UAW Graduate Students Support Service Workers

Resolution of the United Auto Workers (UAW), Local 2865 Joint Council in support of the organizing efforts of service workers at UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, and UCLA

Whereas, the UAW Local 2865 (UAW) is the union representing over 12,000 Academic Student Employees (ASEs) – Tutors, Readers, and Teaching Assistants – at all nine of the teaching campuses of the University of California (UC), and

Whereas, the UAW Joint Council is comprised of UAW campus leaders from the nine teaching campuses and is a powerful means through which the UAW coordinates the distribution of information to UAW members at each of the campuses, and

Whereas, through the University of California Union Coalition (UCUC), the UAW works closely with other unions representing workers at the UC campuses and medical centers, and

Whereas, the UC’s mistreatment of workers who help the UC campuses and medical centers operate (whether those workers are union or non-union or directly employed by the UC or subcontracted out), constitutes an assault on all workers at the UCs, including UAW members, and

Direct Employment of UC Davis (UCD) Food Service Workers

Whereas, there are currently over 300 students working in the UCD dining commons, campus cafés, campus catering, the bakery, and the Silo Union who are contracted out to Sodexho, and

Whereas, there are over 250 contracted out non-student food service and custodial workers working in the UCD dining commons, campus cafés, campus catering, the bakery, and the Silo Union who are contracted out to Sodexho, and

Whereas, there is a large disparity in benefits and wages between the service workers who are employed directly by the University and those who are contracted out to Sodexho, and

Whereas, there have been multiple complaints regarding disrespect, unfair treatment, and sexual harassment of service workers that the Sodexho management has not responded to, and

Whereas, UCD is now the last UC campus to have contracted out its dining services, and

Whereas, there has been a movement among working students and career workers demanding to be employed directly by the University, and

Whereas, the UCD Principles of Community dictate values of respect and equality,

Therefore be it resolved that, the UAW supports working students’ and career workers’ effort to become directly-employed University employees and receive pay and benefits equal to that of University employees at other campuses who perform comparable duties, and

Therefore be it further resolved that, the UAW strongly urges the Chancellor Vanderhoef to meet with the contracted-out workers and immediately grant their request to be University employees.

Unionization of Student Workers Employed by the ASUCLA

Whereas, in May 2003, non-student workers employed by ASUCLA became members of AFSCME, Local 3299, thereby having full union rights, and

Whereas, student workers at UCLA employed by ASUCLA perform many of the same duties as non-student ASUCLA employees, yet are not included in the AFSCME bargaining unit and are paid less and get fewer benefits than their non-student counterparts, and

Whereas, by not permitting the student workers union representation, the UC has established a two-tiered system based on artificial distinctions between student and non-student workers, and

Whereas, student workers at UCLA do not have rights such as adequate wages, workers’ compensation, sick days, and a voice on the job, and

Whereas, UCLA student workers are attempting to join the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME, Local 3299),

Therefore be it resolved that, the UAW supports the student workers employed by the ASUCLA in their effort to become union members of AFSCME, Local 3299,

Therefore be it further resolved that, the UAW urges the UC and ASUCLA to permit the student workers to join their non-student counterparts in the AFSCME bargaining unit.

Wage Parity for UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) Service Workers

Whereas, a UCSC custodian starts earning $10.90/hour and within seven years is earning $11.97/hour, and

Whereas, a mere six miles away at Cabrillo Community College a custodian starts at $13.90/hour and within seven years is earning $18.63/hour (a difference of over $6/hour), and

Whereas, AFSCME has been struggling for parity wages for over a year, and

Whereas, acting Chancellor Blumenthal has identified more than $400,000 for low-wage workers on campus and submitted two proposals to the offices of the President in October, and

Whereas, the proposal the Chancellor submitted incorporated: 1) All full-time workers making less than $25,000 a year will be brought up to $25,000, and 2) Those full-time workers making between $25,000 and $35,000 will receive pay equities based on their seniority on campus, and

Whereas, UCSC Administration reported to AFSCME that President Dynes will not sign these proposals because he wants to tie this money to AFSCME workers’ current pensions bargaining, and

Whereas, with the help of the Speaker of the House Fabián Nuñez and Don Peralta, custodians at UCSC, UCB, UCSB and 100 grounds keepers at UCI have also identified $8.5 million in the UC budget, and

Whereas, President Dynes has not allocated this money to its intended location, and

Whereas, a letter from Rep. Peralta and Rep. Nuñez was sent to President Dynes to remind him of the money and for what purpose it was allocated,

Therefore be it resolved that the UAW supports AFSCME in its effort to receive parity wages, and

Therefore be it resolved that the UAW urges President Dynes to release and allocate the designated monies, and

Therefore be it further resolved that the members of the UAW Joint Council will ensure that the UAW membership of their respective campuses is informed regarding the UC’s mistreatment of workers at UCD, UCLA, and UCSC and the service workers’ effort to address this.

Passed by unanimous consent on April 15, 2007.

Signed, UAW Local 2865 Joint Council Committee