On the picket line

Strikers ‘hungry’ for a union contract

MIAMI—Nine service workers at the University of Miami have been on a water-only fast since April 4 to demand a union contract with Unicco Service Co. The 900 janitors, housekeepers, food servers and gardeners represented by SEIU Local 11 have been on strike for union recognition since March 1.

On April 11, University of Miami President Donna Shalala refused to meet with the hunger strikers because, according to the April 14 student newspaper, The Hurricane, she did not want to “see” the hunger strikers because that might appear to condone such tactics.

Seven students from STAND (Students Toward A New Democracy) joined the hunger strike on April 14. One of them, senior Tanya Aquino, told The Hurricane, “This is not just about the over 400 families on strike; this is for all of working America. This is social justice for the workers whose right to organize is denied. It’s bigger than the hunger strikers, it’s bigger than me, it’s bigger than the Univeristy of Miami, and it’s not going to stop.”

Unicco, which employs unionized workers in the northeast, has refused to accept SEIU’s card checks, which show that 67 percent of the workers have signed cards saying they want to be represented by SEIU. The company, which has threatened and harassed the workers to keep them from forming a union, is demanding a ballot vote.

The workers and students want Shalala, former Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Clinton administration, to stop shielding Unicco. Shalala has the authority to require Unicco to stop its anti-union campaign and recognize the workers’ right to form a union. To help the strikers, call Shalala at 305-284-5155 and demand that she tell Unicco to recognize Local 11.

In a related SEIU struggle, janitors and other service workers at Nova Southeast University in Davie, Fla., went on strike on April 10 over unfair labor practices committed by Unicco. The company has also refused to recognize SEIU at Nova Southeast.

Farmworkers’ union signs guest worker contract

LOS ANGELES—As millions of immigrant workers took to the streets all over this country to demand their rights, the United Farm Workers signed an agreement covering agricultural guest workers on April 11 with labor contractor Global Horizons. The firm, which provides workers to farms in twelve states in the southeast and northwest, plans to employ 3,000 to 5,000 workers during the peak harvest season this summer.

Under the new contract workers will be entitled to wages that are 2 percent higher than the minimum wage. In Washington state, for instance, the minmum for agricultural guest workers is $9.01. In addition, the workers will have employer-paid medical care, a seniority system, and a grievance procedure to help ensure that farms comply with state and federal laws. One of the reasons Global Horizons signed the contract was its revocation of its license in Washing ton for scores of violations, including failure to pay promised wages. Without union protection, if a worker complained, the firm just deported him.

UFW President Arturo Rodriguez noted: “From the bracero program of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s to the present day H-2A program, the use of agricultural guest workers has been beset by violations of legal protections. For the first time, a union contract will protect agricultural guest workers from retaliation for complaining about conditions or treatment.” (New York Times, April 11)