"University of California Workers Strike Against Harassment"
2013-11-20 by Samantha Winslow from "Labor Notes" [http://labornotes.org/2013/11/university-california-workers-strike-against-harassment]:
More than 22,000 University of California campus workers and service and technical workers in the system’s medical centers are striking today, claiming harassment and intimidation by management. They are joined by 13,000 sympathy-striking graduate students in a one-day strike. UC tried a last-minute legal maneuver to stop the strike—claiming it would put patients at risk—but a Sacramento Superior Court judge upheld the right to strike. The union’s 50-worker task force will be on call to fill in during the strike in case of medical emergencies. The medical center workers—including X-ray, laboratory, and surgical technicians, patient care assistants, housekeepers, and cafeteria workers, among others—previously struck for two days in May. This time, they joined forces with university campus workers such as custodians and groundskeepers, who are in the same union but have a separate contract. Both groups have been in negotiations for almost a year. The union, AFSCME 3299, says it is the only side showing movement at either table. Management implemented its last, best, and final offer—pay freezes and benefit cuts—on campus and medical center workers in September. Management has since returned to the table but remains unwilling to address staffing concerns. The union alleges management began pulling workers aside and interrogating them for their union activity before the May strike, even threatening disciplinary action for workers participating. These unfair labor practice charges are the basis for today’s strike. As AFSCME 3299 president Kathryn Lybarger put it: “The point of the ULP strike is, we’d like to see them change their behavior.” The university campus workers joining the medical center workers in the ULP strike have also had similar concessions forced on them. Campus workers struck in 2005 and sympathy-struck in May, but this is the first time both groups have struck together. Unionized graduate students, members of UAW 2865, are sympathy-striking this time.
Skeleton Crews -
Campus and hospital workers have offered pension concessions during negotiations, including higher employee contributions, in exchange for wage increases—but UC rejected the offer. The university system, which includes five medical centers and 10 campuses, boasts $7 billion in operating revenue. While it’s true the system experienced enormous state funding cuts, Lybarger said, it has since recovered; now it’s just taking advantage of the excuse. “They can absolutely afford it,” she said. “The UC has taken $900 million in cuts [between 2009 and 2012] but they recouped it by increasing student fees and implementing service cuts.” “It’s not like we are asking for the jewels on the crown,” UC-Berkeley custodian Maricruz Manzanares said. “We are asking for a way to survive.” The service workers now coping with the imposed cuts, Manzanarez pointed out, are already the lowest-paid workers in the UC system. Many qualify for public assistance. Adding insult to injury, the UC system is increasing parking fees along with pension and healthcare costs. UC says its pay for service workers meets market standards—but “what’s their market?” Lybarger counters. “If their market is McDonalds, that’s not very difficult.” Another deal-breaker for workers is the university’s refusal to agree to contract language to ban subcontracting and to convert temporary and per diem workers to fully benefited employees. Many are working steady part-time or even full-time hours. Workers want the university to commit to a full-time workforce and create staffing committees to address concerns that are piling up about safety and workload. The union says cost-cutting is endangering care. Workplace injuries have increased almost 20 percent in five years. “It’s getting to the point where we are working on skeleton crews and people are getting hurt,” said Manzanares. In the spring UC faced criticism when they eliminated 300 jobs at UCSF and paid $1.2 million to settle a whistleblower suit that charged patient neglect at UC Irvine.
Nurses Set Good Precedent -
This time the striking medical center workers don’t have nurses and professional units striking in sympathy with them, as they did in May. The California Nurses Association (CNA) was originally planning to walk out too, but reached a last-minute contract settlement with 4 percent wage increases over four years and protection of a single-tier pension with retiree benefits. The university had been pushing for a two-tier pension. The Union of Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE), representing the medical center’s social workers, lab scientists, and pharmacists, is still in negotiations. UC threatened to implement similar terms on them, but was willing to go back to the bargaining table instead—so UPTE too opted not to strike. They, along with nurses, are turning out to support striking workers on the picket line on their breaks and after work. On one hand, the nurses’ victory meant AFSCME lost a powerful picket line ally who could have put a lot of pressure on the hospital system during the strike. But on the other hand, CNA’s settlement set a strong contract standard for the other unions: the hospital agreed to preserve pension standards and raises for nurses. “It’s definitely higher than what UC has maintained they can offer us,” Lybarger said. Lybarger and the 3299 bargaining team hope the university system’s new high-profile president, former Homeland Security head Janet Napolitano, will improve the relationship in negotiations. At their most recent round of bargaining in early November, management showed movement for the first time on economics, but still wouldn’t budge on the staffing issues the union has continued to raise.
