Washington University has taken a significant number of positive steps to address concerns about wages and benefits for lower-paid workers, including creating an entry-level wage, announced John E. Klein, J.D., executive vice chancellor for administration.
“I believe we have set in place principles and guidelines that allow us to continue to grow as a world-class research university, while being more attentive to the needs of those lower-paid individuals who work in partnership with our faculty, staff and administrators to make Washington University the great community that it is,” Klein said.
Among the University’s initiatives are:
• The University has engaged in discussions with the companies that provide basic contract services to the University and is securing agreements from each of them to pay — if not already doing so — an entry-level wage no less than $8.25 per hour to their employees who provide regular full-time services to the University. The University has also established an entry-level wage of $8.25 per hour for its regular full- and part-time employees. Most of the University’s commitment of $500,000 for lower-paid workers in the 2005-06 fiscal year will be expended on this initiative. Because the $500,000 was not a budgeted item for 2005-06, the University is working hard to identify resources to manage its commitment without putting undue pressure on tuition, educational programs, financial aid, or the ability to recruit top faculty.
• While almost all of the University’s basic contract service workers are eligible for health-care benefits through their employers, the University will work to ensure that these workers have “reasonable access” to health care under those health-care programs or via La Clinica, a free health-care clinic staffed by volunteer doctors from Washington University and Saint Louis University. To defray La Clinica’s costs, Washington University will provide financial support to the clinic.
• The University will assure that employees of its basic contract service companies have the opportunity to present grievances to a neutral and independent human resource consulting firm, unless the basic contract service company already provides such a facility.
• The University is continuing its long-standing membership in the Fair Labor Association and has joined the Worker Rights Consortium, two organizations that monitor workplace conditions in overseas manufacturing facilities.
• The University is in the process of forming two committees: a Basic Service Contractors Review Committee and a Resource Priority Review Team:
Composed of students, faculty and administrators, the Basic Service Contractors Review Committee will review in retrospect the University’s adherence to the parameters and process the University used in the selection or renewal of basic service contracts and will advise the University administration of suggestions for improvement as it relates to that process.
The Resource Priority Review Team will identify opportunities and make recommendations to the University administration on whether additional funds might be made available to address the ongoing needs of lower-paid service workers. Composed of students, faculty and administrators, this committee will meet as often as necessary throughout the year, with the goal of submitting recommendations by June 30, 2006.