Anna-Lysa Gayle, special to wtop.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – More than a dozen students are in their tenth day of a hunger strike at the University of Virginia, as part of the Living Wage Campaign.
Students are demanding higher living wages, safer working conditions and better job security for the university’s employees.
Students are asking that the living wage under University policy be changed to $13 per hour.
In an interview with thelivingwageatuva.org, striker and third-year undergraduate student Luis Oyola said after his fourth day he is getting a lot thinner and feeling a lot weaker.
He is not alone. A few participating students were advised to stop their hunger strike to prevent future health problems.
The university’s president, Teresa Sullivan, sent an email to students last week insisting that she does not believe the lowest wage offered by the University is below the strikers asking price.
Sullivan met with students Monday to discuss their demands.
No agreements have been made between the two parties. The university president plans on meeting with the students again at 7 a.m. Wednesday, the twelfth day of striking for many students.
Graduate student and organizer with the Living Wage at UVA, Emily Filler tells WTOP that despite their hunger-striking, participating students are still attending classes.
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