Students hold sit-in over workers’ pay

Protest takes place in chancellor’s office while union rallies outside

BERKELEY — Students protesting the pay and treatment of subcontracted custodians and parking attendants — including some who work for a contractor under federal investigation — staged a sit-in Thursday at California Hall, home to the campus chancellor’s office.

“A broad coalition of students demands that their tuition dollars no longer fund racism and injustice at the UC,” the Student Labor Committee, which organized the protest, said in a statement. The group maintains that the workers — who typically earn less than UC employees doing similar jobs — were “exclusively people of color.”

A few dozen students chanted and danced in the lobby as AFSCME 3299 workers rallied outside.

UC police arrested 22 protesters, all students, and issued them citations on campus, said Sgt. Sabrina Reich.

The campus responded that it has raised wages for employees and contract workers alike as part of the University of California’s new Fair Work/Fair Wage plan, which was announced in July. The wage for those working at least 20 hours a week will rise to $15 an hour by 2017, according to the plan, and will include measures to ensure contractors comply.

But at least one company has been accused of flouting the rules in the past. Performance First, one UC contractor, is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, spokesman Jose Carnevali confirmed. Carnevali would not confirm the alleged labor violations, which protesters includes allegations of child labor law abuses and failing to pay overtime.

Other contractors include American Building Management and LAZ Parking.

Students also say some employees were paid as little as $9.30 an hour before October; the minimum wage in the city of Berkeley is $11.

The UC Berkeley administration struck back in a sharply worded statement: “It is regrettable that this small group of students, by virtue of its continuing office occupations and disruptions, refuses to show the same degree of respect for campus employees who work hard to support the university.”