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Plumbers, Carpenters, Electricians at UCLA Strike for Higher Wages and Back Pay

Students walk by the Powell Library at UCLA in March. (Credit: Glenn Koenig/ Los Angeles Times)

Several hundred skilled-trade workers at UCLA walked out and picketed for higher wages and retroactive pay on Wednesday.

The 24-hour strike was organized by Teamsters Local 2010, a union chapter representing plumbers, carpenters, electricians, elevator mechanics, service engineers and other workers at UCLA and UC San Diego.

Workers began gathering at midnight Wednesday morning, said Teamsters Local 2010 spokesman Christian Castro. They held signs saying “Fair wages now!” “Stop wage theft!” and “Pay workers enough to live!” A similar strike is planned for UC San Diego on Thursday.

Despite the walkout, neither the main campus nor UCLA’s medical centers had any disruptions in service,  said UCLA spokeswoman Kathryn Kranhold. Castro, though, said mid-morning that a boiler was broken and “delays are starting to add up.” He added that the workers get, on average, between 12 and 15 service calls daily.

Click here to read the full story on LATimes.com. 

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