Grad Students Join -
Unionized graduate students are striking in sympathy with the UC workers—a showing of support separate from their own negotiations, where they are not yet at the point of striking. In their contract, graduate students are seeking to increase financial support for research and teaching assistants, have the university offer childcare to graduate students with families, and win stronger anti-discrimination language. “We are challenging the UC’s priorities,” said Josh Brahinsky, a graduate student at UC-Santa Cruz. “They are paying attention to executive compensation. They are not paying attention to quality of care or education.” Though she works at the elite Berkeley campus, Maricruz said, the low wages hurt her ability to send her own children to college. “It’s ironic, working for a university for almost 19 years that my kids have not been able to attend,” she said. “It should be a place I can send my kids. Instead, they work here. They have to go to community college.”
Update from Steven Argue of the Revolutionary Tendency, 2013-11-20:
UCSC Is Mostly Shut Down!
Pickets Remain at Both Entrances!
City Bus Drivers Are Not Driving On To Campus!
The University is Advising People Not Come to Campus by Car or Any Other Means!
Solidarity To Striking AFSCME, UAW, and CNA Workers!
--
Previous Message from the UAW Bargaining team:
Today we announce that our union, UAW Local 2865—the union representing 12,000 TA’s, tutors, and readers across the UC—will be joining CNA and UC’s Skilled Craft’s Unit in a one-day sympathy strike with AFSCME 3299, the union representing service workers, janitors and shuttle drivers.
A sympathy strike is about conveying a powerful message of strength and solidarity for our Union brothers and sisters. A strike is most effective if we all participate and honor the strike. This means we are hoping TA’s, tutors, and readers refrain from all work duties that day. That includes: teaching sections; holding office hours; grading papers; and in general, anything related to your duties as an academic worker. Instead, graduate students workers should join AFSCME, CNA, the Skilled Crafts Unit and hundreds of undergraduates on the picket lines throughout the day. And we should encourage our students, friends, cohorts, department administrators, family, neighbors, and faculty to join us.
Yesterday, you received two very important emails about UC workers. The first detailed the historic success of our union’s strike authorization vote that took place at every UC campus last week. Members of our local authorized our union’s leadership to call for a strike with thousands of graduate student workers voting to authorize a strike with a 96% approval rate. You also received an email notifying you that AFSCME 3299—the union representing over 22,000 service and patient care workers across the UC universities and hospitals—will go on strike on November 20th. AFSCME 3299 will be joined on the picket lines by members of the California Nurses Association and UC Santa Cruz’ Skilled Crafts Unit (K7—also represented by AFSCME 3299)—each of whom have authorized a sympathy strike and given notice to UC.
Our union will also be joining AFSCME and CNA at the picket lines that day. This will bring the total number of estimated UC workers on strike on November 20th to over 35,000. You can read our press release here (http://www.uaw2865.org/wp-content/uploads/UAW-2865-Sympathy-Strike-with-AFSCME-press-release.docx).
Over the past several years, AFSCME 3299 has partnered with students and especially with UAW 2865 on important issues that have helped stem the tide of privatization at the UC. This includes supporting student calls for tuition freezes by lobbying in Sacramento, and partnering to organize students and workers.
Like ourselves, AFSCME workers have a first hand experience in the ways that budget cuts coupled with administrative pay raises in the last decade have negatively impacted our working conditions. AFSCME is currently fighting a 1.5% wage cut unilaterally implemented by UC management as well as threats to their pensions.
AFSCME workers are striking for a second time this year—this time to protest management’s unfair practices, including unlawful intimidation and bullying against workers that stemmed from AFSCME’s May strike.
Information for the Strike at UC Santa Cruz -
Picket lines will be up all day! Food will be provided at the picket lines.
At Santa Cruz a strike will also likely mean that the campus is not easily accessible by car. We will send more details from the undergraduate organizing committee regarding their access plan in the next few days.
