Stanford Report, April 17, 2007

President Hennessy meets for second day with Stanford Labor Action Coalition

President John Hennessy today had a second meeting with students representing the Stanford Labor Action Coalition to discuss the group’s concerns about the university’s living wage policy for contracted employees.

During the discussion, Hennessy acknowledged the students’ passion and commitment and reiterated his willingness to have the university follow up on any specific allegations that the living policy, created in 2003, was being violated anywhere on campus. Hennessy also continued his discussions with the students about their concerns about exclusions to the living wage policy.

The university has agreed to continue meeting, providing that the discussions and the behavior of the Stanford Labor Action Coalition remain civil. The students’ fast is not a determinant to whether the university meets with students or not.

The policy includes a wage minimum for contracted employees of $11.15 per hour with benefits and $12.59 per hour without benefits. The guidelines are estimated to cover about 125 to 150 workers providing basic services under current contracts with vendors. The guidelines apply to contractors whose non-union employees provide basic services such as maintenance, grounds keeping, housing and food service. In addition to setting wage minimums, the policy also requires contractors to provide 10 paid days off per year for eligible employees.

Hennessy stated that the “Code of Conduct for Stanford Employment” proposed by the students yesterday had very little to do with the issues surrounding the living wage issue and was far beyond the scope of any discussions appropriate between the Stanford Labor Action Coalition and the university. The proposed code set forth four pages of demands, including dictating budgeting procedures and priorities for Stanford departments, requirements for a variety of new reporting and monitoring systems, changes in benefits programs for Stanford employees and creating an organization “independent of the Stanford University Administration” to be responsible for employment practices at the university.