Hi everyone!
We are considering supporting the following proposal. Please comment of your thoughts. We will vote through an electronic voting system November 13th-18th. Thanks!
-Casey
The Living Wage and the RVCC Campaign
LIVING WAGE—The phrase “living wage” refers to wages that are legally required by towns and some colleges for local workers who are employees of outside companies. Living wage rates generally run between $9 and $12 per hour, higher than minimum wages ($5.15 to $7 per hour, depending on the state) and lower than union wages.
BUILDING SERVICES AT RVCC—At RVCC, the custodian, security guards, and cafeteria staff all work for outside companies that the College holds contracts with; the current contracts expire in 2008 and 2009 and may be extended or renewed, or new companies may be hired. Most workers in these three positions earn around $8 or $9 per hour and do not receive health benefits unless they pay for them. In general, the College does not pay attention to the wages of these workers because wages are not part of the contract that the College signs with the company to do the work.
RVCC’S LIVING WAGE PROPOSAL—Our proposal to the College President, Dr. Crabill, asks the Board of Trustees to pass resolutions requiring that at the next contract starting date, these workers who are full-time be paid $10.15 or $11.15 per hour (depending on their position) and get health benefits. If no health benefits are included, they are to receive $2 per hour more.
These amounts are calculated as dollars above the New Jersey minimum wage, currently $7.15. When the state minimum wage goes up in the future, these wages will go up also.
The proposal also calls for the formation of a Wage Board consisting of representatives from different areas of the College (including students) to monitor the paying of these wages.
WAGES IN THE SOMERSET COUNTY AREA—Custodians and security guards in this area earn around $11.00 per hour as an average. The average for the various types of cafeteria and kitchen workers ranges from $8 to $11.
THE RVCC LIVING WAGE CAMPAIGN—The proposal, signed by student and staff leaders, will be sent to the President who will then bring it to the Board. The College community will need to show support through such events as a card-writing campaign. Negotiations will probably take place. Hopefully, students, faculty, and others can stay supportive long enough for an agreement to be reached. The proposal will cost money, so it is unrealistic to expect the Board to agree easily or right away.
Brock Haussamen
Professor of English
bhaussam@raritanval.edu
He speaks about the custodians not having health benefits when our teachers do not even have health benefits. Our college hires adjuncts just so they do not have to provide those services. I dont want to sound mean in any way but 8-9 dollars an hour is not bad. For me to try to find a job that pays that amount is like pulling teeth. What he is fighting is much bigger than our school, it is the fact that the amount the American public is being paid is not enough to live on. Most have two jobs to support themselves and that is why two parents work in the household now. I mean we can choose to fight for the custodians but what about the rest of the people in the United States that need fair wages, not to mention the people that currently teach us at RVCC.
Comment by Christin — November 3, 2006 @ 11:54 am |
The adjunct system is a pretty common thing at all colleges, it’s usually more a way to get a “foot in the door” than a primary career move.
It is hard to find a job that pays a decent wage in this area, speaking as a parent myself, it’s a struggle and I can’t support myself and my daughter on less than abougt $18 an hour, which is quite a bit more than I actulaly make, so I’m constantly behind and living paycheck to paycheck.
I do, on the other hand, think it’s more than reasonable to make sure that our college’s wages are competitive with other similar jobs in the area. The one question I have is on thier status as outside contractors. It’s my understanding that many of the school staff are employed through an outside contractor, rather than directly throught the school. If this is the case, how much control does RVCC have over their pay rate, and if we were to, for example, increase pay from $9 an hour to $11, would the college have to pay $2 more a labor hour, or would they end up paying $3 an hour more so the worker would see that 2?
