Support AFSCME workers: Fair contract now!
Service workers and patient care workers at UC (represented by AFSCME 3299) are fighting right now for a fair contract with the University of the California. Their basic demands are equal pay for equal work, and ending poverty wages at UC. They have worked for more than ten months without a contract, and tried every possible means to win a fair contract from UC. So far the university remains stubborn, but AFSCME will continue to do everything they can to reach their goal. They are counting on support from people like you for their struggle.
On this page, you can find information about why you should support AFSCME and resources to help express your solidarity
Why you should support AFSCME
There are many reasons that you should support AFSCME. We give just a few of them here:
Their cause is just: The basic demands that AFSCME is making is very simple. The first one is equal pay for equal work. Workers at California community colleges are paid on average 25% more than AFSCME workers at UC who are doing comparable work. This means that 96% of UC Service workers are income eligible for at least one of the following public assistance programs: food stamps, WIC, public housing subsidies, and reduced lunch.
AFSCME also demands a contract that will end poverty wages at UC. The University of California is one of the richest and most powerful corporations in the world, but it refuses to pay decent wages to its employees. Many AFSCME workers struggle to support a family on $10/hour wages, or take second and third jobs to make ends meet. UC refuses to pay them a living wage, while at the same time they found $9,000,000 for renovations to the UC Presidential mansion.
There's strength in unity: AFSCME workers are employed by the same corporation -- the University of California -- which fights us tooth and nail every time our contract is renegotiated. The outcome of AFSCME's struggle is extremely important for establishing the tone and atmosphere that we'll deal with when we start bargaining for a new contract next year.
If you've been a UAW member for one or two (or more) contract cycles, you know that UC won't give up anything without a fight and an application of serious pressure, both from our members and from other UC unions. If we help AFSCME win a stronger contract right now, they will be in a stronger position to help us next time we're facing off with UC.
They've helped us before: Of course, that talk about help with applying pressure on UC is not just abstract. AFSCME has helped us when we've negotiated before. They've come to our rallies, helped us reach students and other members of the campus community, and done whatever else we asked them to do.
AFSCME has practiced concrete solidarity with us before. Now we have a responsibility to do the same for them.
A UCSC student has produced a short documentary in which AFSCME workers explain in their own voices why they're fighting for a fair contract. Check it out right here.
What you can do to help
The first thing to do is to educate yourself about this situation, and talk to other people, especially other ASEs. You can use the documents and information on this page to get started. Another great resource is AFSCME's homepage, available here.
You can also get involved with UAW-QUAD on your campus. The best way to do this is to talk to a UAW-QUAD member that you know. You can also contact us using our website contact form. And you can join the Facebook group ASEs for AFSCME to stay connected to the struggle.
At some point, AFSCME may be forced to strike. Their membership recently voted by an overwhelming margin to authorize their bargaining team to call a strike. AFSCME hopes that a strike can be averted. But in the event that a strike is called, we have some simple advice for how you can support AFSCME:
Dos and Don'ts for ASEs if AFSCME goes on strike
Analysis and information
Who calls the shots at UC? Even the UC administration itself might not be able to answer that question. But you can read our exploration here:
Here are some documents that may also be of interest:
- Executive salaries and bonuses at UC medical centers
- UC finances fact sheet
- Neutral factfinder's report
