"Two low-wage workers at the University of Virginia admire the efforts of students pushing for a “living wage” for UVa employees, but say the demanded $10.72 an hour isn’t enough and ignores workers now making pennies and dollars more than the students’ $10.72 figure.

One of the full-time employees has worked at the university for more than 25 years, makes about $12 an hour and works a second job to supplement her income. The other brings home $11 an hour in her full-time job and works two part-time jobs, which help support her family and pay for public housing.

They say their situations aren’t unique.

Students insist their campaign for a $10.72 living wage is only a first step in improving the wages of workers struggling to get by in Charlottesville. Since February, the students’ campaign has gained momentum, with monthly protests and news conferences becoming daily events and teach-ins on the Rotunda steps now a normal sight. Their campaign hit a high in mid-April with a sit-in in Madison Hall that landed 17 students in jail.

The people at the heart of the debate - workers - have largely remained silent. Gail, Patricia and Violet, three of these workers, say they haven’t participated publicly because they fear showing support would jeopardize their jobs.

Their names have been changed to protect their identities.

Of the 212 UVa employees making the base pay rate of $9.37 an hour, 67 percent are women. One of these women, Violet, works for Facilities Management and has worked in various capacities at the university for several years. Violet is in her 50s and works a full-time and part-time job. She’s married, but her husband’s temporarily unemployed. Without her part-time job, she’d have trouble paying the bills, she said. With both salaries combined, she makes about $22,000 a year.

She’s thankful for the students’ work for a living wage of $10.72.

“I don’t want to see them get arrested and possibly kicked out of school, but I am so glad that someone is standing up for the employees of this university,” Violet said. “What makes this even better is it’s students, they don’t have to do this for us. I really appreciate that and would like them to know that.”

Not the voice for some

But President John T. Casteen III and others have received notes and advice from employees indicating that the protesters do not speak for them, UVa spokeswoman Carol Wood said. Some workers have reacted positively to a recent university publication offering an in-depth assessment of the living wage issue, Wood said.

Casteen in March announced that all direct employees would be paid at least $9.37 an hour, 49 cents an hour more than the previous bottom pay rate. Casteen attributed the increase to a market analysis.

Although the base pay rate for workers employed by the city of Charlottesville is $9.36 an hour, no full-time employees make less than $10 an hour. The City Council recently approved a 4 percent salary raise for all city employees that will take effect in July, bringing the base pay rate to $9.73 an hour. The city, like the university, provides health insurance for all full-time employees.

The lowest-paid workers at universities across the state take home varying amounts per hour, topping out at $10.40 at George Mason University and then the University of Mary Washington at $9.18, the College of William & Mary at $9, James Madison University at $8 and $7.47 at Virginia Tech. The lowest rate, at Virginia Military Institute, UVa’s College at Wise and Virginia State University, is $6.83.

The state’s minimum hiring rate is $6.83 an hour, which adds up to a $14,206 annual salary, plus benefits. Someone making a salary of $9.37 an hour brings home $19,490 in annual salary, plus benefits.

Still not enough?

Although UVa’s $9.37 an hour pay rate is second among the state’s universities, living wage advocates insist all workers need to make $10.72 an hour to cover their basic needs.

At a recent Faculty Senate meeting, Casteen questioned the students’ methodology in calculating the $10.72 an hour figure and affirmed his commitment to connect the students with state legislators. Students have repeatedly said the university can control the salaries paid by its contractors, and that UVa doesn’t need the approval of the legislature. Casteen has insisted that neither he nor the UVa Board of Visitors has power to effect change in contract workers’ salaries. Casteen backs up this claim with an opinion from the state attorney general’s office.

The students also have claimed the university can control direct employees’ salaries. A market survey analysis, not a decision by Casteen or the Board of Visitors, can allow the university to up its minimum hiring rate for these workers directly employed by the university, Casteen has said. University officials cannot release market surveys to the public because when officials purchase them, they sign contracts promising to keep the surveys private, Wood said.

Edgar O. Olsen, a UVa professor of economics, explained the possible effects if UVa were to adopt the $10.72 an hour figure.

“In the short term, there would be no impact,” Olsen said. “More people would want to work for UVa, but UVa would not want to hire them. Over time, current workers paid the minimum wage would leave their jobs for a variety of reasons. UVa would not replace all those people.”

The university might also subcontract more, which would reduce the number of low-skilled workers employed directly by the university, Olsen said. Ultimately, with a higher wage of $10.72 an hour, the university could hire better qualified people.

“So, the long-term effect of raising the minimum cash wage to $10.72 would be to shrink the total number of minimum-wage jobs at UVa, while enabling the university to hire more of the community’s better workers,” Olsen said.

Where’s the money?

He also expressed concerns about how the pay hike would be funded and said the only ways would be through raising tuition and fees, cutting back elsewhere or seeking more money at the General Assembly. Olsen advocates effecting change through “good government policy” rather than through some of the methods the living wage proponents have employed.

According to calculations in early March, UVa’s academic division had 342 full-time salaried and six part-time employees who made less than $10.72 an hour. The Medical Center employed 409 full-time salaried and 52 part-time employees who brought home less than $10.72 an hour. All together, UVa employs 11,792 full-time and 1,270 part-time employees.

Adding it all up

Throughout the living wage debate, university officials have emphasized the value benefits add. At $9.37 an hour, benefits bring total annual compensation to $26,330. In July, the university will increase its benefits rate to 36.8 percent, which will raise the total annual compensation - both salary and benefits - of an entry-level employee making $9.37 an hour to $26,662.

One of the positive aspects of her job is having these benefits, said Gail, a full-time administrative assistant. Gail has worked at the university for a quarter-century and makes a bit more than $12 an hour. Her full-time and part-time jobs net her about $37,000 a year. Although she’s pleased with the student protesters’ efforts, she’d like a pay bump as well.

“The protesters need to be not just for the people who make [a university] minimum wage,” she said. “We’re all struggling to make it. … They need to look at the whole population, not just the people who make the [$9.37 an hour] salary.”

Patricia, a 30-something administrative assistant, supports her husband and two children with her full-time job at UVa and two part-time jobs. She makes $11 an hour in her full-time university job. Last year, she brought home about $32,000 from all her jobs; of that, about $25,000 was from her full-time university job. She’s worked at the university for several years.

“We were barely making it with what we had before and now it’s just impossible,” she said, citing higher gas prices and the mushrooming cost of living in the area. Patricia lives with her family in public housing.

Each month, she can’t pay two of her bills and on occasion has sought food at an emergency food bank.

“I’m always a month behind,” Patricia said. “It’s always a matter of picking and choosing.”

Jan Cornell, president of the Staff Union at UVa, vows to continue the fight for $10.72 an hour. She’s confident in the movement’s eventual success.

“We have to keep the momentum going,” she said. “It will happen.”" (Melanie Mayhew, The Daily Progress, May 8, 2006)

Contact Melanie Mayhew at (434) 978-7265 or mmayhew@dailyprogress.com.