CUNY Campus
Organizer Packet
Fight for Fifteen/Solidarity
with Low Wage Workers
studentsfightfor15@gmail.com
tinyurl.com/studentsfight15
Campaign Overview:
The Issue: CUNY students are facing attacks on college affordability, between tuition hikes, cuts to
financial aid eligibility and increased cost of living expenses in New York City, many CUNY students are
hanging on to their education by a thread. Many of us, our families, and workers inside our schools, are
working low wage jobs to make ends meet. The US has one of the highest numbers of employees
working in low wage jobs of high paying industrialized nations. 1 out of 4 Americans employed work in
jobs that pay less than $10 per hour. As many of us rely on the combination of scholarships, jobs, and
financial aid, and still might be accumulating student debt, it is time for things to change.
The Solution: When students engage in direct actions, we can win. CUNY students across all 5 boroughs
have engaged in various campus campaigns, from kicking Sallie Mae off campus for racial discrimination,
to free printing and extended library hours, and gender neutral bathrooms. Many large scale wins CUNY
students in the past have won are open admissions, a hold on budget cuts, and childcare and gender
resource centers across many campuses.
Why should we care?: As greedy corporations continue to devalue and deskill work, many of the
professions we’ve considered to be professional or well paying jobs have been reduced to low paying
jobs putting more and more people living under the poverty line. Our universities are no exception.
Although tuition has increased drastically, our workers wages have not. That’s why Fight for 15 is coming
to campus. Not only do students need well paying jobs after college we also need our universities to
provide jobs that offer their employees a living wage. Many students work for their universities while in
school. However, as students, we also realize that workers’ conditions are students’ learning conditions.
University presidents’ salaries are growing, endowments ballooning, and our universities tell students
tuition increases are necessary. In reality, universities could lower tuition and raise wages for workers’ on
campus. Only by having students and workers work together can we create a better campus community;
one where students can graduate without loans and where our food service workers, housekeepers, bus
drivers, grounds keepers, and adjunct professors aren’t forced to take on the stress and time required to
work a second or third job in order to provide for their families.
What can students do?:As students, we can build a movement on our campuses to demand that our
universities respect the workers who make our education possible. By fighting for $15 on campus
students can assure that workers aren’t forced to live in poverty while our university presidents’ make
more than the United States president.
Mythbusters: Talking to Students on Campus
Below are some ways that you can affirm, answer, redirect concerns that students bring up when
you’re doing outreach on campus.
● If workers don’t like their wage they should find a new job.
○ Affirm, Answer, Redirect: I think it would be great if workers on campus could find jobs where
they were treated with respect and paid a living wage. Unfortunately, in this economy it’s hard to
find a job and most jobs have the same pay grade. That’s why students want our workers to make
$15 an hour. Our university would become a leader in our community and all the amazing people
who contribute to our campus could continue working here.
○ Long Answer: info about how the economy sucks
● If wages increase so will tuition.
○ Affirm, Answer, Redirect: I understand your concern, our tuition has been skyrocketing and we
can’t afford for it to increase further. However, despite our schools increased income, our
workers’ are still making poverty wages. Our school has enough money that we can lower tuition
while increasing workers’ wages.
○ Note: This is the top concern of most students. Doing some research on your school can help
your messaging. Knowing your president’s salary, your endowment, tuition increase rates, and
construction costs of new buildings can help your argument. Make your peers think by asking
them questions. Tuition increased by X% last year but workers’ salaries haven’t rose, where do
you think that money went? Our president made X,XXX,XXX last year, how do you think making
$15 an hour could impact our workers’ lives? Remember: our university is taking advantage of
students and workers, admin uses this argument to weaken both groups and prevent us from
working together.
● Unions are bad for the economy
○ Affirm, Answer, Redirect: With the economy in bad shape, everyone is concerned about creating
and keeping jobs. But corporations are making massive profits while wages are stagnant and
unemployment is high. That’s why workers form unions to make employers create safe jobs that
pay living wages.
○ Long Answer: Unions are organizations made up of workers who want a voice for themselves in
matters such as wages and working conditions. Unions have won significant reforms for all
workers, such as the 40-hour work week. A lot of companies and right-wing groups claim that
unions kill jobs, but the reality is that unions hold companies accountable to treating their
workers fairly.
● Our university shouldn’t take a stance on political issues; that’s Aramark, Sodexo, Subway,
Starbucks, ect.’s responsibility.
