The history of the living wage movement at Santa Clara is long and complicated. However, from what I am able to piece together, there was a push for a living wage for all campus workers in 2000 and 2001. Labor Action Committee was formed to be in solidarity with the workers on campus. The unions were making the contracts with Bon Appetit and Santa Clara, and the students were supporters. According to a phone interview with a former LAC (labor action committee) coordinator, Stepho, the students played a supporting role. The movement was run by workers. There had always been talk of a living wage campaign, but it really started to take form in 2001.

From another phone interview with Blair, a very huge activist at SCU who graduated in 2004, the first problem was with facilities workers. The workers paid by the university got decent wages with great healthcare benefits and educational benefits for thier kids. However, Santa Clara decided to outsource the facilities workers. These workers were paid as low as 7 dollars an hour, when the living wage was $10.77. The workers were paid by DSM, and DSM had a contract with Santa Clara. The union representing the workers tried to fight the unfair wages and policies in thier contract to no avail. Students became involved.

According to Blair, as well as another facilites worker I interviewed, students attended rallies, signed petitions, made buttons, and met with university employees. The worker especially emphasized that if it was not for the students, all the workers would have been outsourced. In the end, students and faculty came together to agree to only outsource a small percent of workers. A policy was put in place to ensure that all workers, including Bon Appetit get paid a living wage. But are they?