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Workers to vote on strike

University of California service workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees may strike, due to a collapse in negotiations between the union and the university.

“The fact that this is being considered means there’s a critical problem at [the university] with its service workers,” said Jessica Lopez, an AFSCME Local 3299 organizer and 2002 John Muir College alumna. “Since the union’s inception in 1983, there has never been a vote to strike.”

Although she would not disclose the exact date, Lopez said that a strike vote is scheduled for mid-March, with informal polls showing the majority of members favoring the strike.

“Service workers love helping students on campus and wish they didn’t have to strike,” Lopez said. “But everybody here is pumped because this is about grassroots organizing to change the California system in several important ways.”

University administrators, however, have played down the possibility of a strike.

“I haven’t heard anything about a strike,” said Noel Van Nyhuis, a labor-relations spokesman for the UC Office of the President. “[However, in such an instance] we’d make plans to ensure services go on as planned. We would have to be well prepared.”

The university and the union have remained at odds after they failed to reach an agreement during negotiations on a new employment contract for service workers. The old contract expired on Jan. 31. Although a mediator was brought in to break the deadlock, no progress was made in fostering a deal.

“There is an enormous number of issues that we have not agreed upon,” said Paul Worthman, the union’s chief negotiator. “On the major issues, both parties are very firm in their positions.”

In most negotations, a fact-finding panel is formed to study and report on the issues when such an impasse occurs. However, the mediator recommended against this in the current case, citing the depth of disagreement between the two sides, Worthman said.

Perhaps the most contentious issue dividing the union and the university is the question of guaranteed pay raises for service workers.

“Most UC workers work two jobs to make ends meet,” said Robert Hardrick, a senior building maintenance worker who serves on the executive board of the union. “We’re not asking for anything we don’t deserve … just enough money to bring workers above the poverty line.”

Union officials have argued that UC service workers are comparatively underpaid and cite pay increases in other UC departments as evidence that the university can afford the raise.

“The university hands big bonuses to medical-center and other employees throughout the system, including shrimp and caviar for the chancellor,” Worthman said. “But the people who prepare food and clean the grounds … the university simply doesn’t care about.”

The university has strongly denied the union’s claim.

“We greatly appreciate the work and dedication of our service workers,” Van Nyhuis said. “We offer market-competitive wages … treating all our employees with dignity and respect.”

The university has cited several years of state budget shortfalls and cuts in university funding as responsible for the inability to offer guaranteed pay increases.

“We rely on state funding for our salary increases,” Van Nyhuis said. “We’ve tried other ways to compensate for the lack of funding, including a salary-backed structure for health care premiums and two additional paid days off in the holiday season, but it’s state funds that govern increases.”

A budget proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promises greater state funding for the university in the 2005-06 fiscal year. These funds would allow the university to provide pay raises to all UC employees, including those in service jobs, Van Nyhuis said.

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