UCD Service Worker Strike

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 (AFSCME) has announced that it will stage a strike on April 14, 2005. — Official UCD statement

This is threatened to begin a couple days before Picnic Day, but will only last for a single day. Union members hope that this will lead to the improvement of the pay and benefits of the hard working employees of UC Davis who keep our campus clean (among other things).

Union members contend that the service workers have been treated unfairly at UCD. They evidence this claim by pointing out that they are the lowest paid service workers in the entire UC and CSU system, earning somewhere around 40% less than people in similar positions at other UCs. They have not seen wage increases in the last 3 years, despite higher costs of living and expanded responsibilities due to a growing campus. See Davis Enterprise article.

The same administrators have proposed to cut the ("R4 Recycling") program and give the collections of recyclables to custodial. Custodians admit that they often throw away recycling because of the extra burden of making more passes through each building. R4 wants to keep doing collections and not get cut, while custodial workers would not appreciate the added workload to their already overburdensome and undercompensated work.

• Some people are planning to litter all over campus to help the strike be more successful. It will help put pressure on the Administration and simulate all of the garbage that Custodial and Grounds has to deal with (in more ways than one). Support the strike! Bring trash from home and litter!
  

• Sure. Also, make sure to clog a bunch of toilets to support the plumbing industry. What the fuck?
  

• That was not my idea, and I'm not the one doing it. I know staff and students who are planning to do this, however.
  

• No reason to be alarmed. The strike is supposed to last one day (Thursday) only, and its target (in terms of tactics) is the UCD Med Center, which recieves its deliveries on Thursdays. Because UPS workers won't cross the picket line, this will cause great financial loss to the UCD Med Center. The strike is supposed to hit of the UC campuses at once. No word on whether the strike is targeted with equally good tactics at other campuses. — KenBloom who heard this from one of our service workers on the quad this afternoon.

Some organizers of the strike asked students to email their TAs and try to get discussions to be held outside. These workers open and close buildings as well, so you can show support by not going inside big buildings on campus.

(from afscme)

(please note the unity in effort this picture represents: there are undergraduate students, clerical workers (CUE), service workers (AFSCME), grad students/TAs (UAW) and lecturers (AFT)all supporting the service worker strike)

... someone should probably write about how the TAs became unionized across the UC system, for one.

Comments:

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2005-04-11 17:47:17   That is a terrible idea - don't litter to support the service workers. Don't litter at all. If you feel as though these essential University staff have a vaild grevance, which they do, then don't go to class or work, join them at the picket at 3:30 pm by Mrak hall. —MikeSiminitus

2005-04-11 21:00:57   *Sigh* You all really don't understand politics, do you. —BrentLaabs