News

We’re the Backbone of USC Housing. And We’re Forming Our Union!

Big News: We filed with the National Labor Relations Board to Hold a Union Election! 

We’ve taken a historic step: We, workers who are the backbone of USC Housing — general maintenance workers, facilities technicians, painters, and our unit’s customer service reps — filed with the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election to join SEIU Local 721, the largest, most powerful union in Southern California.

In addition, on Thursday, a delegation led by our USC Housing co-workers delivered the notice of our intentions directly to USC President Dr. Carol Folt and demanded that she voluntarily recognize SEIU Local 721 as our exclusive bargaining agent.

This is long overdue. Our work is vital. We ensure that students living in USC’s on- and off-campus housing enjoy environments that are safe, comfortable, and well-maintained. Yet, we still earn less than unionized workers who do similar work — and our healthcare and other benefits are nowhere near as strong as they should be.

With a union, we can win better pay and benefits, a powerful voice on the job, and respect from management.

Once an election date is set, we’ll need YES votes from all our fellow workers so we can have a say in our representation, salaries, healthcare, working conditions, and more.

For more information, please contact SEIU 721 organizer Jesus Garcia at 213-280-7707.

Categories: USC