○ Affirm, Answer, Redirect: Companies should definitely take responsibility for their workers’
conditions. However, our university also has a reputation to uphold and as students’ it’s our
responsibility to ensure that all workers’ on our campus are paid fairly and treated with respect.
Irregardless of whether they’re directly employed.
● If service workers on campus/fast food workers don’t like their wage they should get an
education, like our professors/like me
○ Affirm, Answer, Redirect: I totally support workers having access to educational resources to
qualify for higher skilled positions. It’s funny you mention professors though. Did you know that
75% of our professors are adjuncts? This means they have no job security and are trying to live
off poverty wages as well. Adjunct professors across the country are engaged in the Fight for 15.
That’s why we’re so excited for the Fight for 15 here on campus, it will help all workers in our
community.
● Our university already pays everyone the minimum wage, why do workers need more?
○ Affirm, Answer, Redirect: You’re right our university is abiding by state minimum wage laws.
However, our minimum wage is too low for our workers to support themselves and their families.
We’re Fighting for 15 on campus so that way our workers no longer have to struggle to scrape by.
Events and Actions you can host on campus:
● Teach-In
○ Host an event to inform students on campus about the campaign, and to help
○ Sample Agenda- keep within an hour them connect students’ lives with Fight for 15.
■ Welcome/Facilitator Intro, 1-2 minutes
■ 2-3 minute video about the campaign, 2-3 minutes
■ History/highlights of campaign, 5 minutes
■ External strategy of the campaign, 5 minutes
■ Panel- 20 minutes, 5 minutes each
● Student- one that’s part of a well-known social justice org- helps with turnout and coalition building
● Fast food worker from off campus
● Fast food worker on campus
● Community member- minister, community organizer, etc. or professor
○ Other tips
■ Q&A- 10 minutes
■ Brainstorm student involvement/ follow-up- 10 minutes
■ Get departments and student orgs to co-sponsor
■ Have printed resources to give to folks at conclusion of event
■ sign-up sheets
■ send a follow-up email to attendees the same night
■ Get professors to offer extra credit
■ Some professors may let you do a teach-in during their classes or maybe 30 minutes,
which doesn’t happen often, but it’s definitely worth asking
● Worker Speakout/Rally
○ This is used more when the student base is larger, and the campus is at a higher
○ Getting coalition partners from on and off campus is essential
● Candlelight Vigil
○ Have a vigil on or off campus to support fast food workers. Some of the speakers point of
escalation.
○ Additionally having choirs, ensembles or spoken word is a cool touch to vigils on
○ When there’s already worker organizing happening on campus, it’s great to do could includefast food workers, student coalition partners, and faith leaders who can sometimes lead a prayer during
the event.campus. this in front of an admin building or President’s house.
● Worker Appreciation Events
○ Have student organizations sponsor a worker appreciation lunch/breakfast/dinner
for campus workers and fast food workers. This is especially helpful when there
is already some type of worker organizing going on
○ Deliver holiday related gifts to workers- for example ‘we appreciate you
Valentine’s Day’ cards
● Flash Mobs/street theatre
○ This is for more established groups on campus
Outreach
● Class raps
○ Don’t just keep it limited to humanities/social sciences
○ Have a sign-up sheet with name, number, email, and year
■ Fill in the first two lines so folks give their numbers
○ Get new folks you’re developing to do them with you
○ Class rap example
■ Hi, my name is Taylor and I’m an organizer with Fight for $15, a group of students NYC wide organizing
for fair wages. Raise your hand if you currently have a job? What are some type of working conditions
students face? Can ya’ll imagine these same conditions/wages if you we’re trying to provide for a family?
How much money do ya’ll think McDonald’s made last year?........10.46 billion dollars. How much did
Mc’Donalds workers make collectively in 2014?
● Tabling
● Dorm storming
○ Have some type of prop or engaging activity/game
○ Do reverse tabling
■ go to other tables and get them involved in the campaign
○ Go door-to-door to get folks to come out to an event
■ do this with new folks you’re working with who live on campus so they can give you
information about the hall and folks will be more familiar with them
● Student org meetings
○ Have a one on one with group leaders first
■ try and get them to co-facilitate a workshop at one of yours or their events
Sample Email to Send out:
The Fight for 15 campaign started just a little over 2 years ago--on November 2012 about 200
Fast Food workers in New York City went on strike demanding $15 and a union. Since then the
Fast Food workers' fight has grown into a movement. In December 2014 Thousands of Fast
Food workers went on strike in 190 cities and they were joined by Homecare workers, Wal-Mart
workers, dollar store workers, retail workers and airport workers all calling for $15/ hour.
