serving the uc davis campus and community since 1915
www.theaggie.org
volume 132, number 17
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
UC workers protest terms of new UC contract Workers picket on campus, at UC Davis Medical Center
Yash Nagda / Aggie
Members of AFSCME 3299 and students picket at the Segundo Dining Commons against proposed changes to the union’s contract with the University of California. AFSCME 3299 represents over 22,000 service and patient-care technical workers in the University of California.
By KELLEY DRECHSLER and LAUREN MASCARENHAS Aggie News Writers
Union members of The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 3299 picketed at the three UC Davis Dining Commons in opposition with their new University contract last Thursday. A rally was also held at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. These protesters were among UC
workers and medical center staff all over California who took part in Thursday’s statewide demonstration. The workers included janitors, cooks and gardeners on campus. Many of these workers had contracts ending at midnight last Thursday. “We want a fair contract. We want fair staffing,” said Fernando Garcia, groundskeeper at UC Davis. The new contract proposed by the University would include fewer retirement benefits for new workers, an increase in the amount current and new employees must
pay to pension and no wage increases. Shelly Meron, University of California Office of the President media specialist, said the University is addressing the retirement program to provide more aid to retirees by asking workers and students to pay more. “We prefer to negotiate at the bargaining table,” she said. She added that 14 unions across the UCs have agreed to the retirement reform measure. Workers are protesting against the
Middle East/South Asia Studies Program hosts lecture on Arab Spring
Concerns voiced by community
Aggie News Writer
On Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m., a public forum on Measure I was held at the Community Chambers in City Hall to provide community members with an opportunity to hear arguments for and against the measure, and pose their questions and concerns. Due to a 2011 referendum, Measure I will allow Davis voters
to vote on whether or not the city should move forward with a proposed regional surface-water supply project. The project is overseen by the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency (WDCWA), which was established in 2009. The event was co-sponsored by Davis Media Access and the People’s Vanguard of Davis. According to founder and editor-in-chief David Greenwald, the Vanguard is a local, alternative online news source com-
prised of community blogs. Greenwald said the purpose of the event was to enable community members to hear perspectives of proponents and opponents of the Measure I water project. Arguing for Measure I were Mayor Joe Krovoza and Davis resident Alan E. Pryor. On the opposition were former city council member Sue Greenwald and CSU Sacramento
See FORUM, page 5
Annual event showcases undergraduate research
Prince Moulay Hicham of Morocco is scheduled to visit UC Davis on Wednesday to present a lecture on the Arab Spring. The talk, titled “Year Three of The Arab Spring: The Winners, the Losers and Those In Between,” is part of the Faris Saeed Lecture Series in Arab Studies. This is hosted by the UC Davis Middle East/South
By SASHA COTTERELL Aggie News Writer
courtesy
Today’s weather Mostly clear High 62 Low 40
The Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference will take place Apr. 26 and 27. The annual event will showcase the talent of many of the students on campus involved with research. The event will include poster presentations, an arts exhibit and oral presentations on the final day. In order to participate, students are to write an abstract introducing their research, which then has to be approved by their sponsoring professor. Abstracts may come from students involved with research in all disciplines and majors. Tammy Hoyer, conference chair, created the annual event 24 years ago, and has since seen a significant increase in participants. “Nineteen students participated in the first conference, which happened in April of 1990, and last year, in year 23, we had 430,” Hoyer said. The event is not only intended to challenge students academically. “The conference will stimulate interaction between students and faculty, while encouraging undergraduates to pursue advanced degrees toward the goal of research and college teaching,” the event webpage states. Students who participate are also learning how to deliver information in a concise and comprehensible format. “It’s a huge skill, to learn how to synthesize this huge
See RESEARCH, page 5 Forecast
Enjoy the dry warm weather while it lasts, because by Wednesday it will start clouding over and the winds will pick up. At least the rain will clean the air a bit. Tyson Tilmont, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team
Tuesday
Early morning last Thursday, de Luna Jewelers at 521 Second St. had its window smashed in by a number of thieves and vandals. The suspects took Native American pottery and dolls on display. Adrian Blanco, the manager of de Luna Jewelers, was alerted of the vandalism at 3:50 a.m. After viewing the security camera footage, Blanco discovered the incident began at around 2:40 a.m. Four men were walking along the store’s side when two of them began to fight. In the process of fighting, one of the men hit the store’s window and cracked it. Another man proceeded to kick the window twice. Although the window shattered, the security alarm failed to go off and the incident went unreported. At 3:13 a.m., two men passing by the shat-
Wednesday
Increasing clouds 45% Chance Rain High 59 Low 39
Asia Studies Program. The event will take place at the Conference Center, Ballroom A at 6 p.m. More information can be found at mesa.ucdavis.edu. Hicham is a consulting professor at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford. — Muna Sadek
De Luna Jewelers robbed, multiple suspects involved
Deadline to submit abstracts Feb. 19
Students present their research at last year’s Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference.
LAUREN MASCARENHAS and KELLEY DRECHSLER can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
News iN Brief
Pros, cons of Measure I discussed in forum By MEREDITH STURMER
University’s pension reform. The University is trying to negotiate a 24 billion-dollar unfunded liability that has triggered workers to protest, according to Meron. “It’s not the best, but it’s better than the new contract,” said Marcos Jimenez, a union representative for the University Professional and Technical Employees Union (UPTE), in reference to the old contract. Worker proposals for the new contract have been denied by the University. “How can you justify the president of the university making $601,356, while they are cutting pension for the employees by over 50 percent?” Garcia asked. Workers have also expressed their concerns about staffing. “We’re understaffed. We’ve lost so many people and the University is not replacing them. Quality is going to start going down,” Garcia said. Garcia said that the issue of sanitation at medical centers, where cleanliness is extremely important, can be a matter of life or death. Many of the workers use chemicals in their jobs that can be harmful and may require medical attention. “Sometimes the work here is stressful. We’re always exposed to chemicals,” Jimenez said. Protesters said the University has ignored union proposals for no co-pay increases, which worries some workers about their medical bills. Older workers who will not be directly affected by the retirement and benefit cuts that threaten new hirees attended the picket on Thursday to support their fellow union members. The workers have also received support from many organizations, including UC Student Workers Union Local 2865 (UAW) and UPTE. “[The University] is trying to divide the union,” said Lucy Joseph, senior museum scientist at the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology Department. “We are fighting for the new employees to express our solidarity with them.”
tered window reached in and took some items, as did a group of three women and two men who passed by the window at 3:20 a.m. Altogether, seven groups of people walked by without reporting the scene. It wasn’t until a person walking their dog noticed the broken window and reported it to the Davis Police. Blanco said the suspects appear to be of college-age. The overall damage and loss sums up to thousands of dollars. The Davis Police are currently investigating the situation, with much of the incident caught on security tape. The case is considered a burglary by the police. Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Davis Police at (530) 747-5400. — Claire Tan
It’s been a pleasure, Aggie.
High 54 Low 39 Allison Ferrini