By Democracy Insurgent; d.insurg@gmail.com
Last Wednesday's picket was a success, with mix of students, custodians, and trades in support. We held the picket down on red square, with call and response chants about retaliation, Mark Emmert's new perks, and TA, student, and worker demands. We also got to see the Real Change article by Cyd Gillis on the arrests, featuring a great picture of Salvador Castillo on the cover! If you live in Seattle, we encourage you to buy a copy.
Please stay tuned for an announcement about 1st day of school picket against unsafe schools, dorms, and workplaces.
See below for a brief speech given before the picket last week:
"Hello everyone, and thank you for coming out.
We are here today to picket against retaliation against workers for organizing to fight for their rights! Last Spring, the University announced budget cuts that would increase class sizes, raise tuition, cut staff positions, cut departments, and target custodians, students of color, women, and queer folks. In May and June, literally hundreds of people in the UW community gathered to rally against these cuts. Since this time, custodians, students, and others have faced enormous retaliation from management. This retaliation has come in the form of extra work, ignoring workplace injurings, isolating workers, contracting out labor in an effort to union bust, and, as of a few weeks ago, the mobilization of the UWPD to arrest students journalists who were meeting with their friends, custodians, during their break from work. The following work day, magaers and police came together during custodians breaktime, in the gathering public space of their building, to harras and intimidate them against speaking with one another. We will not stand for this abuse, and we will not concede our rights either!
Today we draw strength from other movements here and around the country We draw strngth from In Soo Chun who sacrificed his life to bring attention to abuses in the custodial department at UW, whose death and the circumstances around it have been covered up by UW. We draw strngth from the teachers in Kent, who said "we will not conced our lives and our students lives for higher wage, nor in the threat of legal action." Those teachers decided to strike for smaller class sizes, and when the district said they would fine them 200/a day, a large portion of their small teachers' salary, 74 % of teachers decided to face retaliation and stay on strike! These teachers won a victory yesterday. We draw strength from the walkouts at UC by faculty who refse to accept abuses to themselvs, students, and workers, occupations at New School and other schools, protests in Detroit led by students and workers. We are also building a new movement that sees the struggles of students and workers as inherently tied to one another. We cannot win without one another. We now picket together in front of these administrators to say ....UW MUST RECOGNIZE/WORKERS' RIGHT TO ORGANIZE!..."
Picket Last Wednesday, Real Change Article
Statement from D.I. on recent arrests
About 2 weeks ago, 2 members of Democracy Insurgent (D.I). were arrested by the UW Police for meeting with the custodians at Health Sciences building during their breaktime. They were there in the capacity of journalists, interviewing workers about workplace abuses for an upcoming Zine we are collaborating on. We have reason to believe that the arrests were politically targeted because we were taken right when the breaktime ended, and the police knew exactly who we were when they arrested us. It is also an uncanny coincidence that the selective enforcement of the building policy took place right on the day that we distributed a press release publicizing the suicide of former UW custodian, In Soo Chun. In Soo Chun had self immolated himself on Red Square in Oct last year and his former co-workers were planning to organize a rally in his memory.
The first thing the police officer said when she saw us, was to call us "terrorists." It is not a coincidence that the 2 activists were women of color.
Most importantly, we see the arrests as an attempt by a desperate and guilty management to scare immigrant custodians from organizing. The next workday after the arrest, UWPD and Custodial Services managers were harassing workers who were trying to meet during their break time. It is clear to us that the arrest of our members is tied closely to the continual intimidation and harassment of immigrant custodians who are organizing against speed up and extra work.
We are having a picket tomorrow at 1:30pm on Red Square to raise awareness of the issues (see flyer below). We know that many of you may not be on campus during this time. For those of you who are, we hope you can join us. Regardless, we hope to be organizing more with you when you return from the summer break.
Picket Wednesday September 16th! Stop RETALIATION!
by Democracy Insurgent; d.insurg@gmail.com
Over the last several weeks, the University has stepped up its attacks on people working against budget cuts and for their jobs. While custodians have continued to meet with students and with eachother, management is increasingly creative, including scheduling meetings during planned rallies, putting workers on "administrative leave" in preparation for firings, isolated custodians who are strong organizers alone in far off buildings, and most recently, using police force to intimidate both students and workers!