Comment by Matt DeBlass — November 3, 2006 @ 2:03 pm |
It is a good beginning. This is an opportunity to stand up for what is fair. It does not matter that there are other low paying jobs and other places with much more serious issues. But, there is always something called fair share. Four years ago I took a 40 %a pay cut because my contracting company was not doing well and I saw lot of people around me loosing their jobs. My pay inspite of a 40% pay cut was fair by the prevaling industry standards. I was one of the highest paid in the industry at the time prior to the pay cut for similar work ( I consider myself to be one of the best in what I do and both my contracting company and the client company agree). I also thought (mistakenly) that my pay cut was being used to retain other employees with greater needs. Because of lack of increase in pay for another employee from my contracting company, my supervisor asked yesterday, not for the numbers but the % changes in my salary for the past few years. Turned out that my company should not have cut my pay by 40 % but a max of 4 % regardless of what my original pay was. My company decided to profit from the prevailing general gloom. The point is transparency and intervention is essential for the custodians to get their fair share of pay. How much is the college paying the contracting company ? How much profits are the contracting companies netting ? If a couple of dollars increase in the low hourly wages mean a smaller yacht for someone then by all means intervention in the prevailing practice is fair and needed. If the profits of the contracting compnay are reasonable then where else can expenses be cut or revenue generated to increase the pay ? But, I would not say that it is none of the schools business to gain some control over how the contractors are treated.
Comment by VJ — November 3, 2006 @ 4:26 pm |
Hi-
I appreciate the discussion. Let me reply briefly. As Christin points out, the adjunct faculty do not receive health benefits paid for by the College. Adjuncts are part-time faculty, however, and part time workers in general do not get benefits. The full-time faculty and other full-time College employees get excellent benefits of many kinds. However, the building staff who work full time –custodians, security guards, cafeteria staff–either do not receive benefits or must pay a lot to get them through their companies. We want to change that.
Matt asks about what the College’s increased costs would be if the hourly wages of the building service staff increased. The answer is, we don’t know. Although we can figure what all the wage increases would add up to, we don’t know what the companies will charge the College because companies compete to be the lowest bidder for these contracts. The companies might absorb some of the costs, slightly reduce the profits that VJ refers to, or make other adjustments. Another unknown is that the College and the Living Wage Coalition (which will hopefully include PTK) might agree to raise these wages in steps over a few years, to reduce sudden cost increases. Our goal is to be sure that these substandard wages are not ignored and that one way or the other the wages become fair ones in the future.
I hope PTK will vote to become part of this effort.
Brock Haussamen
Comment by Brock Haussamen — November 10, 2006 @ 4:12 pm |
Well as much as I like the idea of requiring contractors to pay a living wage if they want the RVCC account, I have a couple problems with the proposal. First, I don’t think the living wage should have anything to do with minimum wage plus a few dollars. The minimum wage (and the poverty line for that matter) has nothing to do with the cost of living, especially in Somerset/Hunterdon. I think part of this wage board’s job should be to determine what this living wage should be whenever a contract gets renewed. It really is rare that the minimum wage gets changed. Yet rent, tuition, property taxes, things like that increase substantially every year. (So does health insurance as our contractors are well aware of.)
Second, this plan needs to spell out what part time workers are going to get. Long ago I worked in a place where you had to join a union and your pay/benefits were all decided between management and union bosses. Anyway, the union was very interested in wages and benefits for full time workers and making sure that seniority was the only factor considered for pay raises and promotions. Needless to say the company readily agreed and never again hired another full time employee.
As for where the money is going to come from to pay for this, the obvious answer is the students. Normally I would say the students would balk at paying another dollar or two per credit. After all, Walmart has a reputation for selling products made in sweat shops for cheap and paying their employees so poorly they can’t afford to shop at Walmart. And they rode that game plan to the top of the retail industry because people worry about saving a dollar themselves and not about other people making enough to live off of for full time work. However, even with a cost increase RVCC would still be a whole lot less expensive than a four year school. I don’t imagine anybody would decide against RVCC over a couple bucks, when they would need to spend that anyway for gas to go somewhere else. And with some marketing of the fact that RVCC makes sure its contractors pay a fair wage, who knows maybe they will get a few more students who still think doing the right thing is the right thing to do.
Comment by Scott — November 12, 2006 @ 4:16 am |
While I think it is a nice thing to do, I do not believe that this has anything to do with PTK as an organization. If PTK wants to announce it and its members decide to join the petition, then that is within their right. However PTK as an organization should not be involved. Something like this seems more geared towards the Social Justice club. PTK is to reward academic excellence and to promote community service. We have mandated by PTK International the topics we are to focus on every year and what venues we are to raise money for. This has nothing to do with our topics this year. While it is a noble cause, it doesn’t have anything to do with us at an oganizational level. The members can deicide for themselves if they want to take a part in this.
