Workers demand rights (act of civil disobedience resulting in their arrest)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2008/apr/04/workers-demand-rights/

With a resonance of the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., UC employees protest wages, benefits

* Anthony Asencio
* Published: Friday, April 4, 2008

On April 3, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech in support of fairer wages that, 40 years later, became the rallying cry for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

On Thursday, inspired by King’s “I’ve been to the mountaintop” speech, members of California’s AFSCME Local 3299 participated in a statewide protest in hopes of getting the University of California to increase wages and benefits for primary care and service workers at all 10 UC campuses.

The huge protest began with chants of “Si se puede,” or “Yes we can,” as AFSCME members took turns voicing their frustrations over a megaphone and ended when a small group of protesters sat down in a circle in the middle of Wilshire Boulevard in an act of civil disobedience resulting in their arrest.

As the mob of protesters marched and picketed its way through Westwood Village, police patrolled the streets attempting to maintain the civility of the protest.

Members of AFSCME Local 3299 said they were frustrated that wages in many classifications are 25 to 30 percent below their counterparts at other leading state hospitals.

Though the state is in charge of allocating the funds, the protest focused on the UC, which is responsible for mediating separate negotiations with both the primary care workers and the service workers.

FULL story at link.