We will not stand for this kind of abuse! Come out Wednesday September 16th for compact picket in front of Gerberding Hall, to show UW that this abuse will not stand. This will be a continuation of events from the 9th, and will be building torwards more large actions in the fall! Please join us at 1:30 PM, and let us know if you or your campus/community group wants to get involved in future actions!
PRESS RELEASE: RALLY SEPT 9TH!
Press Contacts
d.insurg@gmail.com
Press Release
September 9, 2009
Workers and Students Stand Up Together; Remember Korean Worker
A Group of Students, Trades, Young Workers, and Custodians Fight Against Retaliation and Abuse, and Remember In Soo Chun
After an entire summer of working together, custodians and their families, skilled trades, and students gathered together in Red Square to speak out against speed-ups, excessive work, unsafe conditions, union busting, and management retaliation. Some held signs and spoke about workplace injuries and disrespectful managers, while others held photos of In Soo Chun, a former custodian who self-immolated in front Gerberding Hall, where the President's office is located. Many custodians see their current situation as a continuation of the oppressive environment that In Soo Chun faced prior to his death. Text on the signs echoed this by asking "Who killed In Soo Chun?" and "Gene Woodard, do you remember In Soo Chun."
President Mark Emmert claims to use a "market-driven model" to implement budget cuts, which many claim has put the health and safety of workers at risk. Since January, custodians have been given extra work and much larger areas to clean, trades have taken on more jobs than they feel they can perform safely, and TAs' class sizes have increased. For example, TAs in the social sciences are now teaching 25-40 more students per quarter than in the past; UW tower now only has 5 custodians to clean all 22 floors; and one painter is responsible for 63 buildings. The speed ups and overwhelming workloads have led to a rise in workplace injuries. In addition to concerns about their own safety, some custodians worry that since they have been forced switch to spot cleaning, there is a danger that an outbreak of swine flue could erupt at UW; just yesterday there was such an outbreak at Washington State University. Facing such dire situations, workers have been fighting to improve their conditions. Last May and June, large rallies with hundreds of people drew the attention of the entire city.
But since the rallies last spring, custodians, students, and trades are all feeling the effects of retaliation. Workers say they have been increasingly harassed by managers, who they feel are trying to intimidate them and keep them from fighting for their rights. When workers are ill or have an injury that doesn't allow them to do certain jobs, managers often do not abide by the doctors' notes, saying that custodians must continue doing unsafe work, or face consequences. Gizachew Kassa has said of the harassment that "managers treat us with no respect, like we're not people. If they want to say something, they do not say it privately, they say it in front of everyone. It is embarrassing and unnecessary." Jamie Miller, a painter at the university, is upset that the University is not their contract negotiating fairly. "They keep stalling the contract negotiations. Meanwhile they are contracting out projects to non-union people. This is clearly an attempt to bust the union," Miller said.
Approximately 40-50 people came to the rally, more than many expected, and it lasted half an hour. The brevity of the rally was due in large part to one manager of day-shift custodians scheduling a last minute mandatory meeting at 11:15, in the middle of the 11 AM rally. Wen Liu, a recent UW graduate who helped organize the rally, said, "The fact that this many custodians and trades came out in the face of really nasty and increased harassment is a big deal. This is only the first in a series of actions this fall, where the people of the university are going to confront these abusive and exploitative practices. We expect huge momentum when students return in the fall and see unsafe classrooms, overstuffed quiz sections, and fewer support staff like tutors and advisors; all of which they are paying 14% more tuition for."
The rally was unique because several different sectors of campus came together to support each other and express their collective outrage. Jacob Greenberg, a teaching assistant in History, identified the struggles as interconnected: "We are not just fighting for the other workers on campus. We are also workers, and this 'private model' is making us work inhumane hours and provide a much poorer quality experience for undergraduates." Young workers who attended the rally believe that if they don't fight alongside the custodians, trades, and TAs, then working conditions will only worsen until they will be forced to "work 60 hour weeks, with no benefits or protections against managerial abuse," said Ian Morgan, a school teacher. And when asked why the trades came out to the rally, Miller explained: "We were facing a lot of similar problems, and when we saw the custodians stand up and fight, we knew we had to fight along with them."