Picket line locations: Hagar and Coolidge (near the entrance to faculty housing) & the West Entrance.
Picket line times: 4 am to 8:30 pm!
We need help to make this strike a success! We need members there ALL DAY! Sign up for picket shifts by clicking here: Sign up for picket line shifts.
Help spread the word about why it’s important to support this strike by making announcements in undergraduate sections, labs and classes: Sign up! Announcement in Undergrad Classes/Sections.
If you have questions, please email us at santacruz@uaw2865.org.
See you in the Streets! In solidarity, Your Bargaining Team:
* Duane Wright-UC Davis
* Brenda Medina-Hernandez-UC Davis
* Marco Rosales-UC Davis
* Munira Lokhandwala-UC Berkeley
* Amanda Armstrong-UC Berkeley
* Michelle Glowa-UC Santa Cruz
* Josh Brahinsky-UC Santa Cruz
* Rob Ackermann-UC Santa Barbabra
* Amanda Zeddy-UC Santa Barbara
* John Gust-UC Riverside
* Jason Struna-UC Riverside
* Cody Trojan-UC Los Angeles
* Jason Ball-UC Los Angeles
* Jessica Conte-UC Irvine
* Robert Wood-UC Irvine
* Leslie Manjarrez-UC San Diego
* Kevan Aguilar-UC San Diego
"AFSCME 3299 ANNOUNCES NOVEMBER 20th ULP STRIKE AT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA—UC NURSES TO SYMPATHY STRIKE; Despite PERB Complaint, UC continues to Illegally threaten and Coerce workers"
2013-11-18 by Elizabeth Ortega of AFSCME 3299:
Oakland: The University of California’s largest union today gave UC Administrators notice that its members will participate in a one day Unfair Labor Practice Strike of UC Campuses and Medical Centers on November 20th. AFSCME 3299 Service and Patient Care workers will be joined on the picket lines by members of the California Nurses Association and UC Santa Cruz’ Skilled Crafts Unit (K7—also represented by AFSCME 3299)—each of whom have authorized a sympathy strike and given notice to UC.
The Strike stems from a coordinated campaign of illegal intimidation, coercion, and threats against UC Patient Care and Service Workers who participated in a two day walkout back in May over unsafe staffing levels at taxpayer supported UC hospitals—which posted record profits just this week.
“I was pulled into a supply room and interrogated by my Supervisor while she blocked the door,” recalled Tim Thrush, a Principal Diagnostic Sonographer at UC San Francisco Medical Center. “She was clearly trying to intimidate me and hide the fact that she was breaking the law. This is no way to treat people who are standing up for quality patient care, and it’s exactly why we are going on Strike on November 20th.”
The Public Employment Relations Board issued a formal complaint against UC for its illegal activity back in September.
“Our members have both the legal right and moral responsibility to stand up for the safety of the students and patients we serve,” said AFSCME 3299 President Kathryn Lybarger. “By attempting to silence workers, UC hasn’t just repeatedly broken the law—it has willfully endangered all who come to UC to learn, to heal, and to build a better life for their families.”
Lybarger added that UC’s efforts to intimidate and silence workers continues to this day: “Our members—to say nothing of the people we serve--deserve a workplace that is free of this kind of blatant bullying. Without it, the entire UC community is at risk.”
2013-11-18 message from the "California Labor Federation":
The service and patient care workers at UC campuses, represented by AFSCME 3299, have announced a one-day strike on Wednesday, November 20th to protest unfair labor practices by the employer. They will be joined on the picket lines by members of the California Nurses Association and UC Santa Cruz’ Skilled Crafts Unit. The strike stems from a coordinated campaign of illegal intimidation, coercion, and threats against UC patient care and service workers who participated in a two day walkout back in May over unsafe staffing levels at UC hospitals—which posted record profits just this week. “I was pulled into a supply room and interrogated by my supervisor while she blocked the door,” recalled Tim Thrush, a Principal Diagnostic Sonographer at UC San Francisco Medical Center. “She was clearly trying to intimidate me and hide the fact that she was breaking the law. This is no way to treat people who are standing up for quality patient care, and it’s exactly why we are going on strike on November 20th.”
