Is that true for CUE workers at UCSC? Maybe, maybe not. An overwhelmingly female workforce (and maybe taken advantage of because of that), rarely granted raises, managers who often play favorites by giving raises to some workers and not others.

Admittedly, CUE has been slow to engage you as workers involved in your own destiny and power. Is it still possible? If it is, how can we do that?

We know that there are plenty of serious problems out there. Some have been solved, most haven’t. For example: extremely high staff turnover in childcare, with abusive managers. Significant repetitive motion injuries at McHenry. Capricious and arbitrary work schedules at Hahn. Phony dress codes masquerading as appropriate business attire. Management refusal to renegotiate side agreements that allow workers to accrue higher levels of comp time.

All of these kinds of issues can be addressed but only if workers come together to start figuring out what we need and how to get it.

A union is only as strong as the workers who get involved. The starting point is gathering workers together in meetings to explore solutions to our workplace problems.

Workers who come forward to call those meetings, reserve a room, call union staff to the meeting are sometimes called Worksite Leaders.

Could you be a Worksite Leader? Do you want to make your workplace better and stronger? Are you someone other workers respect and like?

Yes, this takes some doing. Yes, it takes a little bit of time. Union staff will help with anything you need. But workers talking to other workers is the key to worker power. Just like management getting together to figure out what to deny you at the bargaining table, we must come together to figure out what we need and how to get it.

Local 10 would like to hear from workers interested in worksite leadership. Please call Nora at the CUE office at (831)420-0258 to explore the possibilities of organizing for worker power.