Comment by ptkrvcc — November 12, 2006 @ 5:23 pm |
If the issue of a living wage is of such importance, one would have to ask why are these workers not employees of the college? I, having worked in a factory enviroment for over the past 35 years and have also served as the Local’s Union President. During this time I have notice a large change in past and current management style. During my early employment top management knew most employees on the factory floor on a first name bases. When cost had to be reduced and profits increased the management, engineering and employees all worked together that much harder to ensure the results, with all sharing in the reward of success. Today many colleges students see education as a means to make money. The solution that they seem to be leaning and embracing is that cost cutting is the cure-all to all business profit problems. While the old saying use to be “when thing get tough the tough get going” the new management action is more of “let’s cut costs for profits, why get stressed out over this”. Sadly the aftermath of decisions made today seem to be of no concern to the educated who’s only concern seems to be quick results. A College education should be so much more than this. The very issue of a living wage and one not living in a world were others are treated as servants or invisable people is first and utmost an academic problem as what students learn an experence in college is what they will produce in life. The very fact that a living wage is up for debate by RVCC students is up lifting to see. Problems usally have solution. Vote Today
Comment by Francis Dumbreski — November 13, 2006 @ 3:03 pm |
I have to agree with Scott: “I don’t think the living wage should have anything to do with minimum wage plus a few dollars.”
While these people deserve to be paid more, the living wage should not be according to the minimum wage. Although it probably won’t happen, what if the minimum wage was raised to where it should be, had it been adjusted continuously over time for inflation, and the minimum wage became something that people could actually live off of? Then, requiring that these full-time employees be paid 3 or 4 dollars more than a wage that they could live off, might be asking too much.
The living wage should not depend upon the minimum wage and increase in step with it, it should be based on what these employees can live on, regardless of whether the minimum wage is $5.00 or $0.50 lower.
At this time, however, if the average pay for this kind of work is $11.00 in this area, then $10.15 or $11.15 sounds reasonable at this time, but this is something that would have to be constantly monitored and adjusted with the times.
Then again, that’s my opinion based on the limited knowledge that I have of the subject.
I also have to agree with “ptkrvcc” that this is something that seems more in line with what SJC does. However, I think an argument could be made that this falls under “community service.”
Comment by James Symonds — November 14, 2006 @ 4:41 am |
To be or not to be: Choosing a career in today’s world
Choosing a career in today’s world can be one of the most empowering and creative endeavors someone undertakes. It is also one that can seem overwhelming and can easily seem like a fruitless chore. It is important to keep in mind that in today’s world there are just as many career paths as there are people, such that how a person applies their knowledge, skill set, and aptitude is just as important as knowing which direction one is headed. In choosing a career, take stock first of what your talents are and where your interests lie.
This can help narrow down your educational requirements. Once you actually enter into a job, focus on the experience and commit yourself to it. This way you can start to identify your preferences as to what environment you work best in, what inspires and nurtures your creativity, and how to leverage your aptitude into an excellent compensation package. Above all, keep learning throughout your job and be willing to adapt. In the end you may end up being able to carve your own niche and blaze your own path to riches.
Comment by Online College Education — April 21, 2008 @ 9:55 am |
Choosing a career
In choosing a career, take stock first of what your talents are and where your interests lie.
This can help narrow down your educational requirements. Once you actually enter into a job, focus on the experience and commit yourself to it. This way you can start to identify your preferences as to what environment you work best in, what inspires and nurtures your creativity, and how to leverage your aptitude into an excellent compensation package.
Above all, keep learning throughout your job and be willing to adapt. In the end you may end up being able to carve your own niche and blaze your own path to riches.
Comment by Online College Education — April 21, 2008 @ 10:20 am |
Creating a five-year plan for Your career path
When interviewing for a new job (and career), one of the questions that you may get asked consistently in interviews is: “What are your plans for the next five years?” or “Where do you intend to be five years from now?”
It seems that as far as careers go, five years seems to be a kind of median in terms of time frame for career advancement. If you have not progressed to the next level or two above where you started within five years, or do not personally feel fulfilled with where you are, perhaps you ought to seriously consider changing careers, or at the very least your professional focus.
Comment by Online College Education — April 21, 2008 @ 10:28 am |
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