IRVINE : UCI Officials Accused of ‘Union Busting’

UC Irvine administrators are being accused of “union busting” by a labor organization that is attempting to unionize non-teaching employees on the campus.

A UCI official on Tuesday said the accusation is baseless.

George Radziszewski, president of a UCI-based local of the University Professional and Technical Employees Union, charged on Tuesday that he has been given a layoff notice because of his pro-union activities. Radziszewski also accused UCI administrators of similarly giving a layoff notice to another UCI pro-union activist, Louise Anderson.

UCI spokeswoman Karen Newell Young acknowledged that Radziszewski and Anderson are being laid off, but she said neither case is related to union activities.

Young said Anderson’s layoff notice “was the result of budget cuts and not related to union activities.” Young also said that Radziszewski’s situation “is a personnel issue we cannot discuss” because of state laws governing privacy of some personnel matters.

Young said that Radziszewski’s layoff is not related to his union activities.

She said the UC system has had a longtime policy recognizing “the right of employees to be represented by unions.”

“It’s not our practice to base any type of personnel action on union activities,” Young said.

Radziszewski disagreed. He charged that UCI administrators have sought to get rid of him since he became president on Sept. 8 of the newly formed local union.

“I know there is a law that protects unions, but they (at UCI) don’t obey the law here,” said Radziszewski, 41, who lives in Irvine.

A coalition of labor organizations is sponsoring a pro-union rally at noon Thursday in Aldrich Park. A news release by the University Professional and Technical Employees Union said speakers at the rally “will address the issue of union busting at UC.”