The ongoing sit-in in Mass. Hall gained considerable momentum this past weekend, as members of the Progressive Student Labor Movement (PSLM) attracted prominent politicians, Harvard House Masters and increasing numbers of undergraduates to their ongoing protest for a living wage.

Bolstered by a steadily growing "tent city" of supporters and impromptu messages from U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 (D-Mass.), former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney, PSLM members said they plan to occupy the building indefinitely-until the administration grants Harvard employees a living wage of at least $10.25 per hour.

Masters from all the houses except Dunster and Kirkland issued a statement last night urging administrators to negotiate with the students occupying Mass. Hall. The letter said the masters of Dunster and Kirkland could not be contacted.

"We urge that a process be put in place to move beyond the present impasse," the letter reads. "We suggest a face to face meeting between student leaders and the administration and a step-by-step plan for a larger community dialogue."

After a Friday afternoon rally attracting about 250 students, Kennedy stopped by to lend his support to the cause.

Kennedy tried to enter the occupied building, but was stopped by Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) officials. He spoke briefly to the crowd, drawing cheers when he announced his support of the sit-in.

"I believe we're going to be successful," he said as he pinned a living wage button on his jacket.

From inside the building, a PSLM member yelled out the window-asking Kennedy whether he would call University President Neil L. Rudenstine to ask for a living wage.

"I'll call him, absolutely," Kennedy said.

Similarly, Sweeney called the supporters "courageous" in a phone call to the building Friday to endorse the sit-in.

The continuing sit-in also got an unexpected boost from Reich, who was on campus Saturday for an event sponsored by the Harvard Democrats.

Addressing a crowd of more than 200 gathered to denounce the Free Trade of the Americas Agreement, Reich said he supported the students camping out in the administrative building.

"I've dedicated a lot of my life to the proposition that people need to be paid a living wage," he said. "The notion of a working poor ought to be an oxymoron in America."

Reich said the living wage is not just an economic, but also a moral issue.

"You do not want to be morally complicit in a system that does not give people enough money for their work and that I applaud you for," he gestured to the students sticking their heads out of the open Mass. Hall windows. "You are expressing the moral consciousness of this community. Do not minimize for one second that effect students can have on the public dialogue."