Academic student employees send message home

Monday, April 15, 1996

Protesters chant for union recognition at Young’s residenceBy
Michael Angell

Daily Bruin Contributor

Protesters demanding union recognition took their fight 50 miles
west of Murphy Hall, straight to Chancellor Charles Young’s home.
The quiet neighborhood of Thousand Oaks, nestled in the Santa
Monica mountains, was disturbed by demonstrators shaking homemade
rattles, carrying signs and shouting "Union busting is
disgusting."

The demonstration followed the first statewide convention of
academic student employees, who are asking for recognition from
chancellors throughout the UC system.

UCLA’s Student Association of Graduate Employees (SAGE/UAW)
organized the weekend meeting and protest. UCLA’s graduate employee
union convened at Ackerman Grand Ballroom with other unions from UC
Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego to plan
strategies for winning recognition from the university.

The delegates gathered at what was billed as the first statewide
union recognition convention to hear speeches and rally support for
their cause. Lynn Svensson, an executive board member for the
union, said she was excited about the gathering.

"We want to make sure we have broad-based support," Svensson
said." We’re excited because when we come together like this, we
have a lot more strength and we show our strength to the UC. They
may see it as isolated cases throughout the UC, but really its a
group that goes through the UC system."

Yet, UCLA officials maintain their position on refusing to
recognize the union. Associate Dean of Graduate Division Robin
Fisher said that UCLA is merely complying with statewide university
policy.

"Our position on SAGE is appropriate under the law,"Fisher said.
"University Office of the President policy states that graduate
students are not eligible for unionization."

Despite university opposition, the delegates were supported by a
pair of politicians and several outside union activists.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, D- 35th district, cheered on the
efforts of the delegates.

"You are on the cutting edge of a battle in this country,"
Waters told the crowd. "I’m here to deliver a message that you have
a right to earn a decent living."

The speeches were followed by a vote on sending an ultimatum to
the chancellors of each university demanding recognition for the
unions. The delegates set an April 30 deadline for the chancellors
to recognize their unions. If not, a strike authorization vote will
take place in May for a strike in the fall.

"We want the whole UC administration to realize that were not
going to be sitting back but we’re going to be acting in concert
together. It won’t be a case of isolating Berkeley or UCLA. The
whole UC system will be shut down if they do not recognize us,"
said Mark Quigley, a graduate employee union executive board
member.

After the vote, the academic student employees were joined by
members of other local unions and student groups in a protest at
Young’s home.

The academic student unions were joined by Local 399 of the
Service Employees International Union, Local 11 of Hotel
Employees/Restaurant Employees, and UCLA’s Asian Pacific Coalition
and African Student Union. About 150 people participated in the
protest.

"We have to realize our primary opponent is Charles Young. So we
have to increase pressure on the chancellor," said Sonja Gedeon, a
Student Association of Graduate Employees Executive board member
"This is a strategic move to make at this point by going to his
private residence.

"It’s ironic that as a public university becomes more private,
we’re taking our public protest to his private residence," Gedeon
said.

The protesters travelled by bus and car to a public highway
outside of Young’s gated community. Holding banners and shaking
rattlers, the protesters gave out flyers to area residents about
the union’s grievances.

Fisher said that personally he found the protesters’ choice of
site "deplorable."

"Personalization of the issue is inappropriate," Fisher said.
"The chancellor felt that protest in a private neighborhood is not
nice."

The weekend protest did not catch Young off guard. The legal
advisors and representatives spoke with Ventura County Sheriffs
Department and the California Highway Patrol about where the
protesters would march.

While the protest location disturbed some, the convention site
was controversial as well. University administrators said they were
uninformed about what group was using the facilities on UCLA.

Ken Heller, Associate Director of the Center Student
Programming, said his office is in charge of approving who will be
using university facilities. According to Heller, the undergraduate
external vice president’s office requested the Grand Ballroom for
"student employees" who would be holding "a meeting of other
student organizations."

Fisher agreed that the university was not informed about who
would be using the facilities prior to approval. He said that the
graduate union should not have received approval for use of the
room since they are not "a recognized student group."

"Our understanding was that a different kind of group would be
meeting at the ballroom, not SAGE," Fisher said. "They (unions) can
come on campus, but there are rules as to who has access to certain
facilities."

But according to members of the undergraduate student
government, the union should have access to student facilities
since it is composed of students.

Undergraduate Internal Vice President Barbara Brazil said that
graduate student working conditions "directly effect our
education."

Undergraduate president York Chang said his organization became
involved "because undergraduate students are a part of SAGE, as
well."

Chang received a call from Young regarding the protest; Chang
said he wanted to know how much the undergraduate government had to
do with the picket. As for use of the Ballroom, Chang said that
Young left it up to the undergraduate government to decide who gets
to use the facilities.

"We’re not responsible for off-campus protests," Chang said.
"These are two separate events."

FRED HE/Daily Bruin

UCLA academic student employees picketed for union recognition
Sunday in front of Chancellor Charles Young’s home in Thousand
Oaks.