Workers in over 35 countries on 6 continents have joined in solidarity, while cities like Seattle
and San Francisco have passed $15 minimum wages.
Like any movement it is critical that young people and students take a leadership role to
continue to build the fight for $15. Moreover, students have an especially critical role in this
movement-- McDonald's, the industry leader in Fast Food and the 2nd largest employer in the
U.S., is worried sick that their sales are declining with young people and are doing everything in
their power to remake their image to seem more community friendly in an effort to win back
young people. http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2014/12/14/mcdonalds-seeks-help-wooing-millennials/
Young people--High school and college students are in a unique position to use their power to
bring McDonald's to the table to give their workers $15 and a union--a move that would ripple
throughout the Fast Food industry and chance the face of the low-wage economy.
On April 15th thousands of students in NYC will mobilize for the fight for 15 and students can
have a real, important, leadership role in this movement. To get involved please visit
tinyurl.com/studentsfight15 or email studentsfightfor15@gmail.com to get more involved.
Sample Infosheet:
On 4/15, Join the Fight for $15
Ordinary Americans are still getting crushed in this economy. Powerful, profitable corporations continue to
hold down wages. Too many corporations want to pay people as little as possible, pushing wages so low
that workers can’t afford basic needs like housing and transportation.
Younger Americans are taking on massive debt to get degrees, but there simply aren’t enough jobs that
pay enough to live on. Today nearly 300,000 Americans with college diplomas are working in jobs that
pay minimum wage.
The Fight to Raise Wages and Strengthen the Economy
Just over two years ago, hundreds of people who work in fast food restaurants in New York City went on
strike. They called for a $15/hour wage floor and the right to form a union.
Their strike touched a nerve. Since that first walkout, thousands of fast food cooks and cashiers in nearly
200 cities from coast to coast have joined in several waves of national one-day strikes.
Now there is a growing movement to raise the wage floor and strengthen the economy for all of us, not
just the rich. Raising wages will boost the purchasing power of average families. That means ordinary
people will have money in their pockets to provide local businesses with the customers they need and
create jobs.
By sticking together, fast food workers are making change happen. Elected representatives and voters in
Seattle and some other cities have moved to raise their local minimum wage. Americans are questioning
why corporations like
McDonald’s are making major profits but paying employees wages so low that their families are blocked
into poverty and need food stamps to make it week to week.
On 4/15, Stand Up for Jobs That Move Us All Forward
This movement is gaining momentum as home care aides, airport baggage handlers and wheelchair
attendants, discount store cashiers, and other underpaid workers are joining the call for a $15/hour wage
floor.
On 4/15, the movement will get even get bigger. Across the country, students will join with working moms
and dads, faith groups, community organizations and others to call on corporations to raise pay and
respect workers’ right to stick together.
You and I can get involved. You can help:
-in about raising the wage floor and restoring prosperity
Useful Links:
Graphs and statistical data on NY’s divestment from students into Wall Street
(http://images2.americanprogress.org/campus/Factsheets/NY_Issue_Brief_Final.pdf)
Video overview of Fight for $15 campaign
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/aztc1h7o7qfxs4g/Turn%20It%20Up%20--%20Jan%202015.mp4?dl=0)
Workers from McDonalds in Ferguson: The Connection between our movement and Black Lives Matter
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwydt3qo-z4)
Personal testimony from Terrance Wise, an organizer and fast food worker
(http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/05/business/in-fast-food-workers-fight-for-15-an-hour-a-strong-voice-interrance-wise.html?_r=1)
Testimony from RaAnahKillbrew, a student and worker at Big Lots
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/12/04/its-not-just-fast-food-the-fight-for-15-is-foreveryone-now/)
Racism in McDonalds (http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/01/22/fired-mcdonaldsworkers-say-they-were-dismissed-for-being-minorities/)
Low wage work and racial justice
(http://www.salon.com/2014/12/05/black_poverty_is_state_violence_too_why_struggles_for_criminal_justi
ce_and_living_wage_are_uniting/)
Photos of inspiring actions across the country (http://mic.com/articles/105758/11-photos-of-fast-foodworkers-across-the-country-standing-with-eric-garner)
Stories of about workers across the country (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/15/dignity-4)