Schools

UCSC Service Workers Plan Strike Wednesday

Some 22,000 University of California health and service workers are planning to walk out and rally Wednesday.

The UCSC rally will be at noon in front of the main entrance at 1156 High St. and will feature Assemblyman Mark Stone.

The union has been in negotiations with the university for 18 months. It is demanding higher pay and more workers. It claims lower numbers of workers are a safety hazard. It also objects to the high pension benefits given to upper level administration.

"This is about a campaign of harassment of workers who are protesting against cuts in public safety," said union official Julie Edwards. "This is about illegal harassment of workers speaking out against unsafe conditions." 

According to the Daily Californian, union spokesman Todd Stenhouse said the union is seeking a fair contract for its members and worries that the UC system has misguided priorities. In particular, Stenhouse was concerned about the university’s recent announcement that it is leasing housing at $9,950 a month for incoming UC president Janet Napolitano.

“We’re looking for decent wages that would allow our workers to pay their mortgage or to send their kids to school,” said Kathryn Lybarger, president of AFSCME 3299. “If we could afford to send our kids to the UC, that would be great.”

Find out what's happening in Santa Cruzwith free, real-time updates from Patch.



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here