USC Employees Protest During Ceremonies
About 150 protesters marched peacefully around the USC campus during Friday’s commencement ceremonies to highlight the impasse in negotiations over job security between the university and 360 cafeteria and housing workers.
Several Latino lawmakers, including state Sen. Hilda Solis (D-La Puente) and Assembly members Gil Cedillo, Gloria Romero and Marco Firebaugh, all Los Angeles Democrats, rallied in support of Local 11 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Workers Union in a church parking lot before the march began.
About a dozen USC workers ended their fast to protest the university’s refusal to rule on the hiring of outside contractors to replace the workers. But Local 11’s president, Maria Elena Durazo, who has not eaten since Sunday, said she would continue her fast until the university gets serious about the union’s demands.
Since the workers’ contract expired in 1995, Local 11 and USC officials have been at an impasse over outside contracting.
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