Workers unite to protest campus’s treatment of contract workers Wednesday

By Ericka Shin

Demonstrators congregated Wednesday afternoon at the intersection of Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue, objecting to UC Berkeley’s conduct toward contract workers.

About 3:30 p.m., protesters organized by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 — a union that represents UC workers — gathered, circulated a petition letter and circled around with picket signs to demand that the campus provide fair treatment for all workers. The crowd consisted of contract workers, union workers and students.

Organizations involved in the protest included AFSCME Local 3299, Fight for $15 and Service Employees International Union.

Later, amid organized chants, nearly 100 demonstrators moved to give speeches, protest and deliver a demand letter to Chancellor Nicholas Dirks in front of California Hall.

A representative from Dirks’ office came out from California Hall to receive a demand letter from the protesters.

Demonstrators also spoke out against Performance First Building Services, Inc., a Santa Clara-based janitorial services company that hires contract workers for UC Berkeley. Performance First is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor for allegedly underpaying its workers and not paying them for overtime hours.

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[Source]: Daily Californian