UCLA skilled workers take to the Hill to protest unfair wages

By Ryan Leou

About 150 union members chanted “We want a raise” and “Who does the work? We do the work” as they handed out yellow flyers to students and parents moving into the residential halls Friday morning.

The union members waved signs as they marched down the Hill, protesting what they called an unfair wage proposal during contract negotiations.

Teamsters Local 2010, the union representing the UCLA Skilled Trades bargaining unit, or K4, organized the rally. K4 includes electricians, carpenters and plumbers, among other skilled workers.

Union workers said they protested as new students moved into the dorms because they wanted to inform parents of potential safety issues.

The flyers claimed UCLA does not require some workers to have skilled-trade qualifications while doing complex electrical or plumbing work, which could lead to fires or gas leaks.

Jon Kramer, who serves on the union negotiating committee and is a plumber at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, said he thinks current wages are about 24 percent below prevailing wage, or the wage paid to the majority of workers within a particular area.

“Depending on classification, some trades might be $10-$12 an hour behind their peers,” Kramer said.

Teamsters proposed a 38 percent base salary increase in less than three years, while UCLA initially proposed a 14 percent wage increase over four years in negotiations that started on Aug. 30, according to UCLA spokesperson Rebecca Kendall.

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[Source]: Daily Bruin