Last week, two groups of undergrad workers filed for union recognition at the Public Employment Relations Board office in Oakland, both with the ultimate goal of joining our union. As the first non-academic student workers at UC to organize, these victories are a major step toward our unions becoming a home for all student workers at UC.
Last Tuesday, undergrad dining hall workers from UC Santa Barbara made the trip to Oakland to file for union recognition. Around 500 dining hall workers have been organizing as the Student Dining Labor Union (SDLU-UAW) since Spring 2022, and a supermajority have already signed union authorization cards. These workers face pervasive harassment at work, and because UC skirts state regulations governing pay and conditions for public-sector workers, they often work in dangerously hot or cold settings, with no right to sit down, for only twenty-five cents over the state minimum wage. Despite these difficult conditions, the student workers have done excellent work organizing to hold UC accountable and ensure every student worker has dignity and respect in the workplace.
Last Thursday, 50 undergrad parking and transportation workers at UC Berkeley also filed for union recognition. These workers, organizing as Kiosk, Attendant, and Loop Workers United (KAL-UAW), have been pursuing pay increases and better working conditions for months, and they won substantial pay increases this fall after they threatened to strike during the USC-Cal football game. They followed that up with a full union campaign, and within a few months they were organized well enough to file for recognition.
These are inspiring victories, and UAW-UC Academic Workers are excited to stand in solidarity with these workers as they push for strong contracts. Please follow @sdlu_uaw and @kal_ptworkers on Instagram for further updates about the SDLU and KAL campaigns to see how you can lend your support!
In solidarity,
Gabe Classon
Head Steward, UAW 2865 Berkeley
uGSI, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science