California Public Employment Relations Board issues formal complaints against UC
(Daniel Miller/Daily Bruin)
By Melissa Morris
Sept. 21, 2018 12:28 p.m.
This post was updated Sept. 21 at 3:08 p.m.
A state judicial administrative agency brought formal complaints Friday against the University of California after a UC employee union alleged the University was withholding employee contact information from unions.
The California Public Employment Relations Board issued the complaints after American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 filed for injunctive relief, or a court-ordered remedy to resolve an issue, according to an AFSCME 3299 press release.
The California PERB is a quasi-judicial administrative agency that enforces collective bargaining statutes applying to California public employees. AFSCME 3299 is the largest UC employee union.
The complaints allege the UC violated two state laws, AB 119 and SB 866, by withholding employee contact information from unions. State law requires public employers to provide contact information of their employees to their representatives, including unions charged with bargaining on their behalf.
John de los Angeles, an AFSCME 3299 spokesperson, said he found it ironic to see California institutions aligning with anti-union interests of the Trump administration.
“The University of California is a taxpayer-funded institution. If California voters rejected that agenda in 2016, if they didn’t support Donald Trump then, their public institutions definitely shouldn’t support that agenda now.”
In April, AFSCME 3299 held a three-day strike to protest wage inequality.
Danielle Smith, a UC spokesperson, said the UC disputes the allegations and will address them in the proper forum.
The California PERB will hold hearings on the charges in the coming months, according to the press release.