Intro from Prof. Steven Argue of Santa Cruz:
The following is a statement of UCSC students joining the November 20th strike, a University of California (UC) wide strike of TA's, tutors, readers, and nurses in the UAW and CNA in solidarity with janitors, shuttle drivers, and service workers in AFSCME. The university administration is currently failing any agreement with the AFSCME workers.
---
Notice of Solidarity from the "Autonomous Students UCSC"
[Nov20Strike@gmail.com]:
Last May, UC administration used unfair labor practices against AFSCME 3299 workers fighting for fair pay and just working conditions. They attempt to squelch worker and student organizing on campuses statewide by bringing in riot police to silence protest. And year after year, they demonstrate their desire to uphold the status quo by cutting the programs and curricula that move us to think critically about our education.
Most recently, they sent a telling message about the direction they want UC to take by hiring former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano as UC President. UC is sending a clear message that they intend to continue and escalate their plan to diminish democracy and safety at the UC! We see that this is all as part of a larger coordinated strategy to change the university for the worse. Service workers on campus are pushing against exploitation by withholding labor. Students will be initiating a campus shutdown back against implementation by the UC and management’s illegal repression of their organizing through a strike on November 20th.
Additionally, Autonomous Students of UCSC are standing in solidarity with workers on strike and demanding a safe and democratic university that includes concessions of the following:
1. UC enforce a sanctuary against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the protection of undocumented students and workers;
2. Regents roll back all tuition and fee hikes;
3. Grant all UC workers a fair contract;
4. Because the appointment of Janet Napolitano is antithetical to a safe and democratic UC, we demand that she resign from office immediately!
"Solidarity Strike Set For the Whole University of California System, November 20th"
Message from the UAW Bargaining team:
Today we announce that our union, UAW Local 2865—the union representing 12,000 TA’s, tutors, and readers across the UC—will be joining CNA and UC’s Skilled Craft’s Unit in a one-day sympathy strike with AFSCME 3299, the union representing service workers, janitors and shuttle drivers.
A sympathy strike is about conveying a powerful message of strength and solidarity for our Union brothers and sisters. A strike is most effective if we all participate and honor the strike. This means we are hoping TA’s, tutors, and readers refrain from all work duties that day. That includes: teaching sections; holding office hours; grading papers; and in general, anything related to your duties as an academic worker. Instead, graduate students workers should join AFSCME, CNA, the Skilled Crafts Unit and hundreds of undergraduates on the picket lines throughout the day. And we should encourage our students, friends, cohorts, department administrators, family, neighbors, and faculty to join us.
Yesterday, you received two very important emails about UC workers. The first detailed the historic success of our union’s strike authorization vote that took place at every UC campus last week. Members of our local authorized our union’s leadership to call for a strike with thousands of graduate student workers voting to authorize a strike with a 96% approval rate.
You also received an email notifying you that AFSCME 3299—the union representing over 22,000 service and patient care workers across the UC universities and hospitals—will go on strike on November 20th. AFSCME 3299 will be joined on the picket lines by members of the California Nurses Association and UC Santa Cruz’ Skilled Crafts Unit (K7—also represented by AFSCME 3299)—each of whom have authorized a sympathy strike and given notice to UC. Our union will also be joining AFSCME and CNA at the picket lines that day. This will bring the total number of estimated UC workers on strike on November 20th to over 35,000. You can read our press release here (http://www.uaw2865.org/wp-content/uploads/UAW-2865-Sympathy-Strike-with-AFSCME-press-release.docx).
Over the past several years, AFSCME 3299 has partnered with students and especially with UAW 2865 on important issues that have helped stem the tide of privatization at the UC. This includes supporting student calls for tuition freezes by lobbying in Sacramento, and partnering to organize students and workers.
Like ourselves, AFSCME workers have a first hand experience in the ways that budget cuts coupled with administrative pay raises in the last decade have negatively impacted our working conditions. AFSCME is currently fighting a 1.5% wage cut unilaterally implemented by UC management as well as threats to their pensions.
AFSCME workers are striking for a second time this year—this time to protest management’s unfair practices, including unlawful intimidation and bullying against workers that stemmed from AFSCME’s May strike. Information for the Strike at UC Santa Cruz Picket lines will be up all day! Food will be provided at the picket lines.