CHANGE OF DATE: RALLY and SPEAK OUT SEPTEMBER 9th! In support of workers rights at UW!
NOTICE: CHANGE OF DATE TO SEPTEMBER 9TH!
by Democracy Insurgent; d.insurg@gmail.com
As you know, ABC/custodial workers at UW have been fighting against retaliation and further abuse due to uneven and unfair distribution of budget cuts, that are really just being used as legitimation to make changes to a "private model" that the university has wanted to make for years (see below).
Well, after a summer of organizing, the movement has grown to include student workers and trades-folk as well! As negotiations unfold we are fighting for a strong contract, that will stand up for workers rights! So please come out September 9th, 2009 to support the united front of custodians and trades-folk!
Know Your Rights! Flyer
It's been a little while since we have updated--but it is not for lack of activity! ABC Coalition is working hard, even over the summer; in particular, custodial staff have been working extra hard to stop shift changes, stop speed-ups, and continue solidarity across workplaces and shifts. Democracy Insurgent! and ABC Coalition worked with custodial staff to create the Know Your Rights pamphlet below. This pamphlet was created to help custodial staff fight back against management retaliation and unsafe working conditions, and also to let staff know what their protected rights are under federal and state labor law, and their contract.
PETITION--Custodian Demands and Letter to Faculty/Staff
The following petition was written by ABC after we were informed that faculty and staff were starting to notice a change in custodial service. We drafted this first as an open letter to let faculty and staff (such as program directors) know why these changes were happening. After talking with custodial staff who pushed for a more active engagement, we turned this into a paper and online petition. Faculty can now not only read about changes, but do something about them! Cuts to custodial staff, manager retaliation, and changes in the workplace make the University unsafe for everyone. Please print and sign, particularly if you are faculty, staff, research assistant or teaching assistant at UW, and contact us to know how to get your signed petition to us. You can also sign by e-mailing us your name, date, position/department, e-mail address and phone number at abccoalitionuw@gmail.com. You can also sign this petition online!
Dear faculty, staff, students and other concerned members of the University of Washington:
The University of Washington proposed budget cuts, tuition hikes and layoffs disproportionately affect immigrants, people of color, women, people with disabilities, and queer people. This is clearly illustrated by the U of W using all its weight and power to crush the custodians. What is happening to the custodians today can and will happen to other U of W employees tomorrow unless we stand in solidarity with the custodians now.
You may notice changes in the quality of cleaning services to your buildings, departments, and offices. Trash cans un-emptied, lack of vacuuming, or disruptive cleaning procedures during the middle of the workday. We are writing to let you know why standards have deteriorated, and to ask for your support of the custodians who are battling management to save their jobs and keep the university buildings clean, sanitary and safe for everybody.
The administrators of the University of Washington claim that the current economic crisis has led them to impose the cuts to staff and services. But Custodial Services, like many other U of W departments, have been cutting staff jobs for years all the while increasing the number of highly paid managers, directors, administrators, etc. Following the May 28th open meeting with the Board of Regents the custodian asked why cuts and shift changes were being used to balance the budget instead of paid cuts to the many layers of management they were answered with drastic layoffs, work changes and other forms of retaliation.
+ Lay off of 17 custodial staff which will be implemented in July 2009, this as the U of W continues to add more buildings for the skeleton custodian staff to maintain.
+ Current vacancies not being filled through new hiring thereby pressuring one custodian to do the work of two or three people.
+ Forcing 35 custodians from swing shift to day shift effective July 1st. This will require custodians to race through many jobs they used to have 8 hours to do in the 3 hour time period from 5 AM until 8 AM when classes/ labs open. This impossible work load is a recipe for on the job injuries and accidents.
+Changing the custodian work conditions to what management ironically calls “team-cleaning” which in reality makes the custodial work slower, less effective, more monotonous and difficult.
+Management has ordered the custodians to no longer empty office trash cans.
