Harvard Now Sees the Error of Its Wages

The Boston Globe, via Common Dreams ^ | Dec. 24, 2001 | Robert Kuttner

[TopQuark]

'Let's see, $19 billion they can't figure out what to do with What are the sources or reasons for that assumption? Are you an administrator of a private university who participates in fund-raising?

[summer]

You people worry that Harvard pays its employees substandard wages, while its governing bodies, the President and Fellows and its Board of Overseers ignore treasonous and revisionist statements such as this from its faculty.

Well, first of all, such statements were not mentioned in the posted article, so, let's be fair. And, thank you for telling us about such information.

I thought you were perhaps leading up to how speeches by Harvard faculty took the view that poverty is a root cause of terrorism. In which case, Harvard seems rather blind to its own contributions to poverty with respect to its own employees. If their faculty did make such statements, and I have a feeling they did -- somewhere -- well, I can only conclude: What irony! :)

[TopQuark]

Maybe $10+ is good money for those nearly skilless employees. Well, if one has a family where both parents work, this is about $40,000/year. The average income of an American family is in mid-40s I believe.

Cambridge is an expensive place, but this does not sound like slavery to me.

[summer]

Re your post #21 -- I think maybe you mmisunderstand me. I had read about that amount -- $19 billion -- and, I knew of the student protests and the situation with the workers. That's all. I happen to be a FL-certified teacher, not a university administrator.

[Principled]

...but it bothers me to hear about school districts paying high recruiting fees to bring them to this country while plenty of new, American teachers are leaving the teaching profession in record numbers -- and, school districts do nothing to attempt to retain these new, American teachers.

Hands are tied. Get government OUT of education and make education a competitive business- then you'll get the wrinkles ironed out... but not until then.

[texlok]

Some are on food stamps. The committee concluded that the wages of custodians had actually fallen by 13 percent between 1994 and 2001.

I know I shouldn't laugh, but the thought of people working at Harvard being on foodstamps and their wages actually falling, I don't find their situation amusing, but I find it amusing that Harvard of all places, would pay their workers such lowly wages (and actually it's not funny, when I was in the Army I knew several who qualified for food stamps and used them because they had to). What's next? Berkley is doing experiments using live animals or had Republicans elected student body president?

[texlok]

..

[summer]

Re your post #23 -- TopQuark, and to: A CA Guy:
NOTE: Some Harvard workers were NOT making "$10.68" -- the amount found to be the minimum living wage -- as they were found to be making LESS:

It found that 392 workers were paid less than the $10.68 per hour living wage defined by the City of Cambridge

[summer]

I meant to flag you as well on my post #29. :)

[TopQuark]

I happen to be a FL-certified teacher You have my repsect, sir/madam.

Harvard does have the largest endowment. Keep in mind that the tuition never covers expenses, let alone capital projects. From time to time they need to erect a $50M building and, although they make a separate fund-rasing effort, they may need to tap the endowment fund.

[summer]

I find it amusing that Harvard of all places, would pay their workers such lowly wages

Oh, a perfectly natural reaction on your part, IMO, as this is real IRONY. And, a total embarassment for Harvard.

[summer]

You have my repsect, sir/madam. My goodness; my sincere thanks! :)

[summer]

they may need to tap the endowment fund.

True, but $19 billion, collecting interest, seems to me to be enough money to pay their handful of employees a wage not requiring food stamps.

[summer]

Thank you for doing the math in your post #31! :)

[Lurker]

Wow, we actually have a Government body decreeing what is and isn't a living wage and noone has dragged them into the streets to tar and feather them.

The Founding Fathers must be whirling in their graves...

Reading this drivel spouted from the mouths of University professors at one of Americas supposedly elite colleges makes me want to weep.

It's for damn sure my child will never darken the hallways of an institution so obviously run by simpering idiots like these.

L

[summer]

I think your post #20 is asking the real $64 million dollar questions of this century. And, I do not know the answers.

[McGavin999]

Well, yeah, but we've always known that the facilty was Anti-American, traitorous, and socilist/communist. Mistreating the employees under their care is something new. ;o)

[summer]

This was offered and rejected. Many of the affected people don't speak English. (In any event, it isn't the classes that help you economically, it's the degree and the social contacts.) Harvard offered instead to create an entirely new academic program for its workers, including ESL and basic skills. Again, this was rejected: many workers were already working several other jobs and wouldn't have the time for classes.

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing what was offered and rejected. :)