As the Congressional leaders of Capitol Hill are in the process of negotiating the final terms of a minimum wage bill that passed overwhelmingly in both houses last month, activists at Duke are coming together around a similar cause.
Duke Organizing-a group of students, faculty and employees formed to "change the culture of living and working at Duke"-is continuing work on a campaign started last year to implement a living wage policy at the University.
"If you live with minimum wage and you were trying to support a family of four, you would be living below the [federal] poverty line," said sophomore Edgar Mkrtchian, a member of DO. "A living wage represents the amount of money you need to meet the bare minimums of rent, food and public transportation."
In February 2005, the administration took a step in that direction by raising the base pay rate for all Duke employees to $10 an hour, DO members said. This wage increase, however, did not include contracted workers such as those employed at Alpine Bagels or McDonald's.
"Contract employees are those who are the employees of separate businesses," said Kemel Dawkins, vice president of campus services. "Their terms of business are generally set by their employers."
Mkrtchian said he believes it is necessary to provide a living wage to all individuals working at Duke.
"We want to get the people who work here every day to be classified as Duke employees as well, even though they're subcontracted out," he said.
Members also said the University should commit itself to a formal living wage policy.
"We want the administration to put it into writing that we're going to honor a living wage policy," said Laura Grattan, a graduate student in political science and a member of DO.
Currently, wage increases are implemented for Duke employees after determining whether pay rates have remained competitive with comparable positions at other businesses.
"Duke completes an annual review of wages and salaries to ensure its total compensation package is competitive," Paul Grantham, vice president of human resources, wrote in an e-mail.
Grattan said an ideal living wage policy would guarantee a living wage rate for all employees, including contracted workers, and stipulate that this living wage would be adjusted periodically in accordance with rising living costs.
It would also require contract service employers to provide health benefits to workers or compensate for health costs with wage supplements.
Comparable living wage policies have been passed around the city and county, she said.
The Durham County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance in June 2004 setting the living wage at 7.5 percent above federal poverty level. City Council followed suit in July and increased its existing living wage rate to 5 percent above the FPL.
In December 2005, the Durham Public Schools Board of Education set its living wage at the same level as the county and guaranteed health care benefits or comparable wage compensation for all employees, including contracted workers.
"If [DPS] did that when their budget was under incredible stress, underfunded by the state and overburdened with new student needs, then we believe Duke can and should follow suit and even take a leadership role here," Grattan wrote in an e-mail.
The living wage campaign at Duke, however, has made limited progress, Mkrtchian said.
"Duke is reviewing a variety of initiatives that deal with employees of contractors or vendors," Dawkins said.
He declined to comment on the eventual implementation of a living wage policy.
DO members said they nevertheless remain optimistic about advocating their cause.
"Duke is Durham's largest [private] employer and with that, I think, come certain responsibilities not only to itself but to the community," Mkrtchian said. "I think it wouldn't cost this University much at all to make a very good positive change in its relationship to Durham."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.