Student groups propose labor guidelines
By Mary Georgevich
Student activists have spent the last few months creating and lobbying for a workers' code of conduct, which the students believe would be the first of its kind if the university were to adopt it.
The code of conduct, which was created by the Labor Action Committee of Santa Clara Community Action Program, is intended to give the same benefits to all types of employees on campus.
"It affects everyone," said Ricky Alexander, SCCAP's empowerment department coordinator. The code of conduct is meant to be applied to students, faculty, subcontracted workers and staff.
The code is supported by 15 student organizations and has three basic requirements for what must be offered to campus workers: the right to organize and unionize, a living wage and the right to learn English.
The university has had an oral commitment to a living wage policy for all full-time workers since 1999, according to the latest draft of the code.
Beth Tellman, program coordinator for LAC, said she has documented more than 40 living wage violations since 1999, with one worker receiving $8.97 an hour in 1999. The San Jose Living Wage Determination at that time was $9.50 per hour for a worker that received health benefits and $10.75 for a worker that didn't.
The living wage is now $14.08 without medical benefits and $12.83 per hour with them.
By writing down the living wage guarantee and the other components of the code, LAC is hoping to avoid more conflicts like they had in fall over the Bon Appétit contract.
"Basically, it would be a legally-binding, enforceable, public document," said Alexander.
Alexander and Tellman said they were hoping to receive support from Associated Students through a resolution that would declare their support for the principles behind the code.
The resolution was never brought to a vote, and AS instead recommended LAC gather more input from faculty, staff and other groups that the code of conduct would affect.
AS is hesitant to support a document that includes the faculty and staff, as their role is to speak on behalf of the students, according to Chris Freeburg, outgoing AS senate chair.
"The faculty and staff have their own voice on campus and we need to respect that," he said. He wants to make sure LAC is speaking with all of the groups involved in the code.
Senate Chair-elect Chris Moiser said AS is encouraging LAC to form university policy committees, or UPCs, to discuss the content of the document and go forward from there.
These committees would include input from students, staff, faculty and the administration.
Freeburg said combining all three components -- the right to unionize, living wage and the right to learn English -- into one document will be difficult, and that the right to organize will be the most difficult to convince the university to pass.
He said he believes LAC will have more success if they codify them individually, instead of all together in one document.
But he supports their effort, Freeburg said.
At a meeting with LAC, Mosier said of the code, "I've always felt it was asking too much at once."
Winston Yu, AS junior senator-elect, called the code "too ambitious" and "too grand in scope." He said he felt the code could jeopardize work LAC has already done.
Alexander and Tellman said they always planned to get input from the rest of the campus.
"It's not like we want to have LAC's version of the world take over the school," Tellman said.
AS's decision not to endorse the code was upsetting for Tellman.
"It's frustrating that AS, which is supposed to represent students, has a difficult time taking actions or stands on issues," Tellman said.
LAC received pro bono legal advice from the American Association of University Professors, and Alexander said lawyers are still examining the language.
Richard Nieva and Katie Powers contributed to this report. Contact Mary Georgevich at (408) 554-4546 or mgeorgevich@scu.edu.
The living wage was incorrectly stated in the original version of this story. The correction has been made.