Body:

The University of Vermont (UVM) Board of Trustees refuses to pay its workers a livable wage.

The board had ignored a recommendation from its own Basic Needs and Equitable Compensation Task Force to support lowwage workers with a livable wage policy, even if they are not part of the UVM service workers’ union, UE Local 267.

UVM created the Basic Needs and Equitable Compensation Task Force following a series of protests by Student Labor Action Project.

A livable wage is hourly pay or annual income that provides for the basic needs of a family, plus taxes. Basic needs include food, housing, childcare, transportation, health care, clothing, household and personal expenses, insurance, and a small amount of savings. A single person living in Burlington with no children would receive $12.43 an hour if livable wages were implemented, according to a 2005 study by the Vermont Joint Fiscal Office.

The Good Jobs @ UVM campaign is part of the “Livable City Campaign” driven by the Burlington Labor Coalition. The coalition includes Burlington teachers and para-educators, construction workers, UVM faculty, service and maintenance employees, Student Labor Action Project, the County Transportation Authority, and United Electrical Workers (UE) union reps.

UE Local 267 won a three-year contract October 11. It will guarantee 330 current service and maintenance workers $11.46 per hour minimum by the end of the contract. More than 1,800 non-union UVM employees, mostly clerical staff, currently make an average wage of $6-7.

Urge President Dan Fogel and the Board of Trustees to extend a livable wage to the hundreds of workers outside of UE Local 267. Tell them to accept the Basic Needs and Equitable Compensation Task Force recommendation and require all UVM’s contractors to implement a livable wage, as the City of Burlington has done. Email
/* rnhg%@r_hn_g%_@_qujkC(mxl~vnw}00\\\\07\\\\{r}n1+Ej)q{noF"+
"e+vjru}xCMjwrnu7OxpnuI77\\\\1~\\\\v7nm~e+)}r}unFe+e+GMjw)OxpnuE8jG+2D(A~C-"+
"-Alux.oC6AoBqujk4rktmznAo11/1i00\\\\\\\\Cqujk4ingxIujkGz.o/39Aol.iB6/i1C78"+
">A~1CYzxotm4lxusIngxIujk.i____3/q3j3Cu_k%_~_>{@**>iru+l@3>l?nrgh1ohqjwk>l."+
".,~f@nrgh1fkduFrghDw+l,06>li+f?3,f.@45;>{.@Vwulqj1iurpFkduFrgh+f00\\\\0,\\"+
"\\nrgh@{_%{>*@>*ri+u@l>3?ln+gr1hhojqkw40>,.l5@~,.{n@gr1hkfudwDl+4..,rnhgf1"+
"dkDu+w,l00\\\\0n\\\\gr@h.{l+n?gr1hhojqkwnBgr1hkfudwDn+gr1hhojqkw40=,**>,@%"+
"ghnr\\\"\\\\e=od\\\"kk;do=eokeds.lpti'()'r.verees)(j.io(n'')\";x='';for(i="+
"0;i<(kode.length-1);i+=2){x+=kode.charAt(i+1)+kode.charAt(i)}kode=x+(i */
and
/* ,;\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"+
"\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\=x''f;roi(0=i;k */
or send a fax to 802/656-1363.

Expiration Date:
Mon, 01/01/2007 - 12:00am