Letter to the editor: Throw light on plight of workers

The Daily's recent editorial condemning the Living Wage Campaign states that The Daily "cares deeply about the workers on this campus." Their coverage of news on campus, however, perpetuates the status quo in which workers are invisible to students. The Daily issued its condemnation after covering the LWC but without even a cursory look into the issues affecting workers on campus.

Where are the stories at The Daily about workers forced to live out of their cars because their salaries do not provide them with enough income to finance housing? Should we look harder for stories in The Daily chronicling the difficulties workers have had paying for medication? Can The Daily show us its stories about workers struggling to hold down multiple jobs and raise their children at the same time?

Members of the LWC have heard all of these stories from talking to workers, but they have been absent from The Daily's pages. Over the course of the year, the LWC will work to share workers' stories with other members of the Northwestern community. We invite The Daily to work with the campaign to end the culture of invisibility on campus.

The Daily Northwestern is an outstanding, nationally recognized publication, and deservedly so. But we would suggest that The Daily increase its efforts to cover issues affecting workers on campus. Ask workers what it's like to live in poverty while working at one of the most elite universities in the world. Ask them whether they've been unable to obtain health care for themselves or their families in times of need because they lack affordable health insurance. And ask them what it feels like to be dependent on the federal government for sustenance when they dedicate their lives to making Northwestern University a fulfilling place to be for all members of our community.

We think that their answers will reveal that The Daily's condemnation of the LWC not only ignores economic research, but also fails to appreciate that workers are deserving of respect and dignity as members of our Northwestern community.

—Timna Axel

LWC executive board

—Hayley Altabef

LWC executive board