UC Workers Authorize Strike Over Crackdown On Campus Protests. What Happens Now?

On Wednesday, members of the UAW Local 4811 — a union that represents 48,000 student workers and researchers across the University of California system — voted to authorize a strike against their employer. The vote comes in response to some campuses’ use of police force to break up protests in support of Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war.

UAW 4811 represents workers in nearly every aspect of academic life, from undergraduate tutors and readers to postdocs and researchers.

About 41% of members participated in the vote, and an overwhelming majority approved of the measure, according to a union statement Wednesday night.

How would a strike work?

The vote gives the union an option, but there's no set date for a strike.

Anny Viloria Winnett, a Ph.D. student at UCLA’s school of public health, works as a researcher and teaching assistant. She’s also an elected union leader. She told LAist the union would likely use “stand-up” strikes following the recent example of autoworkers at Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors. This labor strategy involves asking workers to walk out at specific locations, rather than all at once.

“That is the same tactic that we're going to apply here,” Viloria Winnet said. “We're very serious about deploying the full power of 48,000 workers.”

What does this mean for students?

For the wider university community, work stoppages could lead to academic disruptions — to classes, grading, research, and office hours. Faculty could also choose to honor a picket line.

For union members who participated in the protests, the strike represents a chance to address unfair labor practice charges against the university system, including arrests at UCLA.

What are the union’s demands?

The union has five demands, including amnesty for students and faculty who were arrested, as well as divestment from companies that are profiting from the war in Gaza. They also want researchers to be able to opt out from funding sources tied to the military or "oppression of Palestinians."

What’s UC’s response?

In an emailed statement, Heather Hansen, a spokesperson for the UC Office of the President, said: “UC believes that the vote currently being conducted by UAW leadership sets a dangerous precedent that would introduce non-labor issues into labor agreements.”

“If a strike is allowed for political and social disputes,” she added, “the associated work stoppages would significantly impact UC’s ability to deliver on its promises to its students, community and the State of California . . . Further, this precedent would apply far beyond the University, impacting public employers across the state and their ability to deliver core services.”

Some UC schools have negotiated some of these issues with protesters, including UC Riverside and UC Berkeley.