Campus workers campaigning for better pay will be part of a forum sponsored by the UT Council for a Living Wage at 7 p.m. at the University Center Shiloh Room.
UT Workers Speak Out will give university employees an opportunity to tell their experiences to the public, as well as opening up the floor for comments, questions and stories from the crowd.
David McClure, a library employee and member of the Campus Workers for a Living Wage, said the event comes at a very opportune time.
With Labor Day and the return of students to campus, this is a good time to educate people about the degrading way UT employees are treated, McClure said.
Alan Chesney, director of human resources, said the administration is beginning to address some of the issues involving campus workers and feels it has made some progress.
We’re trying to be a more effective organization, Chesney said. We are listening to concerns and there is the potential for a salary increase.
Besides UT Workers Speak out, other events are planned for the next few weeks.
The CWLW and Alliance for Hope, a UT student group, sponsored a documentary to peak student interest at Hodges Library last night. At the River I Stand depicts the last weeks of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and his campaigning for the rights of Memphis sanitation workers.
The Alliance for Hope Fall kickoff will be at 8 p.m. Sept. 12 in UC Room 223.
The Living Wage Campaign began last March and has aided campus workers in receiving benefits, including an improvement of health and safety standards when UT began to provide Hepatitis B vaccinations for all employees this past summer.
We have been making many strides, McClure said. We will continue to make strides toward our goal of being paid a fair, living wage for a fair day’s work. But we need tons of support from the Knoxville and campus communities.
Studies conducted by the Knoxville Living Wage Campaign and Alliance for Hope say the living wage for people working in this region is $9.50.
The situation that I am in at UT is growing desperate, said Sandy Hicks, at UT housekeeper and member of CWLW. I’ve worked very hard and faithfully for UT for the last 25 years and conditions are getting worse for me and my co-workers.
Hicks said employees like her are the ones that keep the university running smoothly.
It is time for (UT president) Wade Gilley to pay us fair, living wages and the respect we deserve, Hicks said.
According McClure, tonight’s event will get things going in the right direction.
Hopefully the UT Workers Speak Out’ event will attract some folks who are interested in learning about working conditions at taxpayer-funded UT and how they can be improved, McClure said.
