Dear UC Davis Faculty,
We are writing to ask that you provide your students with an opportunity for extra credit if they attend and write about their observations of the April 15th Rally for Fifteen, which will be part of an historic international day of action in the fight for a $15 minimum wage, in which many tens of thousands will participate.
This campaign isn’t just about McDonald’s workers, it is fundamentally about our students, many of whom are struggling. Rising tuition and student loan debt is making the university less accessible, and the bad job market will put many of our students into low-paying service sector jobs. Many students we have taught come from families that work jobs that pay below a living wage. Our/their generation will be the first in this country to be worse off than their parents if something doesn’t change now. But we can change that, by providing them with an opportunity to take part in this historic event that many would go to if they were not penalized for missing class that day and if they were given a small incentive to check out something new to them and to think critically about it.
We think that this is an important campaign for our students to become aware of and attending it can be a great opportunity for students to not only learn about the campaign but for them to speak to participants to find out why they are supportive of the campaign and then reflect on how they feel about it in writing.
More information about the day’s events can be found here. Buses will be provided to bring students to Sacramento and Berkeley and then back to Davis for free. They can sign up at this link.
Signed,
The Davis Unit of UC Student Worker Union UAW 2865
Graphic by Jennifer Wu.
