| Coalition of University Employees (CUE) | 2855 Telegraph Ave., Suite #302, Berkeley, CA 94705 Contact CUE (510) 845-2221 (phone), (510) 845-7444 (FAX) |
55 state legislators sign letters calling for fair treatment
Berkeley, Sept. 10 Clerical workers at UC will welcome the employer back to the bargaining table with a rally outside the Office of the President in Oakland, following an enormously successful three-day unfair labor practice strike. The Coalition of University Employees and University of California will return to negotiations on Thursday, Sept. 12 and Friday, Sept. 13.
Margy Wilkinson, chief negotiator for CUE, credited the successful strike and strong community support with motivating the employer to return to the table. "We felt we had to walk to show how unfair and illegal UC's practices have been. If that's what it took to get them back to the table, it was worth it. We stand ready to bargain a fair contract," she said.
Forty-two Assemblymembers and thirteen Senators have signed letters questioning the University's labor practices and bargaining tactics. (Full text at www.cueunion.org.)
Clerical workers at UC Berkeley held their first strike in 30 years August 26-28. Many departments closed completely and many classes were cancelled. Other campus unions, student groups, faculty and staff supported the clericals, as 75% of employees were reported not at work during the three-day strike. Nurses participated in a sympathy strike, leaving managers to staff the campus health facility.
CUE members at Berkeley voted 86% yes to authorize the strike to protest illegal and unfair labor practices, including bad faith bargaining and abusive practices toward "perma-temps."
CUE members at San Francisco voted 94% in favor of strike action, and other campuses are gearing up for later action.
WHAT: "Good Faith" rally by Coalition of University Employees
prior to resumption of bargaining
WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 12 - Noon
WHERE: UC Office of the President, Kaiser Bldg. 300 Lakeside Dr.
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For more information, contact:
COALITION OF UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES
2142 Oxford, Berkeley CA 94704 (510) 841-0700
www.cueunion.org