6 Arrested in USC Union Protest
Six protesters, including union local President Maria Elena Durazo, were arrested Thursday for blocking the entrance to a residential complex in Century City where USC trustee Wallis Annenberg lives, police said.
Helmeted officers took the protesters into custody without incident about 12:30 p.m., after a crowd of about 50 refused to clear the entrance to Century Woods.
The protest is part of a campaign by Local 11 of the Hotel Workers and Restaurant Workers Union to pressure USC to guarantee that it will not replace about 350 of its members--who are campus restaurant and dormitory workers--with outside contractors. USC officials have refused to give the guarantee, arguing that it needs flexibility in dealing with its workers.
USC officials add that they have no plans to replace the workers, explaining that they are happy with their work.
Durazo and others have argued for job security, and have used fasts, arrests and protests to press their demands.
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