AFSCME Workers Take Struggle to UCSC Chancellor's Doorstep

On the night of March 7, custodians of AFSCME 3299 and their families, along with student and worker supporters, marched to the gates of UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Denice Denton's on-campus home. The more than 200-strong crowd demanded the Chancellor support workers' struggles for dignity and justice, including wage parity with other regional colleges where workers make dollars more per hour for the same (or less) work.

The march, organized by AFSCME 3299 in coordination with MEChA de UCSC and the Student and Worker Coalition for Justice (SWCJ) continues the legacy of labor struggle at the UC Santa Cruz campus. On April 14 of last year, over 1,000 students and workers shut down the campus for the day as a part of a state-wide AFSCME strike for justice. Days later, the workers won a significantly better contract.

In the past year, student and worker solidarity and militancy has lead to significant gains for AFSCME, CUE (clericals), and Santa Cruz County bus drivers, represented by UTU. The struggle continues...