To: Bruce Shepard, WWU President
Call on President Shepard to Support Living Wages
I support fair wages that workers can provide for their families on, and I call on President Shepard to direct all involved staff to advocate to the Port the passage of a community benefits agreement that reflects what the university wants to invest in.
Why is this important?
As an institution of higher learning, and as the biggest employer in the community, Western Washington University plays a major role in the economic development in the region, and the actions (or inaction) taken by the university affect the quality-of-life of workers not just employed by the university, but those of all parts of the economy Western interacts with.
Because of the weight accorded to the voice of the university, it is troubling that, as the only major tenant confirmed to occupy the waterfront redevelopment zone, whose stature would then be used to attract other businesses, Western’s administration has decided to stay silent on the issue of whether workers employed on the waterfront should be paid a decent, living wage. This is even more troubling as the Port of Bellingham is set to approve a plan that would give away 200 million dollars in public money in welfare for the wealthy.
The community has noticed the silence on the part of the university, and by not supporting a living wage in the area, it calls into question whether the actions taken by the administration are in line with the values of the university as a whole and of the students, who themselves are paying, now more than ever, to keep the university running.
Western plans to start a center to teach on the “Green Economy” down on the waterfront; making our economy environmentally sustainable does not mean continuing to pay workers less than it takes to support a family and letting it fall on the taxpayer to subsidize poverty wages. In this petition, we are calling on the university to recognize this fact and add their voice to that of countless community members who are demanding that the Port makes sure workers in the area are being paid justly.
Because of the weight accorded to the voice of the university, it is troubling that, as the only major tenant confirmed to occupy the waterfront redevelopment zone, whose stature would then be used to attract other businesses, Western’s administration has decided to stay silent on the issue of whether workers employed on the waterfront should be paid a decent, living wage. This is even more troubling as the Port of Bellingham is set to approve a plan that would give away 200 million dollars in public money in welfare for the wealthy.
The community has noticed the silence on the part of the university, and by not supporting a living wage in the area, it calls into question whether the actions taken by the administration are in line with the values of the university as a whole and of the students, who themselves are paying, now more than ever, to keep the university running.
Western plans to start a center to teach on the “Green Economy” down on the waterfront; making our economy environmentally sustainable does not mean continuing to pay workers less than it takes to support a family and letting it fall on the taxpayer to subsidize poverty wages. In this petition, we are calling on the university to recognize this fact and add their voice to that of countless community members who are demanding that the Port makes sure workers in the area are being paid justly.