UC Employees Demand More Money

Union Protests New Vice Chancellor of Equity and Inclusion

By Andrew R Quinio
Posted on 09/15/06

A group of protesters gathered outside California Hall, the building that houses the office of Chancellor Robert Birgeneau, to decry what they considered “poverty wages” being paid to University of California custodial staff. About 40 people participated in the demonstration, including UC Berkeley students and UC employees represented by the AFSCME Local 3299, the union representing state, county, and municipal employees. Protestors marched in circles during the late afternoon and yelled out several slogans, while others gathered signatures for a petition that expressed support for their cause.

William Schlitz, Political Communications Director for the AFSCME Local 3299, compared the salaries of custodians at community colleges to those at UC Berkeley to highlight the alleged injustice. According to Schlitz, a custodian at Cal can make $12 per hour after having worked in the university for five years, while custodians working in community colleges currently make $18.50 per hour.

But wages were not the only thing that the crowd was upset about. What initially sparked today’s protest was the announcement of the new Vice Chancellor of Equity and Inclusion position. The new post, announced by Chancellor Birgeneau in late August, will come with a salary of between $182,000 and $282,000 and a budget of $4.5 million. “The 4.5 million budget is appalling,” Schlitz said. According to Schlitz, the Chancellor told the union that there was simply no money to increase the salaries of the custodial staff.

While the AFSCME supports the goals of diversity and equity, Schlitz believes that the new Vice Chancellor position will not bring any substance to the issue.

The protest drew the attention of only a few people. One onlooker, UC Berkeley Junior Kat Quigley, expressed support for the protest. She said, “It’s really great. They should fight for their rights, for sure.” Many students however walked past the protest and paid little attention to the event.

The protest ended around 4:00 pm. The group vowed to return if their demands were not met by Chancellor Birgeneau. One of the lead protesters yelled into the megaphone, “This protest is going to be bigger and meaner…!” The crowd then chanted, “We’ll be back.”

Click here to see video of the protest.

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