California – Contract Workers to Become University Employees

Nearly 200 contracted-out food service workers at the University of California at Davis have won their lengthy battle to become full-time UC employees.

Davis, California

Nearly 200 contracted-out food service workers at the University of California at Davis have won their lengthy battle to become full-time UC employees.

The victory, announced in April, means that workers will transition from their current employment with Sodexho Inc. to become direct UC Davis employees and automatically join AFSCME Local 3299 — no later than April 2009.

“It’s going to be great for the workers when they see the changes that happen when they are UC employees. I hope we can get it done as soon as possible,” says Local 3299 Pres. LaKesha Harrison.

Demonstrations by students, workers and members of Local 3299 persuaded UC Davis administrators that their outdated employment policy could no longer be justified. The campus is the last in the large, statewide system that continues to outsource dining services.

Members of Local 3299 also are engaged in an intense fight over livable wages on behalf of some 11,000 patient care workers and more than 9,000 service employees throughout the UC system. They have been working without a contract since early last year.