COURTNEY STEWART Dolores Diaz holds
Gladis Perez’s hand while advocating for workers’
rights Tuesday afternoon.
By Noah Grand
Daily Bruin Reporter
Workers from the medical center and across campus joined with
students to protest for better terms in their new contract after
their old contract expired Monday.
“We want to get together to let UC know that we want a
good contract this time,” said Lakesha Harrison, who works at
Santa Monica Hospital, a part of the UCLA Medical Center.
Organizers estimated more than 400 people protested in front of
the Neuropsychiatric Institute Tuesday.
Similar protests occurred at other UC campuses as the American
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees entered
negotiations for a new contract with UC.
AFSCME represents 17,000 hospital assistants and technicians,
and food service, dining, laundry and maintenance workers
throughout the UC system.
Union negotiators are asking for higher wages, a guaranteed pay
increase every year, an end in subcontracting and getting part time
wages and benefits for near full time work, and increased health
benefits.
“The only thing we want is a fair contract,” said
Bob Hardrick, a member of the AFSCME bargaining group.
UC had no comment on the protests, because negotiations were in
progress. Spokeswoman Abby Lunardini said she is confident things
will be resolved through the negotiation process.
The union opposes the UC’s use of subcontracting, where
some jobs are given to other workers on a non-union contract.
“Subcontracting is happening in custodial, linen and
landscaping. They are not doing the job that UC workers are
doing,” Hardrick said. “We have to redo some of the
things they do because they do such a bad job.”
Pilar Burgess, who has worked at the UCLA Medical Center for 14
years, said patients end up suffering because of the poor
conditions and cost cutting measures.
“I make beds in the hospital, and the sheets are
filthy,” Burgess said. “That’s what you get
because they contracted outside the union.”
Burgess said the university no longer uses the best cleaning
chemicals and this jeopardizes patient care.
“They say that the UCLA Medical Center is number one but
if you see what I see, you would say we are number 20 or number
40,” Burgess said.
In addition to restoring patient care, the workers seek a better
guaranteed wage. Maxine Holloway, a protest leader and a 12-year
custodian in the John Wooden Center, said she wants workers to
receive a guaranteed raise once a year. Burgess said that employers
would not give pay raises because employers thought employees were
using too many sick days.
In addition to wanting a higher wage, Burgess said health
benefits have declined in the 14 years she has worked in the
medical center as UC tries to save money.
“When I started working here it was free for me to go to
Kaiser. Now it costs $35 for emergency care,” Burgess said to
the protesters. “The university keeps slashing my
throat.”
As union members protested for a better contract, they were
joined by UCLA student groups, including Conciencia Libre and the
Environmental Coalition, who tried to get students involved in the
protest.
“These workers make a difference in our lives,” said
Greg Hom, a third-year environmental studies student and EC member.
“As students who contribute money to UC, its up to us to help
make a difference.”
Student groups had posters up supporting the protest on Bruin
Walk Tuesday. These groups also let students know about May Day. In
much of Europe, as well as some other countries, May 1 is a
workers’ holiday marked by protests for workers’
rights.
“We just want to get the message out that people here are
just not being treated right,” said Encarnación
Gutiérrez, a third-year civil engineering student and
Conciencia Libre member.
Hom said people simply knowing about the workers’
situation is not enough, adding that students needed to get
involved and make a difference.
Francisco Garcia, a fourth-year Latin American studies student
and a member of Conciencia Libre, said that he has been working
with the union since January 2000 to try and mobilize students in
support of the workers.
“The number of people that are out protesting today will
help set the tone for the rest of the week as negotiations
continue,” Garcia said.
In a speech before the protesters, Holloway said the union
members in attendance were critical when helping the union in their
negotiations.
“We have some very important people here today. The people
here are you guys,” Holloway said.
Holloway said it is very important for the union members to see
each other and to see what the union is. She said Tuesday’s
protest was the largest protest she has seen in her 12 years at
UCLA.
This protest at UCLA was larger than similar protests at UC
Berkeley, Davis and Irvine. The protest remained peaceful
throughout the afternoon, although police were present to clear
traffic.
“I have seen a sleeping giant grow into a big giant that
can move,” Holloway said.