UCLA workers and students picketed outside near De Neve Plaza under the scorching sun on Wednesday in support of higher wages and better working conditions.
UC workers from various university services took turns coming out during their breaks to hold picket signs and get students to sign in support of their cause.
“It’s been a long, long fight … but I try to help out with what I can,” said Diane Valencia, a fourth-year international development studies student.
“To see workers underpaid like that … it’s really shameful,” Valencia said.
The university and a labor union, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 3299, have been a part of ongoing negotiations to renegotiate a new contract that both parties agree on.
The last offer that UC proposed to union was rejected at their last bargaining session in late June.
“All UC employees deserve to be compensated fairly, and we continue to work hard on our side of the negotiations to try to resolve remaining differences, but an agreement requires compromise from both sides. We believe our proposals are financially realistic, especially in light of the current state budget crisis, and we remain hopeful that an agreement is near,” said Paul Schwartz, a spokesman for the UC Office of the President, in an e-mail statement.
Some curious students stopped to sign papers to show their support for the UC workers at the protest.
“It’s easy to forget the people in the background,” said John Luu, a third-year psychobiology student.
He said that as a student it can be easy to sometimes get caught up in schoolwork and personal issues and not pay attention to the UC workers and their cause.
One UC worker, who wished to remain anonymous because of fear of being reprimanded, said that she often feels that there is a lack of appreciation on behalf of the managerial staff for the work that they do.
She added that because of the high cost of gas, many workers are finding themselves in a crunch, and the high costs make it more difficult to survive on the current wages that they earn, She added that she currently takes the bus to work on campus, leaving an hour and a half before work to make it on time.
“(We survive on these wages) only by making miracles,” said Mirna Martinez, a food services worker. “We barely make rent.”
Martinez said that after having worked at UCLA for eight years, she still earns little more than $10 per hour and struggles to survive off of it. She said that even with help from her husband, she still struggles to support her four children and her mother, who was paralyzed three years ago and lives in El Salvador.
“I don’t know how we do it,” she said.
While there were few students picketing with the UC workers, Martinez said that student support is critical if any changes are to be made.
“The support from students is really important,” she said.