Member spotlight: UCSF Workplace Representatives and Lab Assistant II Lalaine Rojo
Lalaine Rojo has spent the last ten years working at UCSF, where she is a Lab Assistant II working in the Anatomy Department. Lalaine's family immigrated to the United State from the Philippines, where she had worked previously as a company nurse at a bank. Lalaine had never been in a union before coming to UC. "In previous jobs, I saw firsthand how workplaces could be unfair or discriminatory, especially to immigrants. That experience really opened my eyes to how much of a risk it can be to try and advocate for yourself as an individual without union protections."
After being contacted by an UPTE organizer, Lalaine decided to step up and become a Unit Representative in her workplace. "I was a very passive member of our union for a long time. I knew I belonged to a union and was paying my dues, but I didn't really know much else. It's important for people to know who they can go to for help and to understand who the point person for our union is for them at work. I wanted to be that person for my colleagues."
Lalaine takes her role as an advocate for her colleagues seriously. "I've always been the kind of person who fights against injustice. We have to choose our battles, sure, but we shouldn't just stay silent and accept unjust circumstances. As the eldest in our family, I have a strong personality and sense of protecting my siblings. I feel the same way about my coworkers—it's not about me, it's about what we can accomplish when we're talking and working together."
Lalaine's involvement in the union was also born out of the need to provide for her family. "When I started, I was working with two labs. Over time, that became three, and then four, and then all of a sudden I had eight labs. I had all of this extra work I was doing, but with no additional pay. I felt invisible and taken for granted. Meanwhile, my family had to move out of our home in Daly City because the rent was getting so expensive. My husband was working two jobs, and I also had to find extra work on the side where I could just so we could save some money. Now, through our union, I'm working on getting reclassified to Lab Assistant III so that my workload better aligns with my job description and compensation."
Family is a theme that comes up frequently for Lalaine. She has a number of cousins also working for UCSF. Her father was an animal tech, just like some of her coworkers she now represents as UPTE's Unit Representative. Her mother also worked for UCSF, and Lalaine recalls tagging along with her to work from time to time—a tradition she has carried on with her own children. Lalaine's youngest son is also a staple at UPTE union events.
"I want my kids to grow up feeling like they had a voice, so when I started getting more involved with UPTE, he started to come to union events with me too. Now, we consider him an honorary member of the union. At one point, he even changed his mind and said he wants to be a pharmacist when he grows up instead of a doctor, because as a pharmacist he can join UPTE," said Lalaine, with a hint of laughter in her voice.
Given Lalaine's Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the role she has played as a caretaker for ill family members, it's no surprise that her motivation for being a leader in our union is focused on others. "Being in a union is about being there for each other. We are the union, as members, and we have to help one another. If we want to make our corner of the world a better place, it can be done. It may not always feel possible, but when you get together with others and work towards a common goal, we can win. It's always easy to find excuses not to do something, but at the end of the day you have to decide what's important to you and what you want to fight for."
Lalaine finished by reminding us that as union members, "Our biggest responsibility is to leave UCSF better than it was when we started, and to train the next generation of union leaders who will come after us and continue the fight to have a dignified standard of living."