JONATHAN YOUNG/Daily Bruin Union organizer Brian
Rudiger relays information to protesters outside Kerckhoff
on Friday, where the ASUCLA Board of Directors approved a
resolution.
By Debra Marisa Greene
DAILY BRUIN [email protected]
The Associated Students of UCLA will urge the University of
California to enter discussions with a union seeking to represent
about 100 non-student workers. The association will also find a way
to hire the workers and give them benefits and wages, its board of
directors voted Friday.
The meeting, which was often drowned out amid the protests of
dozens of students and union members in attendance, was another
step toward recognition of the American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees. ASUCLA was forced to pass the resolution
urging the UC Office of the President to enter discussions with the
union because it doesn’t have the authority to do so
itself.
Nevertheless, AFSCME organizers said the resolution marked a
victorious step for ASUCLA’s 50-130 workers that they say
want to unionize.
At a board meeting two weeks ago, students and union members
protested the workers’ low wages and lack of benefits. They
asked the board to accept a card check, which would force the board
to recognize workers’ intent to unionize if a majority of the
workers signed the cards.
Last week, board members decided to sidestep the card check,
claiming it was an unnecessary step and instead, presented a
resolution which they say went beyond a card check.
AFSCME area organizing director Francisco Chang said he is
pleased the board decided to pass the resolution, but was sorry to
see that the board did not have the autonomy he previously thought
it had.
ASUCLA Executive Director Patricia Eastman said she does not
think the board’s autonomy is threatened because it is
consistent with the Statement of Understanding between the UC and
ASUCLA.
The Statement of Understanding delegates certain authority
““ specifically the authority to enter into collective
bargaining negotiations ““ to the president’s
office.
“ASUCLA has a lot of authority, but not on specific
things,” Eastman said. “I now understand that
collective bargaining is one of those things.”
After the board passed the resolution, Chang asked it to
recognize a memo he said elaborated the terms of the
resolution.
Under the memo:
“¢bull; The workers would become permanent UCLA employees;
“¢bull; The workers would not be subjected to the probationary
period required of new employees;
“¢bull; A Management Oversight Board would be created, with UCLA
students, UCLA and ASUCLA administrators and AFSCME representatives
to meet regularly to discuss labor issues.
Board member Marilyn Gray acknowledged the memo brought up
important issues but said the board did not have enough time to
review it.
“You have to realize that we have to take this to a lawyer
first,” she said.
The union and the association agree that the workers deserve
better pay and benefits but disagree as to how the union should
represent them. AFSCME wants UCLA to adopt the workers, placing
them under pre-existing contracts with the union. ASUCLA would then
contract the employees from UCLA much like they currently do from
the temp agency, Star. A similar relationship exists between UCLA
and the Faculty Center, which is a private club.
ASUCLA on the other hand wants them to become ASUCLA employees
to retain the association’s autonomy from the university.
As discussions continued inside, several protesters outside
Kerckhoff Grand Salon chanted “Pass the letter” so
loudly that Gray threatened to adjourn the meeting if the yelling
did not stop.
After about 10 minutes, as protesters stopped chanting, the
board unanimously decided to take up the memo as an action item for
the next meeting after a recommendation by undergraduate board
member Reem Salahi.
Following the meeting, Eastman said she was pleased with the
board’s handling of the situation.
“They did a very good job of navigating a complicated
issue in terms of philosophical, legal and political
questions,” she said.
The board is fully aware of the $500,000 to $1 million
additional cost it would incur if workers receive raises and
benefits, but many students probably are not aware, Eastman
said.
These financial issues were not discussed at the meeting because
members did not have enough time to fully evaluate the issues, she
said.
Students may be the ones to bare the financial burden because
ASUCLA is an association for students, Eastman said.
In an earlier interview, Eastman said board members may cut
funding for students, including a $50,000 subsidy to student
government and the elimination of a $60,000 increase that would
fund student programs.
“This organization has just recently gotten into a
financial position where we can start improving the student union
aspects, and it would be a shame if we have to back off on
that,” Eastman said.
The meeting came after months of organization by AFSCME members
to unionize the workers.
AFSCME claims ASUCLA workers have been denied benefits and fair
wages since the association subcontracted them to a temp agency in
1995.
Eastman maintained working conditions are fair, but said she
agrees workers have the right to unionize.
“I don’t believe (conditions have) been unfair. They
have made the choice that it is a good place to work here,”
she said.
For the past two weeks, students have rallied support for the
workers through petitions, a candlelight vigil the night before the
decision and a speak-out directly before the board meeting.
About 100 students, professors and workers held signs and wore
green t-shirts reading “Organize AFSCME 3299 Together
We’re Stronger” at Meyerhoff Park prior to the meeting.
They chanted, “What do we want? Justice. When do we want it?
Now.”
According to Lu Valle Commons employee Alvaro Gutierrez, workers
don’t receive paid sick days, or fair wages.
Students rallying for the workers said they identified with
their struggles and wanted ASUCLA, as their organization, to take
action.
“As students, we are especially concerned because our
money goes to the eateries, and we interact with the
workers,” said third-year international development studies
student Jaime Rapaport.
Following the meeting, several students and AFSCME members
marched to the chancellor’s office.
Chancellor Albert Carnesale was not present, but Executive Vice
Chancellor Rory Hume said the chancellor was with students on the
issue.
Last week, Carnesale issued a statement “asking the Office
of the President to enter into immediate discussions with AFSCME to
explore appropriate options for the representation of ASUCLA
workers.”
With reports from Jonathan Young, Daily Bruin contributor.