UCLA hasn’t yet granted employment to subcontracted
parking workers, but the workers are determined to let the
university’s chief administrator ““ along with the rest
of the school ““ know they mean business.
In tandem with student supporters, workers have planned a march
to Chancellor Albert Carnesale’s office for Friday at noon as
a method of showing their desire to become unionized, full-time
UCLA employees.
Lubbe Levin, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Campus Human
Resources, said the workers are only here for “special
needs,” specifically, the stack parking needed while
construction is taking place. UCLA has to assess whether it is more
financially feasible to have its own workers or to use supplemental
assistance, she said.
Brian Rudiger, a union organizer for the American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees, disagrees, arguing that UCLA
should directly hire the workers until they don’t need them
anymore.
“If that is nine months from now and stack parking is no
longer needed, we will deal with that as it comes,” Rudiger
said.
Students and workers gathered early Wednesday morning in Bruin
Plaza and marched to the entrance of Lot 4 near the Anderson School
at UCLA. They then blocked the morning traffic flow entering the
lot from Sunset Boulevard, forming a human wall for a few minutes
until police came and asked them to leave.
“This might be a slight inconvenience to (those
motorists), but (workers) are inconvenienced every day,” said
third-year theater student Iliana Carter after the
demonstration.
During the Undergraduate Students Association Council meeting
Tuesday, council members unanimously passed a resolution
recommending an end to subcontracted labor at UCLA.
“Be it resolved that (USAC) wholeheartedly supports the
courageous struggle of these workers to better their lives by
organizing,” the resolution read.
Communicating through a Spanish translator, parking workers came
to the meeting and gave testimony to the council about their
mistreatment at the workplace, describing the lack of benefits and
miniscule raises associated with their jobs.
According to the speakers, some of the workers wore buttons to
work Tuesday supporting the union. They alleged their employer then
ordered them to take off their buttons, penalizing those who
refused.
At the meeting, USAC President Anica McKesey said she plans to
write a letter to the chancellor expressing USAC’s support
for the workers.
“(The vote) shows the solidarity between students and
workers on campus,” said Academic Affairs Commissioner Sophia
Kozak.
With reports from Menaka Fernando, Daily Bruin Staff.