A San Diego Union-Tribune article details evidence of
attempted government intimidation campaign against
low-wage workers attempting to organize at UCSD,
instigated by university administration
errorA thorough investigation of the conduct of UCSD officials in their treatment of low-wage service workers attempting to exercise their legally protected rights to organize is in order. First came allegations that one worker, Alejandra Rodriguez, was fired without cause for her efforts to organize her coworkers. Now the following report indicates that the university officials have attempted to threaten workers with INS investigations. The INS has so far rejected the administration's attempts to enlist its assistance in the effort to suppress the workers.
=============================================== UCSD calls INS in dispute with union over janitors
By Leonel Sanchez UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 2, 2001
The latest attempt by a labor union to raise the wages of San Diego County janitors was tested at UCSD yesterday when the university said it had called the Immigration and Naturalization Service about a labor dispute on campus.
The local janitorial work force, like those in many urban cities, is made up largely of Latino immigrants, including undocumented workers. Union organizers say the threat of INS interference has been used in the past to discourage workers from unionizing or striking.
Some of UCSD's janitors are unionized. The university hires others through a subcontractor.
The university's announcement came as more than 200 students and labor activists marched and blocked traffic near the La Jolla campus for 30 minutes to draw attention to the dispute.
San Diego police arrested 15 of the protesters without incident after they refused to leave a busy intersection near La Jolla Villa Drive. They were booked into county jails.
The union expected the arrests, because the demonstration was part of its strategy of civil disobedience. But the union didn't expect the INS to be brought into the mix.
The Service Employees International Union, Local 2028, has campaigned intensely for more than a year to boost the pay of low-earning janitors throughout the county. But union leader Mike Wilzoch said that yesterday was the first time immigration became part of the issue.
The union settled two labor disputes last year that raised the pay of about 1,300 janitors, including 300 who also received health benefits. Their wages are usually above $7 but below $10 an hour.
At UCSD the union is demanding a "living wage" of $11.24 for about 100 non-unionized janitors. Most of them earn about $6.40 an hour, Wilzoch said.
The union is also asking for health benefits, sick pay, the reinstatement of a fired janitor and the opportunity to unionize the janitors.
Wilzoch was shocked when he learned about the university's announcement but said he didn't believe the INS would intervene in a labor issue.
An INS spokeswoman said Wilzoch was right.
The federal agency has a long-standing policy of "remaining neutral whenever there is a union labor dispute," said INS spokeswoman Lauren Mack.
"We prefer to wait until a dispute is resolved and worked out before we would take any action," she said.
She said that as of yesterday the INS hadn't been notified about an immigration problem at UCSD.
In the statement released yesterday, UCSD said it was investigating its janitorial subcontractor to determine whether it was complying to state minimum wage and federal immigration laws.
The university said it had "notified the INS" about allegations of "immigration control violations" involving the subcontractor, Bergenson's Property Services.
Bergenson's president, Aram Minasian, couldn't be reached for comment last night, but university spokeswoman Dolores Davies said the company has denied the charges.
The company's contract expires in September and the university said it's not sure it will continue to subcontract for janitors.
15 students and janitors were arrested Friday during a protest near UC San Diego in support of the janitors' demand for better pay and benefits.
10 men and five women were arrested without incident after refusing to disperse from a busy intersection adjacent to the La Jolla campus, a police spokesman said. The janitors work for a company that cleans buildings at the university.
"I came here for justice and to make a difference," said student Rene Gube as he was handcuffed.
===================================================== Thank you Gordon Chang for forwarding this information to me.