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Monday, D ecember 6, 2021 | Vo l u m e 1 2 6 | I s s u e 1 7 MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS
Custodial union protests against poverty wages, union-busting
Solutions to students’ mental health crises By Megan Gleason @fabflutist2716
Hevyn Heckes / Daily Lobo / @DailyLobo
Members of the custodial union and others in solidarity gather ahead of the annual Hanging of the Greens celebration on Dec. 3 to demand a living wage for UNM’s custodial staff.
By Madeline Pukite @madelinepukite On Friday, Dec. 3, custodial workers at the University of New Mexico protested for the University to pay them a living wage. A coalition of other unions in the state were present in solidarity, including the graduate student workers’ union, who showed up to also protest the University’s recent union-busting attempts. The protest was held hours before the Hanging of the Greens, an annual tradition at UNM in which the community celebrates the holiday season with a variety of festive activities. According to a Dec. 3 press release from the custodians’ union, Communication Workers of America Local 7076, they specifically chose this time to hold their protest to contrast the festivities with the dire treatment of custodial workers. “Despite having, in some cases, decades of service to the University,
most custodial staff still earn just minimum wage,” read the press release. In the past year and half, UNM’s custodial workers have been trying to bargain for higher wages, according to union organizer Milagro Padilla. The custodial union recently confirmed UNM’s compliance with the state minimum wage raise to $11.50 in January. The Union has proposed a $15 per hour minimum wage for custodial workers for the past three years in bargaining sessions, which the University has rejected twice, most recently in November 2021. “I feel like we haven't spoken up enough in the past. We're doing what we're supposed to do now. Now is the time to talk and I think that now is the time for them to listen,” UNM custodial worker Sandra Hernandez said, translated from Spanish by Padilla. The United Graduate Workers of UNM were present in solidarity for the custodial workers, also protesting the recent step the University took to appeal the New Mexico Public Employee Labor Relations Board ruling
that granted graduate workers the right to unionize. The Dec. 3 press release said this not only delays the bargaining process for the Union but continues to cost the University thousands of dollars in lawyer fees. “I'm very interested in making sure that we show that it's not just about graduate workers, ending our poverty wages, but making sure that no one on campus who works or lives here has poverty wages either,” Peter Wood, a steward for the graduate workers union, said. Other union representatives also attended in solidarity, such as from the Committee of Interns and Residents, Academics United and more. “Even if you do not see us standing here right now, I want you to know that we are here in spirit. We add our voices to yours calling for fair wages and safe working conditions at UNMH,” Susan Valentina read from a statement on behalf of the Committee of Interns and Residents. Sentiments of unity and solidarity for individuals throughout the
University were emphasized during the event. “Our unity creates our strength, and we're going to keep fighting,” Hernandez said. “When I got here they told us that there wasn't a union. Look around: there is a union of people. Together, we're capable of everything.“ Madeline Pukite is a beat reporter at the Daily Lobo. They can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @madelinepukite
The COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic approximately one year and nine months ago — almost half the time it takes to complete a typical bachelor’s degree and nearly the entire average to complete a typical master’s degree. While some students have experienced college knowing nothing but the pandemic and others look back on a time when things weren’t so chaotic, all feel the same weight on their shoulders as they attempt to finish a degree while the national death toll creeps over 5.26 million. “I have found that there really aren’t many young adults in college who don’t struggle at least in some realm with mental health,” Quinlyn McBrayer, a postgraduate student studying nutrition, said. “I think that
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Mental Health page 2
Hanging of the Greens lights up holiday season (see page 2)
ABQ finds widespread heat discrepancies between communities By Rebecca Hobart @rjhobart The city of Albuquerque released its heat map findings from its heat watch report in late November, compiled by Climate Adaptation Planning Analytics Strategies, a contractor of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. The study looked at heat impacts on human health
through temperature and humidity data points collected on July 9, 2021. Kelsey Rader, the city of Albuquerque's sustainability officer, said this report was an opportunity to evaluate how existing infrastructure was supporting active and public transportation users. The study produced results showing a temperature difference of nearly 17 F from the hottest to coolest parts of the city. Rader
said this is a call to action to manage this discrepancy through tree plantings, which has a dedicated budget with the city. The defined study area sought to illustrate current conditions during the hottest month of the year — July — to inform future decisions on tree planting and other urban heat reduction strategies. Rader said this data and
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Heat page 3
Shelby Kleinhans / Daily Lobo / @realShelbyK
Luminarias and trees decked out in lights decorate the lawn to President Garnett Stokes’ house on campus as part of the Hanging of the Greens on Dec. 3.