LETTERS and E-MAILS
Derelict democracy
To the editor:
Unfortunately, Elsa Chen is right in her belief that a polling station on the Santa Clara campus will increase voter participation among students. While I agree with her efforts to increase political interest, I find it pathetic that a well-educated community of young adults neglects the world in which it lives. Maybe the real answer is to put a polling station in every living room in America and hook it up to the television remote so that citizens can participate without any effort. The military has resorted to promising to pay for college and embarrassing ads bragging about "an Army of one." What's next? A tax break for those who vote? Bill Maher nailed the issue when he said that people who do not participate in the democratic process are "derelict in their duty to the republic."
Trevor Gibson
English and Math '05
University allays workers' concerns
To the editor:
In reference to two articles regarding facilities worker issues [Feb. 12 and Feb. 9 issues] which addressed the student senate resolution, allow me to explain that while we are in agreement with several points contained in your article, there are others with which we take great issue. Still further, there are additional issues which are the subject of current ongoing negotiations which I will not address here, or in any public forum, out of respect for the union, the facilities workers and for the negotiating process overall.
That being said, Santa Clara is committed to treating all its workers (subcontractors included) with dignity and respect and has lived up to that commitment. Toward that end, with regard to facilities workers employed by Santa Clara, the benefits afforded to all of Santa Clara benefit eligible employees are also granted to eligible union employees. The benefits, to name a few, include a comprehensive benefit package as well as a number of other benefits, such as eligibility for on-site childcare, membership to the Pat Malley facility and many others. The employees are also paid a fair and competitive salary.
With regard to contracted facilities employees, Santa Clara has made a conscious decision to contract only with custodial service firms who pay their employees at least union wage scales and benefits. The firms chosen by the university have an established union/management agreement that clarifies a commitment to dignity and respect. Additionally, the university chose to unilaterally establish a minimum wage well above the union negotiated minimum.
I was also disheartened to read that employees fear their jobs will be outsourced to outside contractors. Allow me to reiterate what Jeff Charles, Director of Facilities, has stated on several occasions: No one has lost their job, no one's hours have been reduced and workers should not be concerned about being replaced by contract workers.
To illustrate this point, in the eight years that I have been director of facilities and then assistant vice president for university operations at Santa Clara, no facilities employee has been laid off to make room for contract workers. In addition, in spite of the fiscal difficulties and budget issues with which the university has been faced, the university chose to make budget cuts in other areas, which resulted in no layoffs in the facilities department.
Fostering a safe and healthy work environment for all employees is also of paramount importance to the university. Toward that end, we continually assess the work environment and have mechanisms in place for addressing such issues. We take work environment issues extremely seriously and are committed to addressing them in a timely fashion.
While our views may be consistent regarding certain areas, the most recent article stated that the workers should have the right to organize in association with trade unions. This is not relevant to the facilities workers since they are all members of SEIU Local 715.
Salvador Bustamonte, SEIU Local 1877 regional vice president, stated that workers at Santa Clara receive wages between $8.04 and $10.04 per hour. In actuality, SEIU Local 1877 workers of DMS who work at Santa Clara receive a minimum salary well above the $8.04 and even above the $10.04.
Finally, the university will continue to negotiate in good faith with the union workers to reach a mutually beneficial agreement for the next contract period. While Ms. Berlanga, Local 715 worksite organizer, made reference to the negotiations as "war," the university differs in its perspective on this matter.
We view the process as an opportunity to continue an important dialogue on matters concerning workers and the university and look forward to arriving at a mutually agreed upon contract in the near future.
Joe Sugg
Assistant Vice President
University Operations