Living Wage Initiative: Guiding Principles

1.  To engage in a successful initiative to raise wages, poverty-wage workers need a strong base of support that must come from the community.

2.  Coalition-building can provide that base of support.

3.  Issue education and awareness-building are the keys to bringing members into the coalition.

4.  Poverty-wage workers need to be incorporated at the coalition-building phase by including organizations and faith communities of which they are members in the education process.

5.  The vulnerable status of workers must be protected at all stages of the initiative, including community education.

6.  Poverty-wage workers need to be incorporated into the Coalition management structure as soon as leaders can be identified.

7.  Once a coalition has been formed and community education is well underway, the Coalition can begin to determine the best strategy for lobbying the TAMU administration and presenting the case for a living wage for all full time poverty-wage workers.   This will likely be a many-faceted approach and may include the following:
•    taking the case to the Faculty Senate
•    taking the case to upper level TAMU administrators
•    staging a media event
•    sponsoring a leafleting initiative
•    sponsoring a Living Wage Day of Prayer
•    sponsoring a Solidarity Day on campus

8.  A living wage initiative can provide a catalyst for community organizing and coalition building around other economic justice and sustainability issues important to our community.

Coalition Management Structure

Chair or Co-chairs
Steering  Committee (including the chair, a treasurer, a publicity chair, a secretary and two at-large members)
Coalition Board (at least one representative from each coalition organization member plus the steering committee and interested individuals including Volunteer Advocates)

Strategic Plan

Phase I:  Gathering information  Target to completion:  early January, 2004
            Step 1:    Compilation of local wage data is complete.
            Step 2:    Compilation of data on impact on local social services is complete.
            Step 3:    Assessment of various standards for determining a living wage is complete.
            Step 4:    Evaluation of impact of a wage increase on low-wage workers is complete.
            Step 5:    Assessment of cost to university is complete.                   


Phase II & III:  Community Education & Coalition Building  Target to completion of Phase II:  May 31, 2004.  Target to completion of Phase III :  July 31, 2004
              
            Step 1:     Train presenters (Advocates) 
           
            Step 2:      Make presentations to potential coalition members
                            a.  Educate them about LW at TAMU
                            b.  Invite them to consider joining coalition
                            c.  Establish relationship for on-going dialogue
                                 Volunteers needed to: 
                                •    Schedule presentations
                                •    Make presentations
                                •    Prepare presentations materials
      
            Step 3:        Sign up coalition members
                                They agree to:
                                    a.  Assign at least one member to the Coalition Board
                                    b.  Disseminate information on LW/TAMU to their membership (provided by Coalition)
                                    c.  Provide resources (personnel and/or financial)
                                    d.  Allow use of their organization's name in all promotional material
                                    Volunteers needed to:
                                •    Prepare materials for dissemination and publication
                                •    Follow up with phone calling, visiting, etc.
                                •    Provide administrative assistance like copying, mailing etc.

Phase IV:  Mobilizing the workers  Target time frame:  early Fall, 2004
            Step 1:    Identify a contact in each building/section on campus
            Step 2:    Help plan and facilitate house meetings of small groups of interested workers.
            
Phase V:  Developing a lobbying strategy   Target time frame:  Fall, 2004
         
Phase VI:  Implementing the lobbying strategy:  presenting the proposal  Target time frame:  Spring, 2005
          
Phase VII:  Adoption of living wage  Target time frame:  Fall, 2005
        
Phase VIII:  Monitoring and follow up

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