On Friday evening, AFSCME 3299, the union representing over 22,000 patient care and service workers across the University of California, announced that they will go on strike on November 20th. AFSCMEs strike is in response to a coordinated campaign of illegal intimidation, coercion, and threats against patient care and service workers who participated in a two day walkout in May over unsafe staffing levels at taxpayer supported UC hospitals - which posted record profits just last week. These patient care and service workers have had their wages, benefits, and seniority targeted by UC management. AFSCME will be joined on the picket lines by the California Nurses Association and the UC Santa Cruz Skilled Crafts Unit, each of whom have authorized a sympathy strike and given notice to the UC. AFSCMEs strike call aims to address management retaliation against workers for their support of AFSCMEs strike in May. “I was pulled into a supply room and interrogated by my Supervisor while she blocked the door,” recalled Tim Thrush, a Principal Diagnostic Sonographer at UC San Francisco Medical Center. “She was clearly trying to intimidate me and hide the fact that she was breaking the law. This is no way to treat people who are standing up for quality patient care, and it’s exactly why we are going on Strike on November 20th.” Rather than negotiating with AFSCME to secure a fair deal for the workers who maintain our beautiful learning environment, UC management has unilaterally imposed a wage cut on these already poorly paid workers. These workers will take home 1.5% less pay while making an average of $35,000 per year. Attacks on worker benefits will see workers paying up to $124,000 in higher health costs over their lifetimes. To put the economic status of these workers in context, 99% of these University of California employees are eligible for some form of public assistance. Those directly effected by this attack include custodians, gardeners, food service workers, and facilities maintenance staff. For further context, consider that UCs highest paid employees - nearly 700 of whom receive larger salaries than the President of the United States - have already received a 3% across the board raise this year. Union leadership is currently discussing how to support AFSCME, up to and including joining the California Nurses Association and UC Santa Cruz Skilled Crafts Unit in their commitment to strike in sympathy during the day that AFSCME will be striking. In the event that this unions elected leadership calls for a strike, we will notify members of their rights and options. In the mean time, please review this FAQ which broadly explains our unions restrictions and rights regarding strike action. And you can find useful background information by reading this executive summary. AFSCME will be mobilized on all ten campuses and all five UC medical centers. Times and locations of their pickets will be announced next week. To learn more about AFSCMEs struggle, check out their Facebook and Twitter. Or you can browse their website at afscme3299.org. Regardless of what form our support takes, student-workers know all too well exactly how far management will go to divest quality at the UC, and it remains up to all members of the UC community to defend each other when attacked. An injury to one is an injury to all. In Solidarity, UAW Local 2865
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 03:10:44 +0000
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