Students Rally For Replaced UCLA Valet Workers at Regents Meeting

By Mo Elew

Around 80 students and workers from several UC campuses staged an action last Wednesday during the public comment portion of this September’s UC Regents meeting, protesting against what they claim has been the mistreatment of hospital valet workers at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Hospital.

The hospital’s valet workers, previously contract workers, are set to be replaced by in-house part-time, full-time, and student workers this month. Ronald Reagan Hospital valet workers were previously contracted through ABM Inc., a facilities management provider. In 2016, workers notified the UC that ABM was failing to pay them appropriately. Under the UC’s Fair Wage Fair Work plan, all employees working at least 20 hours a week, including contract workers, are entitled to a $15 minimum wage. But after pay issues were resolved in July, UCLA announced it would end its contract with ABM and replace all current staff with in-house workers.

The ASUCSD Office of External Affairs organized the action, held in Price Center, along with the American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 3299, the UC’s largest union, bringing students from across the UC undergraduate campuses to stage a protest and action similar to the one held at the May UC Regents meeting in San Francisco.

Several protesters said they believe the layoffs and the replacement of the 84 positions with part-time and student workers are to avoid paying higher wages and benefits, since many of the new positions may not be covered by the Fair Wage Fair Work policy. The protesters demanded that the formerly contracted valet workers be hired as full-time in-house workers.

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[Source]: The Triton