Lamar Billups manages labor relations at Washington
D.C.’s prestigious Georgetown University. His lofty responsibilities
include oversight for the school’s two unions, SEIU and ALLY, along
with maintaining the university’s living wage policy and trademark
licensing for products bearing the Georgetown name as well as
intellectual property rights for the school’s medical and
pharmaceutical advances. “I handle all vendor relations and I’m
involved in business contracting primarily to make sure that any
companies we’re doing business with are aware of our expectations with
respect to socially responsible business practices to ensure that they
don’t discriminate against people and that they pay a decent wage and
allow people to organize if they want to,” counsels Billups.
The
labor and public policy experts says he is thrilled that all eyes are
focused on Washington. “Many people, both black and white came together
and are working in concert to make this transition happen,” Billups
confides. “We have inaugurations every four years, and not that it’s
old hat, but this particular president is of particular excitement …
especially to the population of a city that is 75 to 80 percent people
of color.
“The first 100 days are not
going to solve the problem of the country. The next economic stimulus
package may put a lot of people back to work , which will then give
people buying power, which will help small businesses. Expectations may
be over the top. But it’s not a bad thing because of whose there. I
think that this president probably more than any president will stick
his foot and hands into this community,” concludes Billups.
