The living wage proposal is the second of two referenda on the Oct. 18-19 Associated Students of Madison ballot that could change the face of the university for years to come.
The initiative would require student employees receiving wages from student-segregated fees to receive a minimum wage of 110 percent of the federal poverty line, currently $10.23 per hour. The increase would apply to all students employed by Memorial Union, Union South, the Division of Recreational Sports, University Health Services, as well as all other organizations paying wages with segregated fees.
Dane County Board Executive Ashok Kumar, who is also a Student Labor Action Coalition member and UW-Madison senior, said he believes raising the minimum wage from $7.15 to $10.23 is necessary to help students who depend on work income to pay for college.
""Most of the students who work here are working class students,"" Kumar said. ""They are trying to work their way through college and do classes and they deserve a higher wage—$7.15 is not enough.""
The university has already agreed to convert many LTEs to full-time employees. Kumar said this will result in benefits, collective bargaining rights, unions and healthcare for those employees.
But Kumar faults the administration for evading the requirement that LTEs work for no more than six months.
""The way they get around that is by switching the job titles, moving them from one place to another,"" Kumar said. ""Human Resources too has said that has actually happened.""
""There's definitely been a history of pressures on trying to keep down full-time positions to keep costs downA-—maneuvering of positions, keeping people on the LTE jobs for longer than they were ever anticipated,"" University Communications spokesperson John Lucas said.
Lucas maintained, however, that administrators are concentrating on implementing the goals outlined by SLAC.
According to Lucas, the university has not prioritized the implementation of a living wage for students in part because the administration believes the poverty line for a family of four does not apply to most students.
If the referendum passes, the wage increase would apply to all student employees beginning July 2007. The conversion of LTEs to full-time positions will begin Oct. 1. The Union Council estimates the increase in wages will cost the Union $110,000 per year.
