibly among the largest rallies in UVM's history... [read more]

UMiami Students Strategize to Support Janitors' Strike! March 5, 2006 - LWAC has been working with the amazing UMiami student living wage activists of Students Towards A New Democracy (STAND) ever since our 2-day LWAC training in October 2005. A couple weeks ago, students found out that UMiami janitors (employed by contractor UNICCO) planned to strike for living wages, healthcare and union recognition by a card-check. Students called LWAC to set up an all-day strategizing session to plan out the next month as this campaign escalates more and more! ... [read more]

LWAC and UMBC share strategy and tasty food. Mar 5, 2006 - On Sunday, Tamara and I spent the day with some of the labor activists at University of Maryland - Baltimore County. They had about 10 folks out at the event, which was pretty awesome for a group that is only 3 weeks old! ... At this point in their campaign, they are focusing primarily on building relationships with the workers on their campus and establishing themselves as a group on campus. The students had their first workers appreciation breakfast the first week of March and are planning on making it a weekly event... [read more]

LWAC meets with Students & Workers at Miami U of Ohio. Feb 27, 2006 - During the weekend of February 24-26, Shalini and I headed out to Oxford, Ohio for three days of planning, strategizing, and general merriment with the Miami University of Ohio Students for Staff.  Students for Staff began organizing in the Fall of 2005, following the lead of another student group, the Fair Labor Coalition, which was formed around a strike led by custodial and foodservice workers from AFSCME local 209 two years ago... [read more]

Hot Campaign Plans Heat Up Cold Vermont Days. Feb 21, 2006 - From February 16-18, Carl, Pedro, and I headed up to the University of Vermont for three days of workshops, planning, fun, and lots of hot drinks. UVM's Student Labor Action Project launched a "Livable Wages" campaign last fall, focusing mainly on foodservice workers on their campus that are contracted by Sodexho, but are demanding a living wage for all workers on their campus. A living wage policy has already been adopted by the city of Burlington, and it's about time that the university catch up!... [read more]

LWAC gets cold in Buffalo. Feb 17, 2006 - Danielle and I just spent a fun-filled weekend (Feb 3-5) at the University at Buffalo where we met with students who are part of the University at Buffalo Students Against Sweatshops group. They are currently working on a Living Wage Campaign focusing on the fact that many of the subcontracted janitors are getting paid dramatically less than the directly hired workers who are represented by CSEA local 602. Why isn’t there ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’? I ran into this same question at Georgetown when I was a member of the Georgetown Solidarity Committee working on a living wage campaign. It’s not a coincidence that both campuses have faced similar issues... [read more]

Living wage on the biggest campus in the US! Jan 31, 2006 - On January 27-29 Pedro, Maya, and I flew in to Phoenix, Arizona for three days of workshops and fun at Arizona State University in nearby Tempe, AZ. The Living Wage Coalition at ASU is focusing on their university's huge foodservice contract, which currently is with Sodexho Foodservices. The contract is going to be renogatiated by the Fall of this year, and students will pressure administrators to guarantee a living wage and the right to organize for the next foodservice contract... [read more]

Start of the Semester Update Jan 26, 2006 - 2006 has started with a bang for LWAC! Our new staffer, Brie Phillips, began in early January and has been an amazing addition to the collective. She joined us from the Student-Farmworker Alliance where she worked as national co-coordinator... This past weekend LWAC hosted a “Train the Trainers” Retreat... [read more]

LWAC explores the Lone Star State! Jan 8, 2006 - In early December, Jack and I spent a week in the large state of Texas with awesome folks at three schools: Texas A&M, Baylor and UT-Austin. The Texas A&M Living Wage Coalition had organized “Beat the Hell Outta Poverty” week and we were invited to run some workshops and teach-ins. They have a small but dedicated group of students... [read more]

UMiami students STAND with UNICCO workers! Nov 22, 2005 - This past weekend Pedro, Ginny, and I spent some time with the wonderful folks of STAND - Students Towards A New Democracy - at the University of Miami, a group of students working in solidarity with the UNICCO janitors. The janitors, who have been trying to organize... [read more]

Loyola and U Chicago! Nov 12-13, 2005

LWAC goes 'home' to Bryn Mawr Nov 3, 2005

Moravian and Lehigh Oct 30, 2005

It feels good in California! Oct 25, 2005

Living Wage in the County Capital of the World! Oct 20, 2005

LWAC heads to UMKC's 'Tent State' Oct 6, 2005

LWAC hits the North East, Meets USAS high schoolers Oct 4, 2005

LWAC visits University of Wisconsin-Madison Oct 3, 2005

LWAC's tour has begun! (UMW, Wash. College, UC system) Sept 21, 2005

Join us on our campus tour! Aug 31, 2005

LWAC is online! Aug 5, 2005