UPTE Terminates Organizing Staff

Press Release


For Immediate Release
Contacts:

May 21, 2004
Carla Williams: 858-837-1274

Charles Allen: 831-421-9534

MaryAnn Canelli: 916-206-8609



UPTE-CWA Local 9119 terminates all organizing staff:

UPTE Staff demands that UPTE leaders practice what they preach.

On April 7, 2004, UPTE-CWA Local 9119, a labor union representing 10,000
health care, research and technical employees in the University of
California system, issued layoff notices to its entire organizing staff.
"Lack of funds, reorganization and lack of work" are being used to justify
these mass layoffs. In an effort to disguise the illegality of the layoffs,
UPTE-CWA has created a new job classification, Leadership Development
Coordinator, and suggested current unionized staff apply for these new
positions. These "new" positions were not bargained over with the UPTE Staff
(US) union, and staff members were informed that they had no right to their
former jobs.



"UPTE has long complained about their own employer, University of California
(UC), using reorganizations to get rid of staff that they don't like. Now
UPTE, a labor union, is using this same union-busting tactic on its own
staff," stated UPTE Staff President Carla Williams.



On April 23, 2004, UPTE Staff representatives presented UPTE leaders with a
demand that they bargain with US over their proposed unilateral changes.
Under the National Labor Relations Act, employers, like UPTE, are required
to bargain with their staff's union over any changes to wages, hours and
working conditions. UPTE's representatives refused to bargain, and even when
informed that they would be committing an unfair labor practice by refusing
to bargain, UPTE still refused to negotiate.



UPTE Staff Vice President Charles Allen exclaimed, "It is disgraceful that
the employer in question is a labor union. Aren't labor unions supposed to
be protecting workers' rights, not violating them?"



Subsequently, UPTE Staff has filed three unfair labor practice charges
against UPTE. These charges include but are not limited to: retaliation
against union officers for engaging in protected, concerted activities,
refusing to provide timely and complete information requests, bargaining in
bad faith over the effects of the layoffs and refusal to bargain over UPTE's
proposed unilateral changes to UPTE Staff's wages, hours and working
conditions.



"It is unfortunate that UPTE-CWA continues to act as though the National
Labor Relations Act doesn't exist," said Joe Biegner, UPTE Staff Bargainer.



On May 11, 2004, UPTE-CWA, Local 9119 presented UPTE Staff Bargaining Team
member Mike Friedrich with a proposal that demanded that UPTE Staff agree
to drop all grievances and unfair labor practice (ULP) charges in order to
gain a couple of weeks severance pay for its laid off staff. This proposal
was characterized by UPTE-CWA as an "all or nothing" proposal. In response,
UPTE Staff had no choice but to file another unfair labor practice charge
against UPTE-CWA.



"We have given UPTE-CWA leaders every opportunity to do the right thing and
act like the labor leaders they claim they are. We hope that the larger
labor and UC communities will join with us in holding these leaders
accountable," claimed MaryAnn Canelli, UPTE Staff Chief Steward.



For more information, check out the UPTE Staff website at http://www.uptestaff.com.