This March, 67 custodians signed onto a letter written by facilities worker Cynthia Olivares to express their concerns. Management was not only unresponsive—they retaliated against those who spoke up. Manzanares cut overtime hours for all 67 workers who signed the letter, including on Cal Day, despite it being one of the busiest days of the year for custodial work.

Our university has continuously failed to meet minimum standards for cleanliness and hygiene. Custodians have frequently reported a lack of needed supplies, such as cleaning fluid, which leaves them either unable to clean campus facilities in a timely fashion or forces them to use their own wages to buy supplementary supplies.

It's time for us, students, to step up. This treatment of custodians constitutes shameful neglect by the university. It is not only an issue of convenience but of safety for the student body, as well as of respect for the workers who make our university run. It is a most serious issue of exploitation, as well as a violation of Article 11, Section A1 - Health & Safety of the collective bargaining agreement between AFSCME 3299 and the University of California.

Help support by sending an email to the Chancellor and two Vice Chancellors (of HR and Facilities!).