A Brief Review of the ASC Living Wage Campaign: December 13, 2007
A Brief Review of the ASC Living Wage Campaign:
* Early 1990’s: Faculty and Staff of ASC have periodic, arranged, informal dinner discussions, to facilitate meaningful relationships between the two traditionally isolated groups. Faculty in the process learn of employees financial struggles, as well as the blatant condescension and more subtle signs of class-and-race-based disrespect meted to them on a daily basis by their fellow colleagues and administrators
* 1994: The Profile, ASC’s campus biweekly, publishes “What its Like to be a Maid Here”, a straightforward and often cringe-worthy depiction of what the Custodians of Agnes Scott experience as “faceless, nameless workhorses whose existence only matters when its King Day or when Black speakers come on campus”, as one student (me) describes it.
* 2001: The Campaign is formally established, in collaboration with Columbia Theological Seminary. Annual fall Teach-ins are established.
* Jan 25th, 2007-for the first time in college history, a Board of Trustees meeting is opened to Faculty, Staff and Students, all to formally present Living Wage to be considered part of the latest draft of the Strategic Plan; The Trustees take part in the “role play”, an hands-on demonstration of a low-wage employees daily struggle to make ends meet on what the college pays.
* March 2007- ASC LWC holds its first regional Living Wage Conference, with students from Georgia State, University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and University of Tennessee in attendance
* April 2007-base pay for wages are boosted from $10.40/hour ($12 without healthcare) to $11.60. A Living Wage for Decatur at this time is $14.40.
* Summer 2007- ESOL classes, on-campus summer employment and computer classes all begin and are offered to all Employees at ASC
* Oct 26th, 2007- First LWC rally held, 65 in attendance. culminates with attendees “politely” inserting themselves into the Board of Trustees meeting.
* Fall 2007-Strategic Plan falls totally short of what was originally requested by the campaign, especially in terms of democratized workplace and institutionalized respect
