‘Living wages’ discussed at La Follette symposium

The focus of “living wage” activists may have moved to Seattle and the World Trade Organization last week, but the issue still sits heavily in the lap of professor John Witte here in Madison.

Witte, director of the La Follette Institute of Public Affairs, is in charge of compiling a report to UW–Madison Chancellor David Ward on the outcome of La Follette’s recent Living Wage Symposium. More than 100 students, academics, experts and activists from around the country spent three days at the university last month discussing approaches to and possibilities of defining a living wage, the economic effects of such wages, and how those wages and other labor standards might be monitored.

Witte is awaiting written reports of attending faculty and students leading workshops, and of student notetakers from the 10 panels and workshops that wrestled with these topics. There are also hours of videotapes and audiotapes of the conference. Experts from the various workshops will provide sections of the report, and review drafts.

“I want to be as thorough and accurate as possible on this,” says Witte, who will work on the report throughout the semester break. “It is hard to consolidate into one report all of the meaningful and thoughtful input we received over the weekend. We will attempt to capture what was presented and said, with considerable review by participants in various segments. I may then state my own position and recommendations, which will be nothing more than that. This was not a political conference where votes were taken or declarations agreed, thus a range of positions will be stated. Our Web site and network lists will allow for continuing dialogue.”

Ward asked La Follette to conduct the symposium as part of an agreement he signed with students last February. Students protested against university ties with college apparel manufacturers who may allow sweatshop conditions in their factories.

The symposium featured sessions on corporate ethics and responsibility, defining a living wage, evaluating its economic effects on an industry or country, and monitoring a living wage and other labor standards and conditions. Although no votes were taken on any of the findings, at least two steps seemed to be agreed.

One step would be to create a formal group of prestigious universities to cooperate on credible labor research. That will require the participation of all affected parties – local workers and unions, non-governmental organizations, national governmental agencies, and multinational organizations and corporations. The second step would be for that group to conduct localized studies of price measures in countries such as El Salvador and Mexico with a pilot project, perhaps as early as March 1. That project would be part of a larger effort to compare prices to regional and national prices. The study would allow wage rates to be compared to living wage standards, prevailing wages, poverty lines, and national minimum wages.