USC housing workers unionize, hoping to land higher pay, better benefits

The growing move toward unionization at USC continued this week when the school’s housing workers voted to join SEIU Local 721.

The workers made the move to help them secure higher wages, better benefits and a stronger voice on the job.

Angel Moreno, a general maintenance worker at the school, expects the latest union victory to “help to usher in necessary change that upgrades the services we provide to the USC community.”

The 31 employees — including general maintenance workers, facilities technicians, painters and customer service representatives — voted 19-11 in favor in a tally taken Thursday, June 15. One worker didn’t vote.

The move comes on the heels of two other recent union wins at the university.

In March, USC shuttle drivers and dispatchers, who say they are grossly underpaid, also voted to join SEIU Local 721, and graduate student workers at USC voted in February to join the United Auto Workers union.

“There’s a growing unionization movement at USC, and we’re proud to be right in the middle of it by joining our transportation colleagues who’ve also voted to join SEIU Local 721 in recent months,” Moreno said in a statement.

In a statement issued Friday, USC said it is “disappointed to lose the direct relationship” with its employees, although it respects their decision to unionize.

“We are proud of the competitive benefits, compensation and flexibility we offer our employees and look forward to sitting down with the union to negotiate a contract in good faith,” university officials said.

The USC housing employees help maintain more than 50 properties on and off campus that host thousands of students, athletes, faculty and staff. Calling their work essential, they content starting wages are lower than many union employees at other universities who do similar jobs.

A building maintenance worker at USC starts at $23 an hour, for example, while an employee performing the same duties at UCLA earns a minimum of $27.44. Painters at UCLA also make more, with a base wage of $22.48 an hour, compared to $20.57 at USC.

The USC housing workers also hope to secure improved healthcare coverage and full-time hours. They are currently scheduled for 37.5 hours a week but hope to see that increased to 40 hours.

Mike Long, a spokesman for SEIU Local 721, said the climate is good for union action.

“You can’t ignore the regional context with the Hollywood writers out on strike,” he said. “And there has been a flurry of activity across Southern California with hotel workers.”

More than 15,000 Southern California hotel workers voted earlier this month to authorize a strike as they bargain for a $5-an-hour pay hike, more affordable health care, a secure pension plan and “safe and humane” workloads.

Unite Here Local 11, which represents the room attendants, cooks, dishwashers, front desk agents, servers and food service workers, said it would be “the largest hotel worker strike in modern U.S. history” and could happen as early as the July 4 weekend.

It would affect operations at the Anaheim Hilton, Hotel Maya in Long Beach, Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, Hilton Pasadena and Hyatt’s Andaz West Hollywood hotel, among others.

“Hospitality worker bill of rights” ordinances that increase pay for hotel workers have gained approval in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Glendale and West Hollywood. The Anaheim City Council opted this week to place a similar before voters in a special election.

If approved, it would boost their minimum wage to $25 an hour and add additional workplace protections, including panic buttons to protect housekeepers from harm and a ban on mandatory overtime after working 10 hours in a single shift.