Teamsters Keep Up Pressure Across the State
UCLA Commits To No Layoffs Thru Jan. 2021
Teamsters have been busy fighting layoffs on multiple fronts since early in the coronavirus crisis. Members are committed to making the UC keep workers whole through retention of jobs, wage rates, hours, and benefits.
Our perseverance, actions and unity with our sisters and brothers in other UC worker Unions has successfully kept pressure on the UC to do the right thing by workers.
Last week, UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block sent an email committing to keep all career UCLA employees employed through Jan. 15, 2021.
Block’s email said, in part: “… I am making the following commitment: UCLA will have no pandemic-related indefinite or temporary layoffs for career employees through at least January 15, 2021. This is provided that, in areas where there is a lack of available work, affected employees are willing to accept other work duties, which will be offered at the same level of pay and benefits.
“Our people are our strength. In a time of anxiety and uncertainty, we are committed to doing what we can for as long as we can to ensure our staff members have meaningful work, a reliable income, and the health care and benefits needed to feel a sense of stability.”
Those who work at UCLA know that campus management can be difficult to work with and worker concerns tend to be low on the totem pole. Chancellor Block’s commitment and direction to management to retrain and reassign workers to avoid layoffs through January 15, 2021 is a welcome relief, temporary as it may be.
Click here to read Chancellor Block’s entire letter.
The UC has many income streams and billions in reserves; we ask new UC President Michael V. Drake, MD, to instruct the chancellors of all campuses to follow Chancellor Block’s lead! There is plenty of work to do, and emergency state and federal funding was based on the expectation that UC use some of its discretionary reserves to avoid layoffs.
If you are a UCLA Teamster and have been issued a layoff notice, contact your Union Steward or Rep right away.
Members Speak to UC Board of Regents
July 29, 2020 — Teamsters Secretary-Treasurer Jason Rabinowitz demands that the Regents instruct their chancellors to avoid worker layoffs, and two Teamsters members needlessly and cruelly laid off from their long-time UCSD Health and UCSF Health jobs told the Board of Regents how their lives have been negatively affected.
Eleven Teamsters were prepared to speak but the Regents called just seven due to what the Regents secretary said was a high demand for public comment.
Listen to the testimony from the July 28-30 UC Board of Regents by clicking here.
Rally Against Layoffs at UC Medical Centers
July 29, 2020 –Teamsters rallied with our sisters and brothers in other UC Unions Wednesday in front of UC hospitals statewide demanding that administration protect our jobs, our pay, and our health and safety! We are essential, not expendable.
Teamsters 2010 Secretary-Treasurer Jason Rabinowitz rallied with members at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood and spoke passionately about how all UC workers should be kept whole.
Click here to see video and photos of statewide rallies.
