About 200 University students, workers and faculty members turned out yesterday for the kick-off event of the newly formed Workers' Rights Organizing Committee.
W.R.O.C. — a committee of University undergraduate and graduate students, workers and faculty — was founded this fall to examine Princeton's treatment of its low-wage workers.
A few hours before the rally, the committee sent a report of its findings to the University Board of Trustees along with a request to meet with the trustees at their upcoming meeting next month.
Yesterday's event — intended to garner support for low-wage University workers including custodians, maintenance personnel, dining hall employees and library staffers — began in McCosh 46.
There, student leaders and campus workers voiced objections to the University's labor policies and suggested possible solutions.
"We wanted to announce the existence of W.R.O.C. and begin our campaign for workers' rights," W.R.O.C. member Sarah Kaplan '01 said.
W.R.O.C. members who attended the event said they hope to address a range of worker concerns, including low wages, insufficient health benefits, and lower pay and job insecurity for causal employees — workers not permanently on staff at the University.
Vice President for Public Affairs Robert Durkee '69 said administrators are aware of W.R.O.C.'s concerns and will be working to address them in the future.
"They're raising some interesting and important questions. Some of us will get together next week to talk about these issues," he said.
Representatives from two unions associated with W.R.O.C. — SEIU Local 175 for janitorial, dining hall and maintenance workers and AFSCME Local 956 for library assistants — also spoke about workers' needs.
"The atmosphere was one of excitement and solidarity," said one of the event's organizers, Amanda Fulmer '01. "This expanded the base of people working on the issues."
Other speakers included a few W.R.O.C. undergraduate and graduate student members, as well as USG president PJ Kim '01 and president-elect Joe Kochan '02.

"I think the job [W.R.O.C.] did gathering a large amount of public support will give this issue the momentum it needs to gain the attention of administrators and trustees to get something done about this very important issue," Kochan said.
After the speeches, the group marched from McCosh to the Frist Campus Center to staple letters of support for W.R.O.C.'s mission on the announcement board.
"We walked to Frist because it demonstrates the enormous growth in University wealth," said David Tannenbaum '01, one of the main organizers of the event. "The University is spending its wealth on physical capital, but not on its human capital."