The Worker's Rights Organizing Committee held the University's first student-organized employee appreciation day yesterday, but the presentations by student leaders and workers suggested that the University does not appreciate workers enough.
WROC's student leaders took the day as an opportunity to broadcast the results of a 92-question worker survey it conducted last April, which received responses from more than 400 of 600 unionized employees.
"We wanted to let everyone know what the results of the survey were," WROC president Kate Jordan '03 said. Jordan said the survey asked employees about their lives outside the University, such as whether they needed to hold additional jobs to pay their bills.
Yesterday, as WROC served pizza to workers and students at noon and at 8 p.m., speakers discussed the survey's statistics.
According to WROC's report on the survey, workers consider the University a good working environment where they feel appreciated, and 71 percent said they are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs.
The University
But WROC also pointed out the problems student leaders and workers find with the University. Little racial diversity in certain departments and a faulty system for taking sick days were among the concerns raised last night.
But one of the most startling continuing problems, the report asserts, is that workers report having trouble surviving on their full-time University pay. Thirty percent of all workers said they do not earn enough money to make ends meet, the report says, sometimes resulting in missed bill payments, disconnection of basic services and a need for food stamps.
The WROC report says another hardship workers face is the University's "Pay for Performance" system, in which workers' bonuses depend on performance evaluations by supervisors. Problems with the system include inconsistent supervisor standards and the competitive atmosphere it creates, since all bonuses come from a limited pool, Jordan said.
Many employees do not feel that their work is rewarded or that they are able to rise in the system, the WROC report said. One worker at last night's meeting expressed just such frustration.
"I feel that I work hard . . . I make sure I put in a significant day's work," he said. "It just doesn't seem to go anywhere in this place."
WROC's main reform recommendation is a Cost of Living Adjustment, whereby salaries would rise along with inflation.
Tommy Parker, president of the local Service Employees International Union, encouraged students to stand up for those who work for them.
"You pay to be here," he said. "That means you've got a lot of voice . . . Stay on top of them and make them do what's right."
Read More
Economics professor Kate Ho passes away after long battle with cancer
Devon RudolphProfessor Kate Ho made seminal contributions to the economics of modeling competition in the healthcare sector and taught well-loved courses in industrial organization.
Professor Kate Ho made seminal contributions to the economics of modeling competition in the healthcare sector and taught well-loved courses in industrial organization.
Pedestrian left in critical condition after traffic collision on Nassau Street
Luke GrippoThe pedestrian was struck by a westbound 2015 Ford Explorer around 11:32 p.m. The driver was identified in the press release as a 39-year-old Princeton resident who cooperated with officers upon their arrival.
The pedestrian was struck by a westbound 2015 Ford Explorer around 11:32 p.m. The driver was identified in the press release as a 39-year-old Princeton resident who cooperated with officers upon their arrival.
Senior class jacket abruptly changed following accusations of AI design
Vitus LarrieuFor more than a century, Princeton seniors have donned “beer jackets” to protect their clothes during Reunions and commencement celebrations, typically with elaborate designs chosen by a class-wide contest. Now, with a selection process marred by accusations of generative AI use, the Class of 2026 may have written its own spot in Princeton history.
For more than a century, Princeton seniors have donned “beer jackets” to protect their clothes during Reunions and commencement celebrations, typically with elaborate designs chosen by a class-wide contest. Now, with a selection process marred by accusations of generative AI use, the Class of 2026 may have written its own spot in Princeton history.