UCLA faculty, students, workers and elected officials gathered
Thursday night for a forum on subcontracted labor conditions,
voicing the demands of UCLA workers for union recognition through
direct university employment.
“We’re here to raise awareness and educate the
community of the employment practices occurring here, like the
minimum wages,” said forum organizer Luu Doan.
“You’d think these employees were working for
McDonald’s and not a prestigious university,” she
said.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
““ a union that represents workers throughout the University
of California ““ hosted the event.
AFSCME President Lakesha Harrison introduced the panel of
subcontracted workers who shared their testimonials of the
substandard conditions, lack of benefits and health care, and
minimum wages.
Maria Quijada, a single mother of four, described her experience
in maintenance at the Anderson School at UCLA.
Last week while vacuuming an office, she fell and injured
herself, but she alleges that she was not allowed to leave her work
shift.
Quijada said this is only one example of alleged hostility the
workers face from the management because of their involvement with
the union.
Forum panelist Pat Hensy, from the University Catholic Church,
emphasized that subcontracting is not a religious issue but a moral
question of how people should be treated.
Hensy argued that the economical excuse for subcontracting to
save taxpayers’ money is illegitimate, because it overlooks
the workers’ needs who are also taxpayers.
“What kind of values are we teaching students when we
treat people with a double standard?” Hensy said.
“You can’t rob from one group and give to
another.”
Art History Professor Albert Boime added that the university
should be setting a standard of promoting fairness, not
perpetuating social injustice.
Boime explained that UCLA is a public institution, not a private
corporation and therefore should act responsibly.
San Fernando City Councilmember Nury Martinez encouraged
university accountability to the workers.
“By subcontracting the workers rather than hiring them
directly, the university administration continues a cycle of
poverty,” said Martinez.
Martinez related her personal association with this cause by
describing how her mother was a union worker and how she
understands the union plight.
Joining these panelists are the nearly 1,000 UCLA students who
have signed on to support these workers in becoming direct
university employees and improving substandard working conditions
and raising wages.
“Making $7 an hour is not enough, this needs to
change,” said parking attendant Eapren Nuguit.
On May 1 university officials publicly announced that they would
work with the union in an effort to resolve these issues.
Two weeks ago, after UCLA students and workers marched through
campus to voice these demands, Chancellor Albert Carnesale and
other administrators accepted the demonstrators’
petitions.
The demonstration resulted in dialogue between the workers and
administrators.