At least 18 students at the University of Virginia have staged a hunger strike to bring attention to campus employees’ fight for a living wage. This week, the school’s governing body, the Board of Visitors, is meeting and the students are using the opportunity to bring more attention to the issue.
The campaign is demanding $13 base wage per hour, before benefits, for all university employees. Many of the school’s employees are women and people of color, according to students working on the campaign. According to organizers who referenced research by the Economic Policy Institute, the salary demand reflects the cost of living in the surrounding Charlottesville area.
The strike began on February 18, but the campaign for a living wage has been around for 14 years. Students are hopeful that the school’s new president, Teresa A. Sullivan, will be more receptive to talk of a living wage, especially since Sullivan is a sociologist who’s written a book on the importance of earning a living wage.
“It’s ridiculous for people who work in dining halls to not be able to afford food,” says Seth Kaye, a student at the University of Virginia.
To learn more about the living wage campaign at the University of Virginia, visit their website.
