After a year of stalled negotiations, picketing and court injunctions, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 has decided to unleash an even larger publicity effort ““ television commercials.
The commercials, which began to be aired during the UCLA v. Washington State game last Saturday, depict the financial situations of the custodial workers, janitors, and food service workers that “complete the UC family” according to AFSCME.
During another 10-minute commercial on AFSCME’s Web site, Leonor Orozco, a senior custodian at UC Irvine, invited cameras into her rat-invested one-bedroom apartment that she shares with five people.
“I would like to invite the administrators to come and get to know my house … to see if it does not give them shame,” Orozco said in the ad.
The UC said that they have repeatedly tried to offer the UC workers a fair contract, but their efforts have been disregarded.
Paul Schwartz, head of strategic communications at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the university was prepared to offer the union an $11.3 million increase over year one of the contract, but the union was holding out for $50 million.
“Compromise needs to be made on both sides,” said Schwartz.
Leo Briones, the head of strategic communications for AFSCME, said that receiving no improvements over the one-year contract negotiation period with the UC prompted the union to reach out to the public in a new way, even if it meant buying ad space from Time Warner.
“(The UC runs) commercials with Kareem Abdul Jabbar about how great it is to be an alumnus ““ but at the same time they have these underpaid workers who have been out of a contract for nearly a year,” said Lakesha Harrison, president of the union.
She added that she felt the commercials would succeed in reaching an audience where other methods had failed.
“We’ve had pickets and rallies, we’ve been to hospitals, we’ve had our members arrested,” Harrison said. “We want the public to know what is going on with their taxes.”
Harrison noted that there has been an increase of hits on the union’s Web site. The commercials can be viewed at an alternate site: www.facingpovertyatuc.org.
Earlier this year, former President Bill Clinton refused to speak at commencement, stating that he “would not cross the picket line” until the creation of a fair contract for the UC workers.
“It’s sad when community colleges pay their employees 25 percent more than the University of California.” Harrison said.