A whole lot of UC healthcare and campus service staff converged in entrance of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Middle to picket throughout their lunch break Wednesday, demanding greater wages and funding in inexpensive housing options.
The informational picket was one in every of 5 throughout the UC campuses organized by AFSCME Native 3299, which represents greater than 30,000 staff, who’re among the many lowest-paid within the UC system. These union members are affected person care technical staff, custodians, meals service staff, safety guards, secretaries and others who preserve hospitals and campuses working behind the scenes,
For the document:
3:28 p.m. Aug. 1, 2024A earlier model of this text referred to the California Public Employment Relations Board because the California Employment and Labor Relations Board.
The union has been bargaining with UC for brand new contracts for many of its members since January. Final week, the California Public Employment Relations Board declared bargaining to be at an deadlock. On Thursday, the contract for affected person care technical staff expires; the service employee contract ends in October.
“We’re picketing as a result of … the contract is expiring, and the college has nonetheless failed to deal with the elemental downside that we’ve been elevating to them, frankly, earlier than the contract — the problem of housing,” stated Liz Perlman, AFSCME 3299 govt director, who stated many union members don’t make sufficient cash to pay for the excessive value of housing. Along with greater wages, the union is pushing the college to incorporate funds for housing help in a brand new contract.
The college has supplied a $25 minimal wage with 5% wage will increase throughout the board by subsequent July, amongst 25 different proposals, UC stated in a July 30 information launch.
This matches the wage improve proposed by the union in a 2023 report.
Nonetheless, a brand new report by AFSCME researchers took a better have a look at the impact of the housing disaster on many union members and located that staff will want extra than simply these greater wages to seek out inexpensive housing near campus.
With a median hourly wage of about $30, greater than two-thirds of union staff meet the U.S. Division of Housing and City Improvement’s commonplace of “low” or “very low” revenue, double the quantity in 2017, based on the report.
Since 2017, the variety of service and affected person care staff who’re eligible for federal housing vouchers has practically tripled to 9,400, encompassing all staff at UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz and 76% at UC San Diego, the union report stated. In a push to broaden their contract past wage will increase, the union desires the college to create housing help funds for low-wage staff.
Erika Djordjevic has skilled housing insecurity. A scholar and affected person scheduler at UC San Diego, Djordjevic stated she and her 7-year-old son needed to transfer in along with her dad and mom after a divorce left her with an residence she couldn’t afford on her personal. Earlier than taxes, she makes lower than $5000 a month.
“The market makes it unrealistic for a single-income individual to have the ability to purchase a home or hire an residence at this point in time. It’s unimaginable,” Djordjevic stated. “And it’s unhappy as a result of we work for a fantastic firm however they’d moderately construct multimillion-dollar buildings than give us not less than a great way of life.”
Djordjevic has utilized to 3 completely different federal housing help packages — however at No. 168 on the wait checklist, she isn’t holding her breath.
On the flip aspect, UC San Francisco shuttle driver Carmen Lee has obtained a authorities housing voucher — however she utilized 21 years in the past, when she was unhoused, had a toddler and was fast-tracked previous 15,000 others due to the “determined” nature of her scenario. She fears that if she misplaced her present housing, her circumstances would as soon as once more be precarious.
“With my wage at UC, and the excessive inflation proper now, actually, the place would we go?” she requested.
Union members pointed to a program at UC Davis that helps union staff with housing close to the college’s new satellite tv for pc growth and analysis hub, Aggie Sq., for example of the kind of housing help they’re looking for of their contract.
The $5-million fund was created in a partnership between the union, the college and town and can help housing stability and eviction protections for eligible households, with AFSCME members receiving precedence.
Months behind on hire and going through eviction, UC affected person service consultant Darian Garnett stated this system gave her a one-time $5,000 grant to assist with missed hire funds.
“That’s an instance the place there’s a precedent,” stated AFSCME researcher Owen Li, including that the college supplied housing help to staff most in want.
In response, Missy Matella, affiliate vp for systemwide worker and labor relations, stated that by offering “beneficiant wage will increase,” UC offers staff company over their cash.
“The College is devoted to supporting its staff and understands that many face considerations with the excessive value of housing,” Matella stated. “UC believes, nevertheless, that one of the best ways to deal with these considerations is by offering its staff with wage will increase and permitting them to decide on the way to use these funds finest.”