+Management is implementing the use of water-less cleaning products which exposes workers, students, staff, and faculty to excessive chemicals.
The University of Washington likes to present a liberal and friendly face to the community at large has been petty and ruthless in retaliating against custodians who have spoken up about their work conditions and shifts.
+Custodians have been arbitrarily and in some cases frequently switched to new locations without warning or training.
+Custodians have been switched to different managers; this has required them to walk farther between their punch-in location and their worksites, with some having to walk 15 minutes in the dark. This decreases the time for staff to clean.
All of these changes create a hostile working environment and impose an unsafe and unsustainable speed up of the work-rate, making it more difficult for custodians to do their jobs well. For this reason, custodians continue to demand:
+ No team cleaning
+ No frequent or arbitrary building transfers
+ No management retaliation against workers and shop stewards
+ Keep ALL of the swing shift positions, not just 50.
+ Rehire the 17 people who have been laid off
The issues outlined above affect not just the custodial staff who are losing jobs, missing time with children, and risking safety, but also students’ ability to learn, and teachers’ ability to teach.
Management is justifying all of these changes by appealing to the budget cuts, even if they had been planning some of them well in advance. The budget recently approved by the Board of Regents also proposes a number of other cuts that directly affect students and faculty, including an almost 50% cut to the women’s center, cuts to disability studies, cuts to TA’s and RA’s, non-tenured faculty, and a number of other programs and departments. It also raises student tuition 28 % over two years. Many of these cuts come in batches of under $100,000. Meanwhile, many top level administrators continue to make over $400,000 a year.
Students and staff have been very active in proposing alternatives, and we have developed a public budget that does not include tuition hikes or cuts to students, low and middle-wage staff, or faculty but cuts from the top instead. We ask you now to sign this petition to show your support for the custodians’ demands and for clean and safe buildings at UW. We also encourage you to call Gene Woodard, director of Custodial Services at 206-543-7831 to register your concerns, or email him at: gwoodard@u.washington.edu.
Thank you very much for your time. Anti-Budget Cuts Coalition has meetings every Thursday at 6 PM in 206 Parrington Hall, and would love for you to join us. You can contact us at abccoalitionuw@gmail.com or check online at nobudgetcutsuw.blogspot.com for more information
Name and Signature
Date Position/Department Email Phone
Seattle Times Article
The following article was written after Marla Bradeen was retaliated against for communicating with press; as is noted, formal allegations were never made. We have since been informed that she is back to work.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - Page updated at 08:46 PM
UW employee given leave after talking to media
By Lindsay Toler
Seattle Times staff reporter
The University of Washington has placed an employee on administrative
leave after she talked to the media about a controversial budget-cut
absorbing method.
Marla Bradeen, an analyst with the facilities services department, was
mentioned in a seattletimes.com story last week about the department's
plan to lay off 17 custodians and eliminate the night shift for many
remaining workers. While the change would cut costs, it could also
force night-shift custodians to quit other daytime jobs or find new
daytime caretakers for children or elderly parents.
Bradeen, an analyst with the facilities services department, received
a letter Friday informing her she was under investigation for
releasing confidential and sensitive information without permission.
The letter was dated June 11, the same day UW custodians and students
held a rally to protest the shift switch.
Bradeen answered an emphatic, "No," today when asked whether she felt
she disclosed confidential or sensitive information to media outlets.
Employees from UW's human resources department said they do not
comment on the personnel matters.
Bradeen said she met with human resource employees today. When her
request to record the meeting was denied, she asked the department to
send the allegations against her in writing. She said she was informed
that there were no allegations made against her but that an
investigation was being launched.
"I'd like to hear what I'm accused of, but apparently no one knows,"
she said.
The Seattle Times was the only media outlet that mentioned Bradeen by
name, although she says she also spoke with radio station KUOW-94.9.
Bradeen was quoted in two news releases by a group organizing the
rally, the Anti-Budget Cuts Coalition. The news releases quoted
Bradeen saying the shift switch was an empty gesture to "leave the
impression" that the department needed more funding. Financial
information released to the media, such as the salaries of managers
and the department's budget, also was attributed to her.
Lindsay Toler: 206-464-2463 or ltoler@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company