At Santa Cruz a strike will also likely mean that the campus is not easily accessible by car. We will send more details from the undergraduate organizing committee regarding their access plan in the next few days. Picket line locations: Hagar and Coolidge (near the entrance to faculty housing) & the West Entrance.
Picket line times: 4 am to 8:30 pm!
We need help to make this strike a success! We need members there ALL DAY! Sign up for picket shifts by clicking here: Sign up for picket line shifts.
Help spread the word about why it’s important to support this strike by making announcements in undergraduate sections, labs and classes: Sign up! Announcement in Undergrad Classes/Sections.
If you have questions, please email us at santacruz@uaw2865.org.
In solidarity, Your Bargaining Team: Duane Wright-UC Davis; Brenda Medina-Hernandez-UC Davis; Marco Rosales-UC Davis; Munira Lokhandwala-UC Berkeley; Amanda Armstrong-UC Berkeley; Michelle Glowa-UC Santa Cruz; Josh Brahinsky-UC Santa Cruz; Rob Ackermann-UC Santa Barbabra; Amanda Zeddy-UC Santa Barbara; John Gust-UC Riverside; Jason Struna-UC Riverside; Cody Trojan-UC Los Angeles; Jason Ball-UC Los Angeles; Jessica Conte-UC Irvine; Robert Wood-UC Irvine; Leslie Manjarrez-UC San Diego; Kevan Aguilar-UC San Diego.
See you in the Streets!
"AFSCME 3299 ANNOUNCES NOVEMBER 20th ULP STRIKE AT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA—UC NURSES TO SYMPATHY STRIKE"
2013-11-08 [http://www.afscme3299.org/2013/11/08/afscme-3299-announces-november-20th-ulp-strike-at-university-of-california-uc-nurses-to-sympathy-strike/]:
CONTACT: Todd Stenhouse, [tstenhouse@afscme3299.org] [916-397-1131]
Read AFSCME 3299’s Strike Notice letters here: [https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4002/c/399/images/ULPStrikeNotices.pdf]
Read PERB’s complaint Here: [http://www.afscme3299.org/documents/legal/PERB-COMPLAINT-9-12-13-UPC-SF-CE-1033-H.pdf]
Despite PERB Complaint, UC continues to Illegally threaten and Coerce workers Oakland: The University of California’s largest union today gave UC Administrators notice that its members will participate in a one day Unfair Labor Practice Strike of UC Campuses and Medical Centers on November 20th. AFSCME 3299 Service and Patient Care workers will be joined on the picket lines by members of the California Nurses Association and UC Santa Cruz’ Skilled Crafts Unit (K7—also represented by AFSCME 3299)—each of whom have authorized a sympathy strike and given notice to UC.
The Strike stems from a coordinated campaign of illegal intimidation, coercion, and threats against UC Patient Care and Service Workers who participated in a two day walkout back in May over unsafe staffing levels at taxpayer supported UC hospitals—which posted record profits just this week. “I was pulled into a supply room and interrogated by my Supervisor while she blocked the door,” recalled Tim Thrush, a Principal Diagnostic Sonographer at UC San Francisco Medical Center. “She was clearly trying to intimidate me and hide the fact that she was breaking the law. This is no way to treat people who are standing up for quality patient care, and it’s exactly why we are going on Strike on November 20th.” The Public Employment Relations Board issued a formal complaint against UC for its illegal activity back in September.
“Our members have both the legal right and moral responsibility to stand up for the safety of the students and patients we serve,” said AFSCME 3299 President Kathryn Lybarger. “By attempting to silence workers, UC hasn’t just repeatedly broken the law—it has willfully endangered all who come to UC to learn, to heal, and to build a better life for their families.”
Lybarger added that UC’s efforts to intimidate and silence workers continues to this day: “Our members—to say nothing of the people we serve--deserve a workplace that is free of this kind of blatant bullying. Without it, the entire UC community is at risk.”
Locations and times of picket lines—which will include all five UC Medical Centers and all 10 UC Campuses, will be announced next week.
As was the case during its May Hospital Strike, AFSCME 3299 has once again committed itself to patient protection measures, including the formation of a Patient Protection Task Force to handle emergency needs at UC Medical Centers during the work stoppage, and voluntarily exempting dozens of the critical care hospital workers it represents from participation in the strike.
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