[summer]

He found that the downward drift of wages among Harvard's janitors had a lot to do with the fact that many are immigrants, people often desperate enough to work for less and hence to depress prevailing wages.

Believe it or not, this is also what is happening with teachers in certain states. More and more school districts are paying big bucks to recruiting companies to lure experienced, foreign teachers to come to America and teach -- thereby, financing an immigrant pool of teachers who will (a) not complain about low salaries, nor (b) want to complain about current education policies, in exchange for: being in America.

One retiring teacher I know -- referring to the high number of foreigners who are cab-drivers in NYC -- actually told me he believes "teaching" is this country's new "taxi-cab" profession.

Yet, IMO, there is actually be no reason for this influx of new teachers from other countires. There are many highly qualified, new teachers, who are American citizens.

But, they quickly leave the teaching profession, citing low job satisfaction among other reasons -- and, sensing that too many of the problems in education will not be solved anytime soon. Hiring foreign teachers seems to ensure that no one really has to change anything in education, since the foreign teachers are just happy enough to be working in this country.
I am personally not against these foreign teachers, 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.

[x]

You could have a point about the teachers. I have no use for either Harvard or Kuttner, though. Check out this article on Bob the Boss from Hell Kuttner.

[summer]

Thanks for that fascinating freepmail, Oschisms! Thought you might find something interesting on this thread. :)

[Young Werther]

Several months ago there was a forum piece at the NYTimes which pointed out that Harvard had a $19 Billion endowment. The premise of the forum was that Harvard was not "correctly" spending the endowment's income. In typical Liberal fashion the Times' forum question was "How should Harvard spend its endowment, (as if "we" should have a say!)

Maybe the Harvard board of gevenors will respond generously to their low paid employees.

[expose]

Harvard was given A to veryone

[A CA Guy]

If they feel they are worth $15 or $1500 an hour, let them go compete in the work force and see if they'll get any takers who want to pay more.

Maybe $10+ is good money for those nearly skilless employees. Maybe if 4 of them live in the same place at $10+ an hour they can get by!

[W1RCH]

The author stated that "It's hard to keep secret that Harvard is swimming in money"

That is true. I hsve two Harvard degrees, and I'm fed with the way it treats its janitors, maids and other menial employees.

Let's look at the other side of Harvard.The latest issue of Harvard Magazine carries an article about terrorism and its roots. It reported a panel discussion on that subject by some faculty members.

One of the most startling charges was made by Jessic E. Stern, Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy Center and a director of Eastern European Affairs at Clinton's National Security Council

Stern charges that "dropping nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ...fit our (sic) definition of terrorism because it is clear...that the purpose was to terrorize the civilian population".

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.

[TopQuark]

school districts do nothing to attempt to retain these new, American teachers. As you yourself point out, this is a cultural problem. What can districts do?

The teaching profession carries no respect of the parents and may be fatal. What can the principal or district do about that?

[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?

[jackbill]

Yet, IMO, there is actually be no reason for this influx of new teachers from other countires.

Perhaps they might be able to correct some grammer?

[Jesse]

Well, if real wages fell for these janitors, then there must be a larger supply of people willing to take these jobs. In fact, it may be that Cambridge, because of its ridiculous living wage law, is attracting more unskilled laborers to take advantage of what is perceived to be or is a higher wage than it would be elsewhere.

I think it is funny that Harvard was hoist by its own petard, but I do not agree with the premise expressed by many on this board that just because Harvard is "rich" it should be forced to give away money at higher than market rates because "it's only fair". Why not make the minimum wage 40 dollars an hour?

But it will be an interesting experiment in economics to watch. If the market rate for labor is 10 dollars an hour, and Harvard would have to pay 15 dollars an hour for this labor, then it can either keep giving away 5 dollars an hour or it will respond as the marketplace demands.

Despite it's avowed left-wing socialist bent, I predict Harvard will, quietly, respond economically to save that 5 dollars an hour and will...

1) Make more student work study jobs available for janitorial services, which may be exempt from the living wage law(if there is such a thing at Harvard)

2) Cut the number of hours of janitorial service per week

3) Contract out janitorial services to someone exempt from the living wage requirement...I bet it can be done, somehow. Probably hire a company to bus contract workers in from another town.