Day 5 of Stanford Fast : Negotiations Break Down

Palo Alto, CA – Six Stanford students begin their fifth day of fasting after negotiations with the administration reached a standstill Saturday night. At 11am today, Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, will speak in Stanford White Plaza addressing the critical point the fast has reached and the seriousness of the conditions facing workers on campus.

University administrators refused to give a real role to students and workers in the development of University labor policy. Sophomore Molly Goldberg, an observer in the negotiations, said, "The University wouldn’t even consider students and workers being on a board that makes recommendations to the President on labor policy. Having a real voice for students and workers is a basic principle for the fasters and for their supporters. The University’s position is a slap in the face to workers and has forced the fast into a fifth day, significantly endangering students’ health."

Dolores Huerta arrives at a crucial moment for the fasters and their struggle. Huerta has a deep understanding of fasting for labor justice, having worked directly with UFW co-founder Cesar Chavez, who fasted for 22 days in order to obtain basic rights for farmworkers. Her endorsement of the fast represents the growing national support for the fasting students and their call for fair labor practices at Stanford. Other supporters have traveled to Stanford from Washington, D.C. and Southern California; hundreds of faxes have also reached President Hennessy’s offices from across the nation.

Campus support for higher labor standards grows alongside concern for the fasters’ health. Prior to the negotiations, 150 students and workers marched through downtown Palo Alto and rallied behind the fasting students. Eleven hundred petition signatures have been collected and over 200 individuals have pledged to fast for 24 hours in solidarity.

At 2pm, fasters will take the stage at the Ozomatli concert in Stanford’s Frost Amphitheatre to tell the audience about why they are fasting. Ozomatli have pledged to stand behind the fasters in their struggle for labor justice .