After three years of tough negotiations with delays and illegal maneuvers by the university that triggered unfair labor practice charges, workers at USC’s Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy have ratified their first union contract.
The agreement provides an initial 4 percent increase, with further raises of 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent in 2027 and 2028 based on performance. It also keeps current health, retirement, and vacation benefits.
In December 2022, 15 pharmacy techs and clerical workers voted to join NUHW. The employer would later cancel, postpone, and openly refuse to bargain at times, leading NUHW to file charges and win a ruling at the National Labor Relations Board.
Shendonna Mclaine, a discharge pharmacy technician and member of the bargaining committee, acknowledged that the university’s tactics were frustrating and demoralizing.
“Sometimes there would be two-month gaps in bargaining, and when we got back to the table, USC wouldn’t have anything for us,” she said.
Throughout this time, USC also illegally stopped giving raises to these unionized workers and last year claimed they couldn’t provide any wage hikes because of federal funding cuts.
“I felt like they were dragging it out, but we didn’t give up,” Mclaine said.
The contract fight spanned multiple years and union organizers, but the workers remained determined to finish what they started.
“We had to fight for our raises. They didn’t want to give any (to workers making above the wage scale threshold). They kept rejecting it until they agreed,” Mclaine said. “People were really upset at the employer. It shows how they really work.”
