Univ. of California Custodians Win Major Victory

by   |  June 12, 2007

Custodians at the 10 campuses of the University of California (UC) scored a major victory in their fight for better wages and to put an end to the outsourcing of groundskeepers. UC and AFSCME Local 3299 members reached a settlement that mandates wage increases for all UC custodians and allows the replaced groundskeepers to be brought on as full UC employees effective July 1, 2007. The agreement was based on the recommendations of former state Senate Pres. Pro Tem John Burton, who mediated between both parties. The 18-month struggle was backed by high-profile boycotts of UC campuses by former President Bill Clinton, presidential candidate John Edwards, and actor/activist Danny Glover and also included boisterous student protests.