After resolving a labor dispute in which the jobs of three of
their workers were in jeopardy, the Associated Students of UCLA
steered clear of further angst from labor unions by increasing the
wages of seven other ASUCLA employees.
Seven newly-unionized ASUCLA workers received a wage increase
that will be phased in over a three-year period of time, Executive
Director Pat Eastman announced at the December board of directors
meeting. The raise was effective dating back to November 2002.
The workers, involved in ASUCLA building maintenance, “are
very happy with the agreement,” Eastman said.
The workers ““ who belong to the International Union of
Operating Engineers ““ have been unionized for several
months.
They are not part of the 80 unionized workers under the American
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, whom ASUCLA
hired last spring.
AFSCME also fought for three ASUCLA workers when their jobs
remained in question due to a social security discrepancy earlier
in the year ““ a scenario that ended agreeably between ASUCLA
and AFSCME.
The specifics of the wage increase agreement ““ such as the
amount of the wage increase ““ were not disclosed as it is a
personnel matter, Eastman said.
The wage increase was implemented in order “to achieve
parity with other respective positions,” Eastman said.
But with a student union whose primary means of revenue come
from ASUCLA-run stores and a student fee of $7.50, questions arise
about how to pay for the new wage increase. ASUCLA is further
burdened by the additional wages they need to pay to the 80 AFSCME
workers.
Eastman is not worried about the means to pay the workers.
“It’s not that significant because there’s
only seven workers,” Eastman said.
The worker situation is an example of an issue ASUCLA deals with
that many students are not aware of, something board members say
they are trying to change.
When board Vice-Chair Randy Hall gave a student union
presentation to Executive Vice Chancellor Daniel Neuman during the
meeting, he said some of his goals were to raise student awareness
of their role with ASUCLA and dispel misconceptions about
ASUCLA’s responsibilities.
A popular assumption among students is that ASUCLA is only
involved in monetary issues, Hall said.
“I don’t think that the students know that (they)
are in control of what ASUCLA does,” Hall said. “A lot
of students see it as a retail venue only.”