UC clerical employees to vote on representation

Thursday, October 2, 1997

UC clerical employees to vote on representation

UNION: Elections give workers choice between big, small
organizations

By George Sweeney

Daily Bruin Contributor

For the over 18,000 clerical employees in the UC system, Oct. 6
begins a time of decision.

Clerical employees must choose between the large and nationally
established union, the American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees (AFSCME), its upstart competitor, the Coalition
of University Employees (CUE), or opt for no union
representation.

Mail-in elections will begin on Oct. 6 to decide the union
representation for the clerical employees of the UC system. Voters
will probably receive the ballots on Oct. 7 and will have until
Nov. 7 to return their votes .

In order to gain the right to be on the ballot, CUE was required
to get 40 percent of the clerical employees in the UC system to
sign a petition for a change in union representation. The vote
gains its importance from the fact that CUE, for the first time,
has the opportunity to force a change.

The current union representing clerical workers of the UC system
is AFSCME, with over one million members nationwide in a variety of
fields. AFSCME has been the official union of UC employees for 14
years.

AFSCME believes that a union as small as CUE cannot compete
politically or economically with larger, more powerful
institutions.

"What kind of resources does CUE have?" said Keith Uriarte, an
AFSCME organizer, in a previous interview.

However, because of AFSCME’s large size, many of its members
feel that they are being neglected.

"A union is run by its members, and (AFSCME) is not responsive
to the needs of its members. It has not been qualified to represent
the employees," said Claudia Horning, CUE’s vice president.

CUE is the workers’ second choice, created as an alternative to
the larger, more impersonal AFSCME.

Horning pointed out many problems that fellow members have had
with AFSCME; among them is the lack of information disseminated to
the clerical employees and the lack of improvement in working
conditions.

"I would like to be informed on the decisions that are being
made. CUE has supplied me with a lot of information," said Chauncey
Isom, a CUE supporter.

Much of this information is not solely union related. CUE offers
services for its members that include seminars on changing job
classifications and dealing with other employees.

CUE has communicated frequently with its members through e-mail,
newsletters and mailings.

In addition to CUE’s more active role in dealing with
information, the union seeks benefits that members feel the AFSCME
has not addressed.

"We need a better contract, more job security. I know people who
have not gotten raises for years and others who have been
administrative assistants for 10 or 15 years," said Rosemary
Martinez, a member of AFSCME for 20 years – now a CUE
supporter.

Of course, if workers vote to go without representation, the UC
system would have carte blanche in its dealings with clerical
workers.

Those eligible to vote include all part-time, full-time, career
and casual clerical employees who have been on the payroll since
April 30.