Why not print this for your office door?
Friday, January 30, 2015
Legionella at UW prompts state investigation. -KOMO News
Legionella at UW prompts state investigation
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Legionella-at-UW-prompts-state-investigation-290298471.html?mobile=y&clmob=y&c=n
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Legionella-at-UW-prompts-state-investigation-290298471.html?mobile=y&clmob=y&c=n
THE DAILY: UW custodians call for improved working conditions -UW Daily
"Parolin said USAS uses the term “sweatshop” as a broad term for any workplace that mistreats its employees.
'We think that this issue with our custodial staff definitely qualifies as a sweatshop issue,' she said during an interview Monday. In order to uphold the great name and reputation of the UW, she said, we need to treat our staff correctly".
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Why Does the UW Not Maintain It's Buildings?
Why would the University of Washington spend hundreds of millions of dollars building new buildings and renovating old ones only to skimp on keeping them clean and well maintained. The answer can be found in this instructive quote by Noam Chomsky: "That's the standard technique of privatization: defund, make sure things don't work, people get angry, you hand it over to private capital.
A KUOW article from May, 2014 about Fred Meyer's janitorial service gives a good idea of what a contracted out UW Custodial Department would look like:
"Since 2004, Fred Meyer's janitors have signed their names to documents stating that they're independent contractors. They're not paid hourly. A local janitorial services company pays them a lump sum of around $1,000 every two weeks to work seven nights a week, 364 days a year. Were those janitors actual employees instead of contractors, fair labor laws would entitle them to a minimum wage and overtime pay. They are currently not paid overtime".
UW Custodial Services has been threatening to contract out for decades, but has not managed to generate the political momentum to pull it off. The plan would be for the departmental managers to continue working for the UW, with only the custodians -- who do the actual work -- being contracted out, and their wages and benefits consequently slashed.
Because of periodic outbursts of resistance from within the custodial ranks, UW management has been forced to take a gradual approach. Upswings in activism, characterized by things like Red Square rallies and marches on the Board of Regents, have repeatedly gained traction and support from the larger UW community and beyond. A quick Google search will show the evidence. The end goal of privatization remains an elusive goal for UW management. But intensification and speed up of the UW's largely immigrant and refugee workforce has been achieved. This has been accomplished through threats, bullying and a continual shell game of rearranging tasks, custodial runs and work areas.
The desire to overcome worker resistance explains Custodial Services / Building Services hard core weeding out program. Management feels that every time they fire or drive out another outspoken member or "rogue-shop-steward" the workers who are left will be that much easier to push around and exploit. It hasn't always work out perfectly for them. The reputation of Custodial Services has suffered repeated damage over the years. Occasionally they back off, but the provocation, pushing, bullying an bluffing always comes back in the next wave of aggressive discipline.
A KUOW article from May, 2014 about Fred Meyer's janitorial service gives a good idea of what a contracted out UW Custodial Department would look like:
"Since 2004, Fred Meyer's janitors have signed their names to documents stating that they're independent contractors. They're not paid hourly. A local janitorial services company pays them a lump sum of around $1,000 every two weeks to work seven nights a week, 364 days a year. Were those janitors actual employees instead of contractors, fair labor laws would entitle them to a minimum wage and overtime pay. They are currently not paid overtime".
UW Custodial Services has been threatening to contract out for decades, but has not managed to generate the political momentum to pull it off. The plan would be for the departmental managers to continue working for the UW, with only the custodians -- who do the actual work -- being contracted out, and their wages and benefits consequently slashed.
Because of periodic outbursts of resistance from within the custodial ranks, UW management has been forced to take a gradual approach. Upswings in activism, characterized by things like Red Square rallies and marches on the Board of Regents, have repeatedly gained traction and support from the larger UW community and beyond. A quick Google search will show the evidence. The end goal of privatization remains an elusive goal for UW management. But intensification and speed up of the UW's largely immigrant and refugee workforce has been achieved. This has been accomplished through threats, bullying and a continual shell game of rearranging tasks, custodial runs and work areas.
The desire to overcome worker resistance explains Custodial Services / Building Services hard core weeding out program. Management feels that every time they fire or drive out another outspoken member or "rogue-shop-steward" the workers who are left will be that much easier to push around and exploit. It hasn't always work out perfectly for them. The reputation of Custodial Services has suffered repeated damage over the years. Occasionally they back off, but the provocation, pushing, bullying an bluffing always comes back in the next wave of aggressive discipline.
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