Kevin Christensen, lead researcher in the AFL-CIO Center for Strategic Research, writes about a great victory for food service workers and custodians with AFSCME at the University of California-Davis.

AFSCME Local 3299 has won a four-year fight to end outsourcing of food service work in the 10-campus University of California (UC) system, after UC-Davis announced last week that nearly 200 workers currently employed by Sodexho will be eligible to apply for university employment, and so become AFSCME members.

UC-Davis, where Sodexho has held the contract for nearly 40 years, is the last campus in the UC system to outsource food services. Administrators say the workers will be taken in-house over the coming year, while Sodexho will remain to manage the operations.

Lakesha Harrison, president of AFSCME Local 3299, says:

This victory is one of many in a larger fight to hold the university accountable to all members of the community. And it’s been a long time coming. It’s the right thing for the university to do, but they need to do it quicker. Twelve months is too long.

Echoing these concerns, Lidia Uribe, a dining hall cook says:

“We are very excited, but we cannot wait for these changes. Every day, we face intimidation and racism at work. We need a voice and protection today.

Local 3299 has been committed to reversing the outsourcing trend. As at-will employees—meaning they can be laid off for nearly any reason the employer chooses—the Sodexho workers labored in fear of retaliation and intimidation when standing up for basic rights such as a voice on the job, fair wages, affordable health care and justice in their workplaces.

In recent years, Local 3299 has won similar struggles at several other UC campuses, enabling 700 food service workers and 200–300 custodians to join the union.

The UC-Davis victory came after workers, supported by AFSCME members, engaged in civil disobedience and other actions over the past year and a half. They have been supported by students, faculty, elected officials, faith leaders and the broader community.

Last fall, a large faculty support group released a report, “From the Shadows: How Contracting Out Fosters Poverty in the Community.”

Elected officials sent letters of support to the UC-Davis administration on behalf of the workers and authored legislation, the University of California Responsible Contracting Act (S.B.1596), to make the university’s contracting process more transparent, fair and accountable to taxpayers.

In the campaign’s final stretch, an interfaith coalition sent an urgent letter, with more than 200 clergy and parishioner signatures, urging the Davis chancellor to do the morally right thing for the community by bringing these workers in-house.

The UC-Davis food service workers now are eager to add their voices to 20,000 brothers and sisters in Local 3299 employed at the University of California who are fighting for a new contract. Check out www.takebackuc.org for more on the campaign.

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