15 Now Passes in the First Student Vote for a campus wide $15/hr in the country at Northeastern University!

15 Now Passes in the First Student Vote for a campus wide $15/hr in the country at Northeastern University! Boston, Massachusetts: On April 6th students at Northeastern University made history by winning a student referendum vote to implement the nation's first campus-wide $15/hour minimum wage. The initiative passes with 76.39% of the vote. Not only did these students break ground nationally by becoming the first campus to demand $15, they broke ground at Northeastern by smashing all previous election records. With a coalition of 9 progressive student groups on campus, 15 Now Northeastern is poised to put their university on the front lines of the fight for wage equality nationwide.  15 Now Northeastern is a historic campaign in a number of ways. In February, 15 Now NU required 750 student signatures to be allowed on the ballot. 15 Now Northeastern shattered this target by collecting almost 2000, making it the most signatures for any question in NU history. Over 4500 students voted in this election, making it the biggest student vote in campus history as well.  In illustrating this wage inequality, students pointed to the salary of Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun. In 2011 he made over $3.12 million, which is 117 times the average salary of a campus protective service employee, making him the second highest paid Administrator in the country. In previous years, the school's student government has struggled to meet the threshold required to validate the election. However this year with the placement of 15 Now on the ballot the threshold was exceeded well before voting closed.  While the vote for 15 Now's referendum does not immediately raise wages for campus workers, it does show a clear mandate to address the issue of income inequality on campus and forces the Administration to act. The work of 15 Now Northeastern is set to become the blueprint for winning $15 on campuses across the country, with similar initiatives already underway at the University of Washington in Seattle and Temple University in Philadelphia. With the support of the student body behind them, this 15 Now Northeastern hopes to soon enter into public negotiations with the school's administration. This is poised to be a heated process, considering the Northeastern administration has a history of being antagonistic to progressive campaigns on campus. We need to build on this victory by spreading 15 Now to every campus in Boston! The movement for a living wage is growing and winning more and more victories every week. On April 14th, workers and students will be marching in Boston as part of the biggest day of action for $15 in history! Join us on April 14th to march for 15! Want to start a 15 Now chapter on your campus or in your neighborhood? Contact one of our organizers at 15NowNU@gmail.com to get involved!