Student Labor Dialogue
Bard College
What is the Student Labor Dialogue (SLD)?
The SLD is a weekly meeting between Bard students and service employees of the college who get together to discuss the current state of labor at Bard.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to establish a disciplined, organized and creative campaign that will enact a campus wide 'living wage' policy. We will achieve this by reaching out to students, workers, faculty, administrators and the greater community.
The Student Labor Dialogue is launching a campaign for Bard College to become a living wage campus...
What is a Living Wage?
Historically, living wage has been defined as the hourly wage needed for one full-time worker to bring his or her family above the poverty line. In 2005 the federal poverty line (for a family of three) was $16,090, or $9.19 an hour.
A living wage is primarily dependent upon:
• Family size
• Allotted healthcare benefits
• Presence of a partner/spouse
• Housing market and local cost of living
While living wage campaigns are being fought in numerous states and at many universities, employers are still resisting the call to raise wages to a minimum standard at which their workers can live. While living wage campaigns have been passed in over 123 US regions, they are also being fought at institutions much closer to us: universities and colleges. Started at Ivy League and private colleges, these campaigns (which currently number over 50) have broadened to include public institutions of higher education as well.
For more information regarding the SLD at Bard College, visit their website:
http://bardsld.wikispaces.com/ or you